Who are you tell something about yourself ?
- Ayyye! I’m Rex Pharaoh, producer/rapper from the collective Altered Minds. I make beats, raps, play nintendo, eat junk food… and go to business school.
Can you tell us something about your crew Altered Minds ?
- AM is a collective of artists who strive to produce the highest quality content by utilizing every possible resource. Theres like 8 of us in the crew… I could be wrong, but either way all of us contribute somehow. We produce, write, record, mix, master, and produce visuals on our own, as a team.
You have an upcoming album/mixtape can you tell us more about that ?
- Reptilian! Yeah should be dropping pretty quick. Its just in the mastering stages. I’m fucking stoked on it. Its different, definitely different… but its really cool. I essentially made the perfect album for myself. I feel with our last release, Linus Allen’s Do Not Dictate, it was a straight forward hip hop album, in the style of Illmatic, no fucking around. Where as Reptilian is more of a journey. I don’t want to say what albums I like to compare it with, because I might set the bar too high haha. Either way, its 100% produced by me, mixed/mastered by Kasper Jones, and includes a couple features from Linus, Kofi, X-Wing, and Dkay. Artwork was done in collab with Blake Ponto.
What was the best part about making your album/mixtape ?
- The satisfaction of making a dope song is like nothing else. When everything is said and done, and you go to bed after a music sesh, a lot of the time you don’t feel that great about the song you just made, because its been pounding in your ears all night. Its that feeling of coming back to it in the morning with fresh ears and hearing how good it actually is. Those were some of the coolest moments for sure. Overall, just the satisfaction of knowing I put everything I have and more into a body of art, it feels really good, really fucking good.
When and how did you start making music ?
- Hah, well I started playing guitar when I was 14. I