Pack FM is probably one of the most honest and hardworking emcees I've ever met. He's battled. He's toured nationally and internationally with some of the freshest movers and shakers in hip hop today. He's performed on a broken ankle, rocking a cane in the middle of the crowd. He's broken into people's houses and gotten gully with it, and he can't catch a taxi to save his life. Read on...Miss Rachel: So, Pack FM, if you could describe your personal style in one word, what would it be?
PACK FM: Gully
Miss Rachel: Gully, eh? Do you rock around
PACK FM: Nah I don't, people around here are scared of me, they know better. Just kidding, I'm gully in a different sense, you roll with me for a day and the word gets redefined.
Miss Rachel: How did you come about redefining gully? Explain.
PACK FM: I redefine gully, just in my attitude, people think being gully is just walking up and punching someone in the mouth, its more than that. People know I'm gully cuz of the way I get shit done and go about things.
Miss Rachel: It's a rough day in the Basement, we're about to have a guest in here that apparently has some beef with some of the crew, so everyone's a little gully themselves in here... Moving right along, I know that you used to write graffiti when you were younger... What do you think of the graffiti scene in
PACK FM: I still go out very rarely, I might go catch some tags tomorrow night, but I was more into bombing when I was younger. The NYC scene isn't what it used to be. These kids can't write and nobody is really out for fame like back in the day. Partly because they cracked down on graffiti big time, but even still, the kids suck at tagging, no pen styles.
Miss Rachel: It has to be disheartening to see an art form evolved in a negative manner... Do you see that happening with emceeing in
PACK FM: The whole NYC hip hop scene is in trouble period. Cats out here are just too full of themselves. They just want to hear themselves rap, and see themselves on stage. They aren't concerned with pleasing any fan base. As long as they look cool to their boys.
PACK FM: Yea it is tough to get a reaction out of New Yorkers, but at the same time, people need to step off of their high horses and just be appreciative. The first time I ever performed was the worst; I was looking at my feet the whole time just rapping over instrumentals in front of people who couldn't care less who I was. I soon learned how to engage audiences and keep them interested. Every time I do a show I try to do an honest evaluation and learn from even the smallest mistakes, to improve for the next time.
Miss Rachel: What was your most embarrassing moment on stage? How did you recover from it?
PACK FM: I don't get embarrassed often, I've fallen off stage a few times, but I usually turn it into a b-boy move of some sort so people don't notice. One time we was wildin out on stage and Tonedeff was swinging his arms and I got punched in the mouth, I fell, but I played it off real well and nobody was the wiser.
Miss Rachel: Do you follow politics at all? Who has a better chance of becoming president, a black man or a white woman?
PACK FM: I don't really follow politics heavy, and most people who claim to, don't either, because I bet if you asked them to name 4 congress men and 5 senators they'd be stumped. As far as presidency, a white woman. 2 reasons, obviously racism in this country. and women of all races would be more likely to support a female candidate. See it has nothing to do with politics haha.
Miss Rachel: I feel that, personally, I'd rather see Obama take shit, but that's just me. Do you personally still encounter racism?
PACK FM: I do, not much, but its there. I can't catch a taxi for shit. Cabs pull up, look at me and then pull off, it’s frustrating and sad. Who knows what kind of racism goes on in people’s heads, that they don't speak or act upon.
Miss Rachel: Didn't that happen too Danny Glover? In my experience, most of the cab drivers I've met on the east coast are minorities themselves... What's up with that?
PACK FM: Man, racism comes from all angles. Danny Glover exposed the cab situation and I swear for 2 weeks I couldn't get cabs to leave me alone, then it wore off and they started dissin me again. They're scared because there are some grimey dudes who rob them and don't pay, but they need to have better judgment and not place every young minority into the same box. I need to make a song about this haha
Miss Rachel: I better get some inspiration points on your CD liner! What's the worst thing about being an independent rapper? Your crew, QN5, takes great pride in doing shit themselves... that has to come with some struggle.PACK FM: Sometimes it’s the best, sometimes it’s the worst. I'm pretty much in total control of everything I do. But at the same time, I have to do everything myself. Sometimes I feel like there's nobody on my side. I sit in my room shrink wrapping hundreds of mixtapes to sell before every show and I think to my self "I bet MC Popular doesn't have to go through this shit". I email promoters myself and negotiate shows one on one. I call up stores and keep my album in stock directly. I send new songs and records to mixtape and radio dj's myself. But in the end, it’s worth it because it all gets done how I want it when I want it. The downfall is, there's only so much one man can do, I'm going to need someone to step up and be on my team soon. The upside is there's no middle man half assing and telling lies. Nobody has your best interest in mind like you do.
