Una: Minneapolis is hardly a stronghold of hip-hop, but how did your hometown influence you as an artist?
Slug: In a few different ways. First of all the fact that it was not the Mecca of hip-hop. In a sense I think makes a lot of the kids that are trying to do this a little bit harder ‘cause they know they’ve already got strengths against them just where they are based geographically. Secondly, the winters we get here – I dunno what kind of winters you guys get – there’s six feet of snow. It’s super cold, and so you end up spending a lot of time in your house. There’s not much to do, and if you’re an artist, that’s good for you.
Una: You once said you had ‘a natural disdain for the universe’, do you really feel like that?
Slug: I was probably just really stoned that day when I did that interview! ‘A natural disdain for the universe’ – maybe I was just in a bad mood. Maybe honestly I do have a natural disdain…are you sure I said that? What a weird fuckin’ thing to say! I guess, uh, I’m not mad a the universe today, but it’s still early here, so who knows what’ll happen.
Una: Was it a conscious decision to be seen as an ‘anti-gangsta’ type of artist?
Slug: I don’t think I’ve ever made a conscious decision in my life. I think that everything is pretty much freestyle and I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’m just playing my way, there’s no strategy. I have common sense, but other than that, I can’t say it was a conscious decision. I just kind of watch the chips fall and try and pick ‘em up afterwards.
Una: What do you think of the state of mainstream hip-hop, a lot of more underground artists are pretty cynical about it?
Slug: I mean, I’m not cynical of it at all. I have an understanding. Maybe I’m a little older than your average underground artist, I’m not sure. But I feel like having watched where this music has gone for the last 20 years, I’m not surprised that this is the direction it went. Let’s face it, America itself has got this fascination with drugs and guns and sex, period. And so, you can see that come across in all types of facets of its culture and its arts, whether it be in movies, music or even books for that matter. Right now, rap is probably the dominant music genre in America, especially with children. I guess if this was all still something not many people knew about, then there wouldn’t be an issue because nobody would know that there was tonnes of guns because it’s not on TV. Ten, sixteen years ago, there was guns in rap, it’s just that nobody really cared because the powers that be had no idea what was goin’ on. Now the first people to complain are the other members of the culture. You got underground rap kids complaining about what mainstream rap is doing. Personally, I’m not mad with what mainstream rap is doing. I am mad with what American culture is doing. Mainstream rap, I believe, is following right along those lines, and that’s too bad, but I can’t be mad at them. If you never taught a child how to read, then you can’t really get pissed off that he didn’t stop at the stop sign.
Una: Four albums down the line, do you feel you’ve achieved a lot of the things you set out to do?
Slug: I think I’ve still got a lot to achieve. Once in a while I can reflect, but the bottom line is, I’m still hungry to do more. I’m not sure yet what that is but, I can continue making music which is probably what I’ll do out of nature. Shit man, I’m like everybody else, I don’t think I’ve discovered what I’m here for yet.
