Boombox Phat Kat - Carte Blanche Interview 25 May 2007
Labeled as both leader and innovator, Phat Kat is sure of one thing… being the founder of Detroit hip-hop. Grindin’ since the mid 90’s, he’s seen his share of ups & downs. Phat Kat recently dropped his second album Carte Blanche; now on tour, the Detroit MC talks to boombox.co.uk about this and upcoming ventures.
Evans: Carte Blanch LP has dropped, and you’re on tour at the moment, how’s it feel to be the headliner?
Phat Kat: It’s a beautiful thing; we mix it up. Slum [Village] be headlining sometimes, I be headlining sometimes. It’s a beautiful thing.
Evans: Where did you come up with the title for the record?
Phat Kat: You know its French and I was in Paris when I came up with it. It’s the whole meaning for the album and it’s the scheme of having total control over the album.
Evans: Which tracks are you most excited about releasing for the masses to hear?
Phat Kat: Aw yea, I would have to say Nasty Ain’t It and True Story Part 2… It breaks down the whole timeline and history of Detroit hip hop.
Evans: Do you feel Detroit hip-hop carries a unique style compared to other styles?
Phat Kat: I feel is does and I feel I do, my whole style is indescrepant. How ever the track sounds that’s pretty much how Phat Kat is gonna be brought out to it. If it’s a bright track you get that from me, if it’s a dark track, you’ll get that from me.
Evans: Eminem, D-12, Proof, Slum Village… Apart from these names, has Detroit been over-looked in regards to hip-hop?
Phat Kat: Most definitely, we’ve been overlooked man, and I mean them dudes you mentioned were just part of the movement we’ve been doing. We got a lot more to offer than just those names.
Evans: So you plan to help local talent to the main stage?
Phat Kat: That’s what I’m doing with my music. I’m trying to help cats that want to be heard and that should be heard. Ain’t nothing Hollywood about me, I keep it real.
Evans: You’ve been putting’ in work since the mid 90’s, how do you feel that the name Phat Kat has now gained both national and global notoriety?
Phat Kat: I mean it’s a good feeling to know that the work I been putting out over the years is being recognized and acknowledged. And it’s good to know all the stuff I been doing over the years ain’t in vain.
Evans: I’ve seen the video for Cold Steel, one of the tracks off Carte Blanche; what was the motivation behind the track & video?
Phat Kat: The whole thing behind that; I just wanted to show the world the effect that guns had on Detroit, and to raise the awareness of guns and the affects it has on people.
Evans: You’re now signed to Look Records. It must be nice to get on a label that’s got the same vision as you...
Phat Kat: Aw man, aw man, I can’t even explain how it feels to be on label that sees what you see and wants to create it like you want. It’s a great thing.
Evans: How serious is this Detroit movement that we’ve been hearing about, and finally getting to witness?
Phat Kat: Its really serious for Detroit, it’s like the final stance and if we don’t raise the awareness, the youth won’t know the culture that we nurtured. Detroit hip hop is something to let the younger cats know, it’s a culture they need to study and learn about.
Evans: What sound can we get from you? Would you classify yourself as a conscious rapper; hearing that you are spittin’ the truth?
Phat Kat: I mean yeah, I am because, I have a conscious, I will consider myself as such, I ain’t unconscious. I won’t say things like how much crack I sold, or who I shot in the face or how much jail time and stuff like that … But it doesn’t mean I have to rap about black power and all that old stuff, I’m a awake to the rest of the world.
Evans: Who helped lace some of the production on the album?
Phat Kat: I got four producers on this album. J-Dilla did 5 tracks, Black Milk 4, Young RJ got 3 tracks he produced on there and Nick Speed got a couple.
Evans: Your tour got you currently on the east coast of the states with a few stops in Canada. Do you have any UK/European dates lined up?
Phat Kat: Oh yeah, in September we’ll be up and down Europe and we got a date for the UK leg of the tour. That will be posted on the site within the next couple of weeks.
Evans: What’s the next single/video to put out for Carte Blanche?
Phat Kat: The next video is Lovely, it’s gonna be the Part 2 to Destiny, we’ll be shooting that one shortly after the tour.
Evans: Give us a quick sum up of what’s on the come up for Phat Kat and Detroit in general?
Phat Kat: Just for people to stay on the look out for Phat Kat. Me and Elzhi (Slum Village) are working on a group, for the Cold Steel project. We got a lot of stuff in the work.