Miss Rachel: I would think it would be a lot more challenging to work with promoters yourself versus having someone to handle all of the business for you, just because a lot of promoters that book shows don’t always know that much about hip hop. Any rough moments?
PACK FM: Ah man, too many to mention one. I've had to break into promoter’s houses and wait for them. I've had to damn near fight to get paid. I've had to take control of shows when the promoter slacks. Sometimes fans want to see you perform so bad that they try to take on the role of a promoter and the result is usually disastrous. I used to promote shows in NYC, so I know when catastrophe is on the way.
PACK FM: Man this dude decides to disappear before the show was over and not answer his calls. He hadn't paid me or even booked my hotel. So I asked around and found out where he lived that night, took a cab to his building. Waited for someone to go inside, went to his apt, and he came in and found me and my boy watching TV on his couch waiting. We walked him to the ATM and made him empty his account.
Miss Rachel: Sounds like you had to get a little serious with him... Apparently, you're not a pussy emo rapper, eh?
PACK FM: Hahah far from it. I aint super thug though. I'm all for peace and all that hippie shit.
Miss Rachel: What's the best part of being a rapper? The money or the bitches?
PACK FM: I'll let you know when either of the options apply to me hahah. Seriously, the money is ok, but it aint like people think. I still gotta do other things to pay the NYC bills. And I don't attract groupie type women; I try not to give off that type of vibe. So I'm gonna say the best part of being a rapper to me is performing. Seeing the world for free, having people gather just to see you, can't beat that.
Miss Rachel: Do you see yourself rapping when you’re 60-years old?
PACK FM: Sure why not, Ozzie Osborne, Mick Jagger, James Brown (RIP), them dudes never stopped. I don't see why it has to be any different with rap. Hip Hop is the only genre that wants to bury the old instead of creating legends.
Miss Rachel: Why do you think that is?
PACK FM: Well it’s a young culture, 30yrs old. It was started by the urban youth. It’s always been associated with youth which people get mixed up with being immature. So while the youth embrace it, the older heads try to move away from it to be "more mature". Jay-Z is the only one who is showing people how hip-hop and maturity can go together. Where as someone like LL Cool J is steady trying to look like he's 25 when he's 40 with his pants rolled up and his hat backwards.
Miss Rachel: So you're saying more artists should embrace maturity in their later career years? I feel like most of the artists who came from the underground and have matured into more conscious rappers (i.e., Nas, Common) were a lot more street when their careers started, and that worked for them by grabbing a lot of the true underground heads, and then being able to embrace a wider audience by cleaning their shit up a bit.
PACK FM: Totally, you can't be afraid to evolve. And now that a lot of artists are starting to mature, it’s becoming trendy and some heads are forcing it. Like Ludacris for example. Dude has wild hair and yellin "Move Bitch Get Out The Way!" one minute, and then trying to kick rap worthy of an Oprah episode the next. There's a difference between evolving and just straight switching up.
Miss Rachel: I definitely feel that. I think that kind of shit comes off as fake and as a poor attempt to quiet people like Bill O'Reilly. I think you should battle him. Thanks for your time, family… Any last words? Any new projects? What's up with Pack FM for the later part of 2007?
3 comments:
great interview. even if you've never heard his music or haven't really gotten into it before, reading about pack outside of just the music realm in this interview makes you want to check him out. he's the definition of a hard and fucking TALENTED rapper, so i'm verrry glad to see him get shine.
Excellent interview. PackFM is a beacon of light on the underground scene.
Def. a dope interview, tho the subject himself isn't to be praised as such. In terms of attaining/adding maturity to ones music, he and QN5 seem to have not really done so themselves.
If they do, well that will equate to some tremendous shit!!
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