MVRemix: What makes you still passionate about being an artist when the technology has changed the playing field so much?
PackFM: The only thing technology changed is how people access the music. I still have to meet certain personal standards. And aside from that, my true passion lies in performing. So even if my record only sells 5,000 copies, it'll get downloaded 200,000 times and that means people at the shows will know the music and that's what makes the crowds receptive. So if anything technology made me step my game up because I know I'm reaching more people now than I would have ever before.
MVRemix: Branching off of that - how would you describe your live show? Phayde described it to me as you're practically doing Tae Bo...
PackFM: [laughs] yeah its pure energy. I've been performing for about 10 years almost and every time I get off stage I think about how I can make my next show hotter. I make sure the crowd is live before I even touch the stage and from there on I feed off their energy. I get amped when I see Busta [Rhymes] perform, and I want my fans to get that same feeling.
MVRemix: Which was the one show which first inspired your performance style? Was it Busta?
PackFM: Nah, I didn't get to see Busta until last year in Toronto. I saw KRS rock a crowd of 25,000 people in Boston a while back that made me step my game up for real.
MVRemix: Why? What was it he did?
PackFM: He had total crowd control. Granted he had a catalog that spans 15 yrs, but it was more than that. I learned a lot watching people like him and Masta Ace perform. They're from the, "Yes, yes y’all" school of rap, where rocking a crowd was the number one requirement.
MVRemix: What can people expect from the QN5 Megashow?
PackFM: People can expect to see the best concert they've ever seen in their life. Last year I was in the zone, this year the venue isn't zoned for what I'm about to do.
MVRemix: Sounds good - have you found juggling graphic design and rapping hard to manage?
PackFM: I don't really mess with graphics other than my own stuff anymore. I don't like dealing with people, so I stepped back. But I had no problem juggling, one never interfered with the other
MVRemix: Cool. Was there any particular situation that inspired the "Nigga Pass" interlude?
PackFM: Yes, a few. One I can't speak on because it involves certain known rappers. But the other was being at an Immortal Technique show and a crowd of mostly white kids singing the words verbatim. I thought to myself,f "Who gave them a Nigga Pass?" Then the skit came to me in minutes.
MVRemix: How do you feel about the usage of the word? And in particular, the white mimicking usage... Or white people reciting lyrics using the word...
PackFM: I don't think anyone should be saying it, not even me. I also think anyone who questions whether they have the right to say it, definitely shouldn't say it. Anyone who argues that they do have the right to say it needs to get their priorities checked.
MVRemix: Do you feel due to it's usage in rap the word could ever dwindle into obscurity?
PackFM: People said that word way before rap music, it’s deeper than that.
MVRemix: Definitely, but its been brought into popular culture in a different way...
PackFM: Blaxploitation movies was popular culture in the 70s, that was 30 years ago, it’s deeper than that.
MVRemix: Anyway, onto a lighter note - do you have any plans for the next album?
PackFM: As for the next album, I have an idea that I won't let out the bag, lets just say its never been done before, ever.
MVRemix: Are there any more videos currently planned?
PackFM: Yes, I shot one video two weeks ago and I might shoot another this weekend if the weather permits.
MVRemix: Which was it for and which would the next be for?
PackFM: One for “Spell It With A K” and the other one possibly for “Click Clack & Spray.”
MVRemix: Can you give me any details on “Spell It With A K”?
PackFM: It will be a good video. [laughs]
MVRemix: Ha. Been following the world cup at all?
PackFM: More so than I normally have before. Korea lost today, I know that. I'd like to see the US go far, because now that the NBA is over, there's not much to watch.
MVRemix: You're rooting for England, right? Good.
PackFM: They have a team?
MVRemix: [laughs] I believe they do, though by the first two games you wouldn't believe that. Are you still actively involved in the graffiti scene?
PackFM: Nope. I retired when I was old enough to get arrested. But I always catch a tag here and there when I'm out of town… But not enough to consider myself active.
MVRemix: Any updates with The Plague or other group efforts?
PackFM: Well we've started gathering beats for a possible plague album and we are still mapping out the Extended Famm album. But look how long it takes for us to put out solo records, think about organizing over twelve individuals.
MVRemix: Do you believe that once the album has been listened through from beginning to end - people will know what FM stands for?
PackFM: If you listen to the album once, you can answer that question [laughs]. I'm not gonna give any spoilers in this interview; you just have to listen and find out.
