{"id":7518,"date":"2016-04-29T09:30:09","date_gmt":"2016-04-29T13:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.altwire.net\/?p=7518"},"modified":"2023-12-06T06:38:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T11:38:01","slug":"blueprint-talks-vigilante-genesis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/ru\/\u043f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0433\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0440\u044b-\u043f\u043e-\u043f\u043b\u0430\u043d\u0443-\u043c\u0441\u0442\u0438\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438-\u0433\u0435\/","title":{"rendered":"Blueprint \u0440\u0430\u0441\u0441\u043a\u0430\u0437\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0435\u0442 \u043e Vigilante Genesis"},"content":{"rendered":"

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If one line Blueprint ever spit on a record could serve as a mantra for his career path, it might be this one from 2011’s “Radio-Inactive”<\/em>:<\/p>\n

“Make it more commercial, Print\/<\/em>
\n You probably would sell more”<\/em>
\n But I\u2019m eating now, so I\u2019m like, “What the hell for?”<\/em><\/p>\n

Blueprint is one of\u00a0the most prolific producers, rappers, and collaborators in the underground scene since 1999. Blueprint has steadily churned out banger after banger with acts such as:\u00a0Rhymesayers<\/a>, Greenhouse Effect, Soul Position, and Atmosphere. He started out as a producer; churning out dark, head-bobbing beats for Aesop Rock and Illogic. Soon, he jumped into the rap game and honed his distinctive, yet deliberate pace, along with his elastic flows. His approach has been one of constant evolution and improvement from record to record; especially since 2011’s major stylistic turning point,\u00a0Adventures in Counter Culture.<\/em><\/p>\n

On April 20, Blueprint announced a new narrative EP<\/a> produced entirely by fellow Rhymesayers veteran Aesop Rock. \u00a0I got the chance to chat with him between his many projects. \u00a0We spoke at length about his\u00a0inspiration behind the album and the stylistic direction of the story. \u00a0Read the interview below:<\/p>\n

\"VG-CD-Cover-Update_smaller\"<\/p>\n

AltWire [Dan Kok]: So Vigilante Genesis<\/i> is a story album. What is the inspiration for this story in particular?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Blueprint: I mean I\u2019d say it\u2019s a combination of reading comic books and having shit happen in real life that kind of makes you think about what you can do and what you would do if certain things happened, you know?\u00a0 <\/span>So the character in the story he\u2019s\u2026he\u2019s just a regular dude, you know, but he\u2019s just kind of trying to figure out how to find, you know\u2026I guess resolution in an environment where that\u2019s just not possible.\u00a0 <\/span>So, he\u2019s trying to find a way to get back at businesses or institutions or whatever his way is of fighting.\u00a0 <\/span>But in doing so he kind of get\u2019s taken down the wrong road.\u00a0 <\/span>I mean it\u2019s a fine line between activism and vigilanteism and just, you know, thinking you\u2019re taking matters into your own hands but there\u2019s also the law involved.\u00a0 <\/span>And so the record kinda goes deep into-<\/span><\/p>\n

Random nail gun noisily falls\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

[laughs] Random nail gun.\u00a0 <\/span>Yeah, so there\u2019s that fine line, so the record kinda comes from that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

There was an event where I kind of felt like\u2026I was dealing with this business and I felt like they kind of shitted on me.\u00a0 <\/span>And it just gave me the idea like \u201cMan, what do you do when you can\u2019t get no resolution?\u00a0 <\/span>Is this why people bust out windows of businesses?\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>They say a lot of employee theft is due to, you know, being unhappy with pay and things of that nature, these little passive aggressive or just directly aggressive things that people do.\u00a0 <\/span>It made me think about that, so the story kind of came from that and from just falling back in love with and rediscovering comics again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are there specific comics that served as a jumping off point?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

I think around 2008 or 2009\u2026I stopped drinking in 2010, but in 2008 and 2009 I started getting back into reading again.\u00a0 Y<\/span>ou know I missed so many comic books; years of comics.\u00a0 <\/span>I remember looking at some top 10 lists of the best graphic novels of all time.\u00a0 <\/span>So I went back and I looked at the list and I was like \u201cMan, I\u2019m gonna try to get as many of these as possible.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>So I took that list and I went back and, like, I read the Watchmen for the first time\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

