Big Walt the Agro-Centric: Interview

When I ran my interview with Naledge from Kidz in the Hall the other day, I put out a call for any other artists who might be interested in doing a little Q&A with yours truly. Within a matter of maybe, I don't know, 49 seconds or so, I received a reply from this kid, Big Walt. While it's true that he is, in his own words, a total unknown, he turned out to be a pretty interesting subject for an interview and I think you'll enjoy hearing his thoughts on everything from Footloose the Musical to the meth epidemic out in Podunk, USA.

As usual, my questions appear in "bol-d" and his responses don't. I've got a couple of other things that are sort of "on the table" at present, but if anybody reading this is interested in doing an interview or has an artist they'd like to see interviewed here, get at me via email and I'll see what I can do.

So I read on your site that you're from The Redneck Ghetto. Where is that, exactly?
It's Dansville, Michigan. 30 miles south of Lansing.

Approximate population?
Well the village itself contains maybe 500 but the area around it that I consider to be Dansville contains maybe a couple thousand. It's pretty much all rural. There are a couple townships around it. Right now I stay in White Oak Twp.

Wow, that's very Footloose-sounding. Would you compare it to that?
I don't know about that, I'm not all that familiar with the musical but the kind of stuff going on here right now isn't usually depicted in broadway musicals.

Footloose was actually a movie back in the 80s. I wasn't aware that they made it into a musical. Nevermind and nhjic.
Haha yeah same here. 

I can't imagine that too many kids in an area like that are into hip-hop. What are most of the kids into these days?
Actually most cats out here listen to rap. Primarily Down South stuff like Cash Money, but I put most of my friends on to actual hip-hop. There are a couple other MCs out here.

Wow, you don't say? Do you get it over the radio? How did you get into hip-hop?
One of my uncles lives in Detroit and he put me onto stuff. Actually it came out of when I was in 8th grade and I was big into kung fu movies and I bought one from the Wu-Tang Iron Flag collection and it went from there. Oh and DJ Benny Ben had a show called The Cultural Vibe out of MSU, shout out to him.

Wow, who ever thought anything good would come out of the Wu-Tang Iron Flag collection? So if you're 14 and you got into hip-hop in the 8th grade, then that was what, a year ago?
I'm in 12th grade, but it was like 2 years ago.

How in the world did you get to be 14 in the 12th grade?
I passed a few tests here and there. The public school where I live is about on par with your average inner-city school, so I ended up homeschooling for a year and doing dual enrollment at Lansing Community College. "Fuck a school lecture,the lies get me vexed uh."

Wow. That must be tough then dealing with the ladies being all 18 and you're 14. Trust me, it's bad enough when you're the same age.
Funny that you should mention that, I went to a couple basketball games with an 18-year-old saluditorian this past year. It is difficult though, most girls my own age I can't stand. It took her a while to figure it out though, she asked me point blank and in such a small school it would be pointless to lie about it.

I could imagine not wanting to deal with any 8th grade broads when you're in the 12th grade. The thing you start to realize when you get older is that they're all 8th grade broads. Anyhoo, you MC. Do you have any plans to do any recording or performing?
Hells yeah man. My EP is coming out before September and the first single should be out within a month. The EP's called No Qualms and the single's A-side is called "That's the Real."

On your own label? Where'd you record it?
Right here. My man Lil' Gird has a two-track and I've got some equipment. I'm doing all the beats but 2. It's on my label, Messed Up Wreckords. There are some studios out here, but it's not like I can afford that. Not out here in Dansville, out here in Michigan like in Lansing.

So you're pretty much a jack of all trades, handling both the business end and the creative. Where will people be able to pick this up? The Internets?
Yeah that's the main place. Mail order, too, and if you live in my area you could swing by my house if you're not scurred of my country ass neighborhood.

Actually, a lot of groups these days are getting their starts on the Internets. Even once-prominent artists such as Nine Inch Nails (huge when I was your age) are getting on MySpace. About your music, do you address a lot of rural issues, then?
Well most of my lyrics are about everyday life in the field, but I guess you could say that. Anybody who doesn't think issues affect their everyday life needs to read 1984.

Give us an idea of the kind of topics you address? Do you get into any issues having to deal with meth, for example?
Yeah definitely. I talk about teenage pregnancy, drugs, gang and domestic violence, poverty, low quality of education and infrastructure and all that. Meth for sure though.

So meth is pretty big out there? I think a lot of people from not-so-rural areas would be interested in hearing about that whole phenomenon.
Yeah it's a huge problem. One of the main things with meth is that it uses farm equipment and materials as well as household cleaning shit and Sudafed. It's simple as shit to make and sell and doesn't make dealers rely on a distributor. So everything needed to make it can be bought or stolen on a normal budget within a 20 mile radius no matter where you are. I think it's the most addictive substance invented yet, but I don't have statistics.

So what's the drug scene like at your school? Are the kids using meth or is it primarily older people?
In the school you can pretty much buy everything, but weed is the drug of choice. Some kids use meth but they aren't going to the school. It is mainly older people though. We like to sit in the cafeteria and play count the drug deals when we get bored.

Oh, OK. So, just out of curiosity, do you ever listen to any Atmosphere?
Yeah Atmosphere is mos def the shit. Big up for not comparing me to Bubba Sparxxx yet. Most people do within 5 minutes.

Yeah, I know they're one of the main groups that represent the rural Midwest. I went to college in a town of about 17,000. Which artists or groups would you say you are most influenced by?
Lemme see. KRS-One, Nas, OutKast, ATCQ, everybody in DITC, Dizzee Rascal, and everybody in the Wu-Tang Clan except U-God.

Any musical influences or interests outside of hip-hop?
I listen to all sorts of shit: Drum and bass, house, funk, jazz, soul, blues, electro, bossa nova, african stuff, dub, calypso. Influence-wise the Last Poets and Gil-Scott Heron were a major influence.

So what are your plans for once high school is over? College? More recording and performing?
Definitely both. I know a lot of MCs who go/went to college. My dad says I can pay for college with my rap career.

Any schools or areas of study in mind?
Uh I'm gonna go to MSU for the first couple years, then I'm jettin to Chicago or NYC. I'm planning on majoring in cultural anthropology and getting a vocational certificate in audio production. I wanna be able to feed myself if this rap shit doesn't happen.

Alright, then. Anything else you'd like to mention before our time is up?
Um I wanna shout out my parents, the whole Wisemen Of Mass Instruction crew, anybody who's ever been hungry and the Nations of 5 Percent and Zulu. I think Everlast shouted those two out on the first HOP album.

You can read more about Big Walt at his blog, The Walt Report, and on his page at MySpace. He doesn't have any audio on the Internets at present, but is planning on getting some in a few weeks.