SKAM2?

¡¦More to the picture than meets the eye ¡¦.

C8: Your MySpace page says...¡±My attitude is f*cked up and real sh*tty.¡± Is that sarcasm or the real deal? If so, why is your attitude so fucked up? What happened man?

SKAM2?: I guess it all depends on who you ask. Some people think that it¡¯s everyone¡¯s job to cater to their skewed perception of reality (laughs). I¡¯m pretty chill, I just trust my instincts. Like Curtis said ¡°If I don¡¯t like a n**ga, I don¡¯t pretend to¡±. The actual quote is from an old RUMPLETILSKINZ song ¡°Attitudes¡±. A friend of was playing it the other day and I just threw it up on there. I change it all the time. I¡¯m stupid like that. You should hear my voice mail greetings.

C8: Has new technology (computers, paints, markers etc...) influenced the way you create art? If so, how?

SKAM2? : Somewhat, It gives you a lot more options. The biggest things for me would probably be the richness of the colors. When its digital, you have the ability to endlessly edit w/o consequence and try different color combos, all at the push of a button. Even though I¡¯m not much of a digital dude, on certain projects I may work with a colorist to get a certain look. Sometimes that involves a great deal of tedious back and forth, due to the fact that I¡¯m very detail oriented. Back in the days there was no working with someone on the other side of the country that easily. You should see some of the art tech they¡¯ve got now. It¡¯s Skynet all over again. (laughs).

C8: Do you have a preference when it comes to choosing the projects you work on? i.e. Do you prefer CD cover art over other projects? If so, why, what¡¯s the difference?

SKAM2?: Yeah, I¡¯d have to say that my preference would be the kind of jobs that pay in copious amounts of unmarked bills. (laughs). In a perfect world, I¡¯d probably only work for artists that I like, friends and people that pay well and just let me do what the f*ck I do. I don¡¯t necessarily prefer album covers, it¡¯s just a hustle that I came up with that I¡¯m good at. I really like doing boards (skateboards) and T-shirts. I think those are two mediums in which the people that get those items really are into the art. I just want my work to be seen and appreciated by as many people as possible. Ideally I would also like to inspire a kid the way that I have been inspired by other artists.

C8: What was the best working experience you¡¯ve had so far?

SKAM2?: Can¡¯t call it. I¡¯m usually just psyched if I do something that I never did before and it comes out good. But, if I had to rate it, I¡¯d probably say doing the art for the ¡°Slim Shady LP¡±. Around that time we had did a couple songs together and were hangin¡¯. It was just vibes. Your homie gettin¡¯ his sh*t off, you know. Nobody told me what to draw or tried to micromanage me. They just felt it was a no-brainer because I was in touch with the music and we already had a relationship. So I just focused on my favorite parts to some of the songs. I ended up getting my first plaque from that album, when it was at triple-platinum. They even had some of the actual art painted on the glass. It ended up sellin¡¯ over eleven million. On the Warped Tour they had a huge blow-up mummy for the stage show. He (Eminem) even rhymed about the Mummy scene on the song ¡°Suck My D*ck¡± on the ¡°Marshall Mathers LP¡±. And to this day, I can go anywhere and bring up the mummy, the pill or ¡°Stan¡± and people still know even though all of that was almost ten years ago. That¡¯s a hell of a lot of mileage.

C8: IHOP or Waffle House?

SKAM2?: We don¡¯t have any Waffle Houses in Miami. They¡¯re all over the place like roaches in ATL though. It¡¯s like this for me; I rate Denny¡¯s pancakes over IHOP, (not by much though) because they soak up the syrup and butter better, but I really don¡¯t like anything else there. I frequent IHOP though; I like the food there more. Get that grilled chicken breast with country eggs (restaurant talk for real eggs), 3 pancakes and a hot chocolate and you¡¯re in business! But, above all of that for me is Cracker Barrel; more choices of charred animal flesh to go with your breakfast!

C8: Obama vs. McCain
SKAM2?: New Millennium, bi-racial Beelzebub?¡¦ or the popular, more traditional Lucifer?

C8: What advice if any do you have for kids coming up in the world today trying to make it?

SKAM2?: 1. Shut your mouth; open your ears and eyes. 2. Don¡¯t assume too much. 3. Act confident, even when you¡¯re not. (Don¡¯t overdo it though). 4. Study the opportunities that come your way carefully. Apprehensiveness might make you miss something potentially good. 5. Show respect, until someone does something to revoke that right. 6. Nobody owes you anything (even when they do) 7. Keep your emotions in check, because people will use them against you. 8. Don¡¯t confuse being rude with ¡°keeping it real¡±. (refer to Shut mouth, open ears) 9. Keep your work quality, to ensure the value of your name. 10. Trust your instincts.