Interview: Homeboy Sandman

A force in indie hip-hop for over 15 years, Homeboy Sandman has established himself as a reliable source of high-quality music through a steady string of solo projects and collaborations with Aesop Rock, Blu, Quelle Chris, and others.

Prior to launching a co-headlining tour with rapper/producer Deca on Wednesday, Aug. 3, at Barnardsville’s Hawk & Hawthorne, the Queens-based MC spoke with Asheville Stages about his creative process, recent projects, and playing well with others.

Edwin Arnaudin: You’ve got a little bit of Asheville history, working with Andrew Anderson and Musashi Xero for the “Stress” video. How did that collaboration arise? What’s stuck with you from that experience?

Homeboy Sandman: Xero opened for me the first Asheville headlining show of my career. It wasn’t packed. We had a lot of time to get to know each other during the night and I was really impressed with his set, so I became a friend and a fan. Later on, I saw his videos for “Strawberry Fields” and “Slow Burn” and was wowed by both, so when he let me know he had something in mind for “Stress,” I was all ears.

He and Andrew did an extraordinary job — very talented people. What stuck with me is the wild hike that we needed to take to get to that plane crash site. But it was lots of fun. Xero and Andrew were actually carrying gear that entire time. They made it happen. Anything for the shot.

EA: The place you’re playing on Aug. 3 is a bit of an unexpected choice — I wouldn’t have guessed you’d be at an organic farm and events center about 20 minutes outside of Asheville. Were you intentionally wanting something unusual or did other factors drive this selection?

HS: Deca was the plug for that gig, but given that I eat a whole foods, plant-based diet that is predominantly organic, it fits perfectly. Amazing how God works out little details like that.

EA: Has the pandemic been a time of fruitful creativity for you or has it been difficult to sustain momentum?

HS: I didn’t see any pandemic. The time of global pretend has been fruitful for me. Lots of music. Lots of exercise. Lots of love. Lots of reading. Actually, the absurdity of the situation actually generated momentum by giving me lots to write about.

EA: Talking with MCs, I’m always interested in learning about their writing process. What’s your general approach? Do you write to a beat or have other methods?

HS: I write to beats, always — either ones that producers have created or ones in my head. I often write while I exercise or while I take long walks. Sometimes I’ll just lay in the bed or on the couch and write. Sometimes, if I wake up in the middle of the night, I’ll think about rhymes. My phone and computer are full of beats. Creating has part of my daily life for nearly 15 years. I’m exploring new ways to release music more often, to try to put a dent into my unreleased catalog. I already have three out releases this year. And three more on the way before the years end.

EA: Are you a Book of Rhymes hand-written guy? Or do you use a word processor, voice memos, or some combination of those?

HS: I write in my phone notepad mostly, and record voice memos to remember specific flows and deliveries. Then i make demos on GarageBand and familiarize myself with them before I go into studio. The voice memos and demos are a huge help — I can get pretty cadence-intensive. Before I had the recordings to remind me, back in the days of pen and pad, from time to time I’d be in the booth trying to remember how exactly I wanted to deliver something.

EA: I’m impressed with the number of project-length collaborations you’ve had. How are you able to adapt to working with so many different people and create something that feels like a true partnership each time?

HS: Thank you. Means a lot to me that they all ring true to you. I’m really blessed to have the opportunity to collaborate with so many geniuses. They feel like true partnerships because they are. I adore these artists and their talent. I’m giddy at the opportunity to join forces each and every time. There’s always excitement. And there’s always fresh energy.

EA: Do you have any new collaborations in the pipeline or new projects with past collaborators coming up?

HS: I do. Don’t want to let the cats out of the bags — even though if I had a cat in a bag, I would definitely let it out. That’s inhumane. So let me rephrase that. There’s also that “more than one way to skin a cat” phrase which is pretty awful. I hereby swear off all anti-cat idioms!

I don’t want to spill the beans, but here’s a few hints: 1) itchiness 2) the town 3) tour and more.

EA: The I Can't Sell These mixtape is a fun listen. Have you been keeping a folder of favorite tracks over the years, or was this something more recent where you got inspired, then went looking for tracks?

HS: About half of those tracks are over the years and half are recent. Having done all the recent ones and itching to release them, i figured it was a good opportunity to release the over the years ones, too.

EA: Has this project led to any new connections with people whose music you used?

HS: Not yet. It actually soured one relationship. I’d love to link up with Sault or Khruangbin one day — so much heat from them.

EA: You signed to Mello Music Group a few years ago. What opportunities is being part of that label providing you?

HS: Opportunities to focus on my art and trust that it will reach enough ears to go further on its own merits. As an artist, that’s a great deal.

EA: How has your live show evolved over the years?

HS: Not only am I able to predict exactly how my older material will hit, but I’m also able to anticipate how new and even unreleased material will go over. This allows me to curate the energy very precisely throughout the course of a set before I ever even hit stage. Every year there’s more and more material to work into the set. But that’s more tools in the tool belt. To create peaks and valleys of emotion and feeling. To express more purely and authentically, and involve everyone present. I must have done a thousand shows by this point. Practice makes perfect.

EA: Lastly, you’ve accomplished a lot in your career already. Are there goals you've yet to reach that are top priorities for you?

HS: I don’t want to be afraid of anything. I want to be all love no fear. I don’t want to take anything personally.

IF YOU GO

Who: Homeboy Sandman and Deca with DJ Felix Fast4ward + Musashi Xero, P.T.P., and MOTHER HOOD
When: Wednesday, Aug. 3, 7 p.m.
Where: Hawk & Hawthorne, 133 North Fork Rd., Barnardsville, hawkandhawthorne.com
Tickets: $28

(Photos by Noah Bility)