The artists on this year’s Pac Sun Tour are some of the hardest working musicians in the business, but they all found the time to speak with me. Here’s an interview with hip hop/punk/genre-infuser extraordinaire P.O.S. about the tour, his many projects and how he balances music with fatherhood.
Bethany, PopWreckoning: This tour is a bit of a change from what you normally do. You normally go out with the Rhymesayers. Why did you decide to go out with Pac Sun?
P.O.S.: I decided to do this tour because it is always fun to play shows for different crowds that have never thought about me before. It is always fun to just be out and be on tour.
PW: I know you’ve been known to have a little animosity toward modern hip hop. What could be done to kind of change that view?
P.O.S.: Nothing. I don’t complain about modern hip hop. I don’t complain about anything. I just make things that sound different and hopefully people will get that its different and something can be totally different or better or whatever.
PW: I love some of the samples that you find for your music. Like I think it is well known you have punk, but then you also have Japanese jazz. How do you come across stuff like that?
P.O.S.: I’m a fan of music. I’m always looking for something to listen to and from there it goes.
PW: Right. But it goes beyond just music. You reference pop culture like YouTube videos that are popular. Do you spend a lot of time on the internet?
P.O.S.: I don’t really. I don’t spend that much time on the internet. I just kind of research bands I like and visuals that I like and go that way.
PW: More recently, you were up for an MTV Woodie award. Did that have any impact on you?
P.O.S.: It’s cool to be nominated for something on a national level, but no real impact. I don’t really think about stuff like that.
PW: You used to produce under a different name and now you’ve started using your own name. Why the change?
P.O.S.: I didn’t want anybody to find out the other producer was me. I just wanted to make beats as well as rap and if the beats were too crazy then I could blame it on somebody else.
PW: So why did you start using your own name?
P.O.S.: Because I stopped caring.
PW: Now as a father, has that changed how you tour?
P.O.S.: Being a father affects how I tour when it’s not a new record. When it is a new record, I tour just as much. That’s the hardest part about touring, but it’s my job. I got to work.
PW: You always seem to have a bajillion projects whether rap, hip hop, punk, whatever. What are some of the things that you’re working on now?
P.O.S.: My band, Building Better Bombs, has a full-length coming and we also have dance record coming under the name Marijuana Death Squad and just more rap music.
PW: As its nearing the end of December, we’re reaching the end of the naught decade. Do you have a favorite musical memory of the last ten years?
P.O.S.: Ten years is huge. I got to sing for NOFX at Warped tour this year. That was fun.
PW: Is Warped tour one of your favorite tours?
P.O.S.: No. It is fun, but I couldn’t do it all the time.
PW: I don’t want to take your time for too long and it is really loud, so we’ll end it here. Thank you. It was nice to meet you.
P.O.S.: Good to meet you too.
P.O.S.: website | myspace | @ pac sun, beaumont
