PackFM: The Hate That Rap Made

Its safe to say that PackFM hates rappers. Whenever he speaks about them, you get that vibe. We saw this, years ago, whenever he battled. He had that Fuck you, I rhyme better mentality, boasting through roasts and foes with a strut that exuded confidence. But, PackFM, like many other battle tested emcees, had to prove he was more than just an artist who could freestyle competitively. When he finally released the critically acclaimed WhutduzFMstand4 album, he proved a lot of naysayers wrong and a lot of fans right.

Though years have passed, hes prepping the release of his next project; an anticipated release with producer Domingo set to be called I Fucking Hate Rappers. Times have changed him. Hes grown up some. But, he still hates rappers. Recently, Pack spoke to HipHopDX about why he hates on other emcees so much, why hed rap for free, how being an emcee could hurt his game with the ladies and what his writing process is like. He also sheds light on why hes glad Kanye West led the sheep away from Rap and his problem with rappers that dont actually rap anymore.

HipHopDX: Hearing one of your rhymes, you say your old stuff was wack. "Think back to my old tracks, people said was so wack, and yeah, I agree. But the lyrics was dope." Why is that?
PackFM: Mostly, because back in those days, I was more focused on creating an ill rhyme, as opposed to making a timeless song. I dont even have the same process now. I hear the old songs and I think to myself, "That line was crazy," but the overall song would just be corny to me. This is [music] from back in 1999.

DX: So, what's the writing process like now?
PackFM: These days, things I write are more drawn from how I feel, and things I go through, even when its a more "braggadocio" song. So where I used to try to sound like a rapping superhero, now I just try to approach it from a more realistic standpoint. Its just a big coincidence that Im very, very cool.

DX: But, the punchlines/metas and similes are still there, right?
PackFM: They are, but they just arent the, "I dodge bullets and walk on the sun" kind.

DX: With the new album coming out, what can fans expect to hear from you and from Domingo?
PackFM: The number one goal with this album is to make straight up Hip Hop music. Its about taking the craft of being an emcee seriously. So the rhymes are skillful and well thought-out. With Domingo, you have that street Hip Hop sound that is getting lost in Hip Hop today which is one reason why I hate rappers, because these days it seems like they try so hard not to be Hip Hop. If I hear one more Rap record where the rapper doesnt rap, somebody is getting punched in the mouth. Im all for stepping out the box, but not to the point where you abandon your roots.

DX: You feel like Hip Hop in general is losing a lot by having emcees take the singer route?
PackFM: Definitely. When you have rappers who really cant sing, and they say, "Im more than a rapper." No, you're not. So you get these guys who are viewed by the public as the new wave of Hip Hop and they decide to take that opportunity to appeal to alternative rock fans...badly. [Its] like Hip Hop isnt good enough anymore but I love cats like Pharoahe Monch and Tonedeff [click to read] and even Mos Def, because no matter what they do to step outside the box, they bring it back to the core of Hip Hop.

DX: I hear you. Seems like everyone can kind of make out who you're talking about on that.
PackFM: Im talking about a lot of people.

DX: Yeah...Seems like it became a trend of sorts.
PackFM: It is a trend, but sometimes I think its a good thing, like when Kanye [West] said he's abandoning Hip Hop...he started to lead all the sheep away. Good riddance, because a lot of them have no business rapping anyway.

DX: Did you and Domingo work together on this album, meaning in the same studio? Or was it sent back and forth?
PackFM: Nah, Domingo lives about 200 miles away from me. [Laughs] We basically speak on the phone every day. He would send me beats and ideas for songs, and Id tell him song ideas and just knock them out.

DX: What's another reason that makes you say you fucking hate rappers?"
PackFM: I hate rappers because everybody raps. I dont even tell people I rap anymore. If someone asks me what I do, I say Im an ant-catcher or I manufacture remote controls. I invented the Wii controller.

DX: Is there a negative stigma to being an emcee that just makes you do that? What's that stigma?
PackFM: Theres a lot of stigmas. I was at a club once, and this chick was hot. I was talking to her, stepped away for a sec, came back and some rapper dude was talking to her and he tried to kick game like, "Hey, you wanna come back to the studio with us? We got a session with [an unnamed] mixtape rapper." She said "Ew." Then she came back to me and was like, "So, what do you do? Anything interesting?" and Im thinking to myself, "Fuck." I dont want to be grouped into that generic clip-art rapper group.

DX: Kind of like every rapper must be the same?
PackFM: Exactly.

DX: Closed minds out there.
PackFM: People hear rapper and they think G-Unit [click to read], [Young] Jeezy [click to read] and Lil Wayne [click to read] and when you want to explain that youre different, you have to say, "Um, like Mos Def or Talib [Kweli] [click to read]," because thats as far outside that group as they know.

DX: But, you gotta deal with it regardless, right? So, when you do think about your vocation, how does Pack differ from other acts?
PackFM: I differ because Ill do this shit for free. I dont make music to fit in. Im not going to jump on a bandwagon for the sake of my career.

DX: Now even within independent acts, there seems to be a generalization or a stereotypical Rap cat. Do you see that, also?
PackFM: Yeah, the underground indie scene is no different. Same shit, just a different end of the spectrum. The underground cats think they're keeping it real by making music that nobody wants to hear, on purpose. I hate all rappers.

DX: Earlier, you said the writing process and mentality has changed a bit. What do you attribute that to?
PackFM: Life and experience makes you write about different things and approach shit different. Theres no reason for me to write about how big my dick is. Its like sometimes I sit back and I think about how you make one song and literally thousands of people hear it. So, if you had one chance to speak to a few thousand people at once...what would you say? You have to make it count. So now Im just more thoughtful about what I say. I still have lots of fun when I write. But theres not going to be too many times you'll hear me wasting time on "Zab Juda / Barracuda."

DX: You said in another interview that the LP is a concept album of sorts with an underlying theme throughout, but it's not a knock on rappers completely. What exactly is the main theme?
PackFM: The main theme is basically this: in a world where everybody and their mailman raps, how do you stay true to what you do, not follow trends for trend sake. I think "Sire" says it all because one day rapping wont be cool to do at all, how many of these cats will still do it simply because they love it?

DX: Well, with the current economic scares, it seems there's less money in it already. So, maybe more cats will fall back from rapping.
PackFM: I hope so. I was wondering if we would be in this economic state if one cat who had no business rapping became a stock broker instead.

DX: After the Pack/Domingo album, what's next?
PackFM: After this album, I have a masterpiece of a project planned. Its a bit much to explain now, but the title of it is The Human Highlight Reel.

DX: Why masterpiece?
PackFM: Because it's going to be a lot going on. Ill get into it more in the summer for sure.

Photographs by Robert Adam Mayer.