So good<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah I read Batman: The Dark Night Returns, Batman Year One\u2026The Sandman, some Daredevil stuff, I just started getting into more of the full length graphic novels and that kind of got me into reading again.\u00a0 <\/span>Those stories and that whole ethic.\u00a0 <\/span>You know, those are all people with no powers except Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen; but except him, none of the other characters have powers. It just kind of awakened me to that kind of story telling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, I think it\u2019s interesting, those normal people and that sort of darker bent to a lot of those comics.\u00a0 <\/span>They explore that very fine line between moral right and moral wrong.\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s very interesting that you mention those as major inspirations for this album.\u00a0 <\/span>Does this story also sort of toe that line between moral right and moral wrong?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Oh completely, completely it does.\u00a0 <\/span>I mean there\u2019s parts where, you know, the character is trying to do the right thing, but he\u2019s not afraid to, like, cut somebody or stab somebody. [laughs] You know, whereas most guys they have that absolute thing, Batman won\u2019t use a gun, Daredevil won\u2019t either, he won\u2019t kill anyone.\u00a0 <\/span>My character doesn\u2019t really have that.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s not necessarily revealed in this thing, in the story, that he\u2019s that guy.\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019ll take it as far as the people who are attempting to harm him will take it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from the comic books, your work seems to have sort of a juggling of the idea of having a real respect for the art form and a real reverence for the roots of everything and where it\u2019s taken you and a knowledge and some harsh criticisms of how that has affected culture in sometimes negative ways.\u00a0 <\/span>Does this album fit at all into that idea?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 <\/span>I think this is kind of\u2026Because this record, there\u2019s only like one song that isn\u2019t a complete story.\u00a0 <\/span>So this record is pretty much a concept record, as much as you can make a concept record.\u00a0 <\/span>I kind of wanted to really challenge myself to make the record its own thing and not be like anything else in my catalogue.<\/span><\/p>\n

As far as sound goes, you\u2019ve also had really consistently evolving sounds especially since Adventures in Counter Culture<\/i>.\u00a0 <\/span>There was a really ethereal, synth-y sound to that and Respect the Architect<\/i> ended up with more of a boom-bap<\/a> thing.\u00a0 <\/span>What kind of sound influences are gonna come into Vigilante Genesis<\/i>?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Well this record was produced entirely by Aesop Rock.<\/span><\/p>\n

Right<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

That right there just changes the whole feel there.\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe a feel I wouldn\u2019t have gone for myself for just a standard record.\u00a0 <\/span>But for a concept record where we\u2019re talking about the darker elements of human behavior and vigilanteism and dealing with people, I think that his production fits it perfectly.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s not production that he would have necessarily rhymed on himself.\u00a0 <\/span>He would send me beats for it and there may be ten beats and I would always pick the one that he didn\u2019t think I would pick.\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019d be like \u201cWhy\u2019d you pick that one?\u201d So he was thinking he\u2019d put the ones he liked the most as the first 5 or 10, and I would pick the 11th one every time. [Laughs]<\/span><\/p>\n

So you\u2019re saying it\u2019s a whole self contained thing.\u00a0 <\/span>I don\u2019t know, is this a typical Blueprint record? A typical Aesop record?\u00a0 <\/span>An Orphanage record?\u00a0 <\/span>None?\u00a0 <\/span>All?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think it\u2019s either.\u00a0 <\/span>I think it\u2019s gonna be something new unto itself.\u00a0 <\/span>I think he just put out a new single from his latest record and, I mean, the stuff that we\u2019re doing on this project doesn\u2019t sound like anything on his record.\u00a0 <\/span>And theres a reason, and the main reason is that when you\u2019re telling stories, you have to make sure that the music is kind of a backdrop.\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s almost, like, the same philosophy as when people are scoring movies.\u00a0 <\/span>When they score movies there not choosing the music that bangs, you know?\u00a0 <\/span>There choosing the music that complements the mood of the narrative and that\u2019s kind of what I chose in his production every time.\u00a0 <\/span>I chose pieces that completely complemented the narrative, but they wouldn\u2019t necessarily be beats that you would hear and say \u201cI\u2019m gonna write a rap song talkin\u2019 shit\u201d you know?\u00a0 <\/span>It\u2019s perfect for what I\u2019m doing but it doesn\u2019t necessarily fit anything that we\u2019ve done prior.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is this the longest full project you\u2019ve worked with Aesop on?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes it is.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what was it like to come together with him on something so highly conceptual and really ambitious?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The production part for him was probably\u2026that was probably the easiest part.\u00a0 <\/span>The difficult part was for me to make sure I had the story and the vision and was choosing things that could make the story sound right.\u00a0 <\/span>Not repetitive, not sounding like his stuff or my stuff, not what people expect from us.\u00a0 <\/span>That was the biggest challenge.\u00a0 <\/span>I mean as far as his working attitude, Aesop is the consummate professional.\u00a0 <\/span>He\u2019s a guy that wakes up and does music all day.\u00a0 <\/span>If you call him up and say \u201cHey I need a\u2026whatever for this\u201d he\u2019ll probably get it back to you within an hour.\u00a0 <\/span>That\u2019s the kind of musician he is.\u00a0 <\/span>He doesn\u2019t play basketball or play chess, you know\u2026[laughs] He doesn\u2019t go to the bar, watch MMA, he doesn\u2019t do that shit.\u00a0 <\/span>He just is into music, he\u2019s that kind of guy.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve both had absurd turnaround times on stuff lately.\u00a0 <\/span>Like, coming out with consistently one or two projects a year since Adventures in Counter Culture <\/i>in 2011.\u00a0 <\/span>What do you think it is about you guys that makes you so able to do that?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

