Our interview with Ecid

Someone needs to run to the state of Minnesota, the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis and bottle what the fuck ever is running through thier water supply ASAP (no rocky)!!! If it isn't the Pappy's of indie rap grinding Atmosphere, or the X-Men of rap Doomtree, it's the pizza/weed/yoga master Ecid spitting that mid-western frame of mind like only someone who freezes his balls off during winter can!

I've been a fan since i first stumbled onto his album with Project Blowedian and Shapeshifter Awol One, and then moved onto 100 smiles and runnin and then on to Werewolf Hologram & Post Euphoria 1 & 2. The guy not only knows how to make relatable, funny, and thoughtful music, but he can also produce his downward facing dog ass off. He has a new record he gave me a chance to sneak a peak on called Pheromone Heavy, and it's pretty damn good to a whole new DAMN...DAYUM level.

Story telling skills were something that never fully got crafted when i was doing the raps, and i've always had the most respect for people who can sit and tell a story fully, and Ecid is one of my favorites at it. Shithead bank robber dead beat dads, easily manipulate consumers and struggling artists all live in Ecid's newest album. Do yourself a favor and peep the dude out so you to can learn the ways of his warrior pose. NO PAUSE.

Syffal: You have a new album coming out, but the first thing I want talk about is when we can take our friendship to that next level. Can we text emoji pizza slices to each other soon? Best friend charm bracelets?!

Ecid: Ha ha, well let the games begin! The Initiation fee is a nose.

Syffal: We talked a year ago when you were in the creating process of Pheromone Heavy. Now that it's ready for the world to consume, how do you feel about it in the scheme of your discography?
Ecid: Man, I couldn't be more proud, excited and or freaked out all at the same time. I think it's my best record by far. It's what I have been working to achieve. In the past I always felt very handcuffed to sampling and I slowly but surely worked my way towards being less and less dependent on it. This project is the result of that. Still samples all over the place but there are far more original, new elements as well. So in the grand scheme of my discography this album is the tipping point. From this point on there is no telling where the sound is going to go and that is the most exciting thing ever to me.

Syffal:  What is the ratio of ladies who wear yoga pants who actually go to yoga?! I'm thinking 2/10 actually go. Also I feel like it's 3/10 actually look good in yoga pants. As a professional, where do you think the world went wrong with yoga pants but no yoga?

Ecid: Man, I think it depends but you're probably right it's probably like 1/4. Although most of the girls I know that wear them all the time actually do yoga. But it definitely is one of those trends right now. I bet Levis is pissed because girls aren't rocking jeans as much. I'm a huge fan of tight jeans on a chick and well, yoga pants are pretty much the same thing so I'm not mad at it at all. I think like anything that get's popular it eventually get's exploited and bastardized. It's just inevitable. I think as long as there are more people getting into yoga and genuinely doing it because they love it and it makes their life better than it's a good thing. The posers will fade away. They always do.

Syffal:  "Watch it Burn" is very relatable to me. Not that my pops robbed banks, but fuck him regardless. Was this just another in a string of excellent story songs, or does this come from experience?

Ecid: It definitely comes from a real place but it's a spin on my experience. I've never met my dad, don't know a single thing about him and when you grow up never knowing your dad (or a parent in general) you obviously have a lot of questions left unanswered. I wanted to write a song from the perspective of a kid growing up the same way I did that is empathizing with his father for abandoning him. He's dreaming up all the reasons why he left and excusing them. Writing him letters that he will never get. I wanted to take the story further like what if the dad wanted to reach out but he was too afraid to? Or maybe he hates himself so much he thought it was better to spare us all? I built the underlying theme of the album off this song. We don't need money or the things that come from monetary gain we just need the people we love. We seem to be programmed to chase money from the day we can say the word. But I feel like you if you can surround yourself with people you mutually care about then things will fall into place. A lot of these songs are about the things in my life that are inherently a part of me, past & future.

Syffal:  At what date are you moving to Portland? And I know some very hipster, pretentious coffee shops to hit up if you need help. "New Life" is a great song. Do you wake up some days and think "I'm done hustling this hard for my art. I'm sticking with a 9-5?

Ecid: Ha ha! Ya never know. If they make a bicycle highway that can get me to Seattle I might be there in heartbeat. Sometimes I definitely feel burnt out from the day to day grind. But then I always step back and get perspective. I fucking love what I do and I really don't plan on ever stopping. I'm definitely trying to find ways to make it easier to disappear once and a while but until I get a big payday from having a song in a car commercial I'm just gonna keep on it. I guess sometimes I think it would be fun to work at a coffee shop cuz I like talking to people but that would be like a hobby.

Syffal: If you could live a week as one Wes Anderson character who would it be?

Ecid: Great question! Man, I love Steve Zissou I think I would have to roll him. My next choice would be Richie Tenenbaum. I guess I really like the tragic characters that throw everything away from a dream.

Syffal:  Why are you giving away million dollar ideas on your new album dude?! Yoga studio/dispensary is 100% brilliant, and now it's out in the world for some Woody Harrelson motherfucker to steal.

Ecid: Ha ha, Well there's a reason to move to Portland! I couldn't start that sort of thing in MN.

Syffal:  I could be wrong, and frequently I am, especially about sex. But this album feels like you put everything you have into it, and it seems so perfectly produced. What drove you on this record, that might have been different than your older albums.

Ecid: I wanted to make a great album. That's it. I just love the concept of making an album, I think it's the most beautiful platform. So with that said I treat the process with a lot of respect and pride. I want to contribute. I really wanted to take my time and craft the album song by song and tell my story from where I'm at now without being too "listen to my life story" about it. For the most part I just got in the zone and had fun with it. So it's very accurate to say I put everything into it. I had multiple friends collaborate on the production too. No Ecid record has ever had that and I think it was the thing that held the earlier record back a bit. Even after finishing this I'm now driven to top this record and go even harder on the next one.

Syffal: You're about to go on tour with Fake Four Inc master cuddle bear Ceschi Ramos. Are you scared he's going to pull all hipster chicks into beards and coffee? Where are you guys hitting up on this tour of Americas lady parts?

Ecid: ha ha, can't wait for this tour. I'm a huge fan of Ceschi as a musician, human and bearded comrade. We're gonna be starting in Nor Cal and making our way through the Northwest then east to the Midwest. Should be awesome. Hopefully just the first in many more.

Syffal: Top five Outkast songs. And is Andre 3000 the best MC to ever come out of the south, and in general top 5 dead or alive? Or, do you hate Outkast?! Why do you hate them so much bro?! I don't get it. What did Big Boi ever do to you?!!!

Ecid:
1. SpottieOttieDopalicious
2. ATLiens
4. Aquemini
3. Babylon
5. Da Art Of Story Tellin' (pt. 1)

They are hands down my favorite rap group of all time. Yeah I mean Andre is waaaay up there. I've always been a big fan of Scarface and UGK or like I love modern Southern rapper influenced by Outkast like Yelawolf and Big Krit. I'm a fan of Big Boi's solo records too. I am forever jealous of his collabs with Phantogram. They are one of my fav's too.