Vapors
Magazine |
|
First
stop: Sears Portrait Studio.
I recently spoke with Vast Aire about his new album (amongst other
topics), and he gave me three interviews worth of gold. Here is
a third of that conversation.
WHERE IN NEW YORK ARE YOU FROM?
Born in Mt. Vernon, did a little time in the Bronx and then migrated
to Harlem.
HOW DO YOU THINK COMING FROM
THAT AREA INFLUENCED YOUR DEVELOPMENT IN HIP HOP?
I think it had a huge effect; that's like saying 'I do Kung Fu'
and the Shaolin Temple is down the block. The fact, I have always
had a friend that was a DJ or a rhymer, or just someone who straight
loved music... You know, if you're playing in the league with Jordan,
you've gotta step your game up. The East Coast in general can be
considered the Michael Jordan of hip hop.
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE YOU WERE
GOING TO DEDICATE YOUR LIFE TO MUSIC?
I'm 26 years old now, so I guess I would say when I was 17. I wasn't
supposed to rhyme, I was supposed to be a football player or like
an architect or a comic book artist. I started full blast; I didn't
care about anything but hip hop. I would take a session over anything,
girlfriends were mad at me. |
|
|
YOU
MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT COMICS AND DRAWING. DID YOU EVER DABBLE
IN GRAFF?
I was real good with cartoons, I did some
graffiti when I was younger. I did little throwies but I never did
pieces. I never got into it that deep. I was more into cartooning
and comic books- I dabbled in that for a long time and then I started
rhyming. At that point, nothing could ever touch rhyming. Once I
fell in love with rhyming it was like, 'This is it.' I slowed down
on drawing, but that was a huge part of my life at one time. My
mom wanted me to go the safe art route, but I was like, 'Man, I'm
doing comic books or I'm making rap albums.'
OK, LETS TALK BOUT “LOOK
MOM, NO HANDS.” I KNOW WHEN YOU PUT OUT THE “COLD VEIN,”
IT WAS A BIG PRODUCTION BETWEEN YOU, EL-P AND VORDUL. WHAT ARE SOME
PROS AND CONS OF DOING IT SOLO?
I don't see any pros or cons, just a positive album because it's
hot. But I really did spread my wealth on this album, in a way that
I couldn't do with “Cold Vein.” My album is nothing
more than a canvas; I'ma just lay my painting down. It's like if
you do the Mona Lisa, everyone's like, 'Oh my God, the Mona Lisa's
great! Is she smiling, is she smirking? This is incredible.' And
then they want 5 more Mona Lisa’s, mean- while I'm doing landscapes
now. . So they're like 'Uh, where's the interesting faces?'
|
|
SO CANNIBAL
OX IS STILL A GROUP?
Yes. There've been a lot of rumors, its all bullshit.
WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
Well we're concentrating on our solo careers.
We've got a new EP we're working on right now.
WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING 10 YEARS FROM NOW?
10 years? Shit... wow. In 2014 I should
be a low-level master of Aikido, I should have a record label that
is similar to Rocafella, and I should own a liquor company; those
are my interests really. Oh, and be happy, first and foremost. If
I'm not doing any of that I would like to be happy and just chillin'.
WELL GOOD LUCK ON ALL THAT AND
THANKS FOR THE CONVERSATION.
Definitely. Smoke a fat L and pop that album in.
By: Eric Anderson
Photo: Sears Portrait Studio |
|