If I had to guess I would say that it\u2019s the fact that neither of us drink. [laughs] That\u2019s my first guess, I think sobriety.\u00a0 <\/span>Cause when I was drinking I couldn\u2019t turn around records as fast, I\u2019d be sitting around second guessing myself for about a year having something great.\u00a0 <\/span>I thought like \u201cI\u2019ll just do it when I\u2019m inspired.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Now it\u2019s like, \u201cAw, let me just finish this.\u00a0 <\/span>Let me just dedicate more time to it.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>That was my turning point.\u00a0 <\/span>And as far as I know I don\u2019t think [Aesop] has really ever been a drinker\u2026as an artist those things kind of help loosen you up at times, but then they kind of have a diminishing return after a while.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s interesting you mention second guessing.\u00a0 <\/span>Is it that you\u2019re more confident with what you\u2019re putting out?\u00a0 <\/span>Or have you just learned to not second guess and just put it out because thats better than waiting until it\u2019s perfect?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Exactly, because there\u2019s no such thing as perfect.\u00a0 <\/span>I\u2019ve had situations where the music I\u2019ve worked on for the least amount of time has been the most well received and the music that I\u2019ve sat on forever trying to make it \u201cperfect\u201d has been the least well received.\u00a0 <\/span>And in my mind I knew that because I\u2019d worked on this thing for a long period of time that everyone else would see that or hear it.\u00a0 <\/span>But that\u2019s not always the case, you know.\u00a0 <\/span>I think that as you do it longer and longer you kind of understand that more and more that just because you worked on something forever doesn\u2019t mean its good or it\u2019s gonna hit the people.\u00a0 <\/span>They don\u2019t necessarily know that backstory, they just know the finished product.<\/span><\/p>\n

Right.\u00a0 <\/span>So one of my big questions is that with Aesop handling the production and you taking the MCing, those are not the roles that each of you found notoriety for early in your careers.\u00a0 <\/span>Twisting that and putting him on production and you on vocals, it seems like it might be a surprise to some.\u00a0 <\/span>Is that something you were actively thinking about?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

I mean, I think for me and Aesop, I\u2019ve known him for so long that I feel like as a friend and as a fan I\u2019ve watched him progress as a producer over the years to where I remember when he was afraid to do beats, he\u2019d maybe do one beat.\u00a0 <\/span>Then he went to where he was like \u201cI\u2019ll maybe do 3 or 4 and let Blockhead do the rest.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>And then he\u2019s like \u201cYou know what?\u00a0 <\/span>I actually produced this whole record myself.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>And he\u2019d send it to me early and I\u2019m like \u201cYo man, this is great.\u00a0 <\/span>You\u2019ve got it.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>So I think that I always saw his progression from a technical standpoint even though, like you\u2019re saying, he was known as an MC first and foremost and his production was secondary.\u00a0 <\/span>And my role was different, I started in the background producing Illogic and Greenhouse records, then as an MC I started making a name but people still know me as a producer primarily.\u00a0 <\/span>So my choice in that sense was, like, seeing how far he\u2019s come and seeing how dope he is as a producer and just what he can create, I thought he could perfectly complement what I was doing.\u00a0 <\/span>But I knew that technically he was there, and I thought this was kinda of an interesting take on what people know of us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, I think it\u2019s a really interesting take, whether you were intentionally trying to step outside of those expectations or not, I think it\u2019s a cool flipping of the script.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah.<\/span><\/p>\n

And you have the first single out today right?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, I just posted it about 30 minutes ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Awesome, I\u2019m gonna go check it out right away.\u00a0 <\/span>I can\u2019t wait to hear what it\u2019s all gonna sound like.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Okay.<\/span><\/p>\n

Well I\u2019m sure you are busy getting everything together and probably working on the next thing already.\u00a0 <\/span>But you know I\u2019ve got my preorder in and I really can\u2019t wait to hear what you come up with.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Awesome.\u00a0 <\/span>Thanks man, I appreciate that.\u00a0 <\/span>And we\u2019re working on a new Soul Position.\u00a0 <\/span>I mean, it\u2019s pretty much done, I just have to rerecord a couple things.<\/span><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t wait to hear that too.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah, so this might be another year where I actually get out two big records.<\/span><\/p>\n

That sounds great.\u00a0 <\/span>Well thanks for taking the time, man.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

No problem, thank you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u00a0is the first single from Blueprint’s upcoming Vigilante Genesis<\/em> EP, produced entirely by Aesop Rock. Vigilante Genesis<\/em>\u00a0comes out May 27th.<\/p>\n