APPETITE  (March 2005) | Interview By: Westcoast2K

      

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Westcoast2k.Net - So tell us a little bit about your background...

Appetite - I'm 23, I was born in Anaheim, CA and I've spread out throughout Orange County, but not really that part of Orange County that people see on TV. I lived in National City which is San Diego county. I been listening to Hip Hop since I can remember, my brother had turntables so it was always around me and then I just started picking it up. And in high school is when I started writing. I got my name from my cousin, it was kinda like an accident. My cousin came up with Appetite, but first I didnt like it. I was going through a couple different names, and then I thought about it and I thought Ima roll with that name. It was different, and it kinda represents what I wanna do. If you wanna last in anything, or you wanna stay at the top of the game in anything you gotta be hungry for it. Its not just hunger for food, its hunger for whatever you want.


Westcoast2k.Net - Are you workin on any projects right now?

Appetite - Yeah we got a EP droppin soon through our own label. Its my cousin and I, and a couple of other cats. Its FMC Media, which stands for Feed My Children, its kind of a joke. I'm also gonna drop a mixtape where I'm just rhyming for 15 minutes over different beats. Cause the era that I came from listening to Hip Hop, whenever I heard a Mix CD it was actually mixed by a DJ. It wasnt just them playing a song and then it goes to the next song. These dudes were actually mixing. I wanna throw that element back into it. And then just rhyme for 15 minutes and just kill the mic.

I didnt wanna do a mixtape, because everybody got a mixtape and its not too hard to do. Thats why I tried to switch it up with me just rhymin 15 minutes straight, and I'm callin it "15 Minutes Of Tape" instead of "15 Minutes Of Fame". And thats gonna be free, just to get my name out there before the EP so people can have something free, and then they can buy the EP. But we dont have an office or anything like that, if anything we do it with our own money. We all got jobs, so we all grindin cause we're not backed by some major labels. We been done with the recording process for a minute, but we dont have the funds to go and knock out whatever we need as far as mixing and mastering, so we only go like once a week for a couple hours. The name of the EP is "I Got Can'd Today".


Westcoast2k.Net - So you came up on some real Hip Hop?

Appetite - Yeah, I mean I dont like labeling stuff, but I know some good and different Hip Hop and the dudes that started it, from Public Enemy, Gang Starr, to N.W.A.. If anything they did it first and they ended up doing it better than some of the cats that followed them up. But at the same time, I'm still a fan of everything from then to the stuff thats out now. Like the Wake Up Show was one of the shows that turned me on to Hip Hop before I even knew what it was. Before that I just knew what was out comercially and in the mainstream. I started listening to them and Friday Night Flavas, but I didnt know that this was called real Hip Hop or underground Hip Hop. I just knew that when I listened to it that it was different than what they played during the regular radio. I liked it for whatever reason, so I was kinda influenced by that and the mainstream too, so I'm kinda like a mixture of both.


Westcoast2k.Net - Are you more into lyrics or beats?

Appetite - I wouldn't say I'm into either or. I think I have a good ear for chosing a beat that I sound good over, and I think thats something that a lot of people underestimate when they say 'My favorite MC is so and so'. I think a lot of rappers aren't really good at chosing beats that they sound good over. You can pick a dope beat all day, you can pay The Neptunes or Dr. Dre to produce your whole album. But if you don't sound good over that shit, you shouldn't be rhyming over it. And I think I have a good ear for what I sound good over. But I think I bring the total package, I dont think I'm just picking a beat and rappin. Thats the difference between me and somebody else thats trying to make it right now. My ultimate goal when I go in the booth is to make the greatest record that I can make. I'm not just trying to rap, cause anybody can rap, but not everybody can make dope music.


Westcoast2k.Net - Would you categorize yourself as a backpacker or maybe as a gangster rapper?

Appetite - I would say inbetween, but I dont like being labeled because if you listen to what I do, its not either or. I'm not a gangster and I'm never gonna portray an image thats not me, cause thats not me. I got nothing against it, but I just never did that so I'm not gonna lie to people. And at the same time I'm not no backpacker, I'm far from a nerd. Whatever you do, thats on you. But I think I represent a new wave of artists thats like in the middle, not gangsta or underground. Thats why I think we're bringing something new. Once people listen to it, I think they can see that I kinda have my own category.


Westcoast2k.Net - Are you doing any shows or appearances?

Appetite - We did a few, but then we just stopped because we didnt even have a website up. Because the purpose of doing shows is to promote and get your name out there, sell CDs or have a website. But we're gonna be doing a EP release party and we'll let people know on the website, www.fmcmedia.com. We wanna get the EP ready & done and in our hands, that way we can do shows. After that we gonna do as many shows as possible, since nowadays its not that many shows anymore. Like when I was going to high school like a couple years ago, there was shows all through the week in LA, Orange County, and everywhere inbetween there were Hip Hop shows all the time. And its not like that anymore, the scene really died down. We wanna do something when have something to get to the people. The mixtape is gonna be free, but we wanna sell the EP. So we definitely wanna do shows when we have something for the people, otherwise its just wasted promotion.


Westcoast2k.Net - Is there anything else that you wanna say?

Appetite - Yeah, I know that there's alotta artists thats trying to come out right now and trying to come up and I respect everybody doing their thing, but I just wanna let people know that all they gotta do is listen to us. I'm not gonna sit here and sell myself to them, I think the music speaks for itself cause its definitely different. So if you want something different to listen to, wether its West Coast or East Coast it doesnt matter, to me its dope music. As long as they give it a listen they might end up liking it, so you can go to the website www.fmcmedia.com and check that out. If you like it, support it. Thats why I think on the West Coast and the rest of the music industry in general, people get fed with so much bullshit that they forget that there's actually artists that still make quality music. As long as they support those artists that make quality music and the grind, it will get back to where it was where dope music was coming out, like a lot of it and not just a little bit or not just here and there. And I wanna say thanks to you guys for doing what you do, and supporting cats like me who really try to do something different and bring the West Coast back to the spotlight that it deserves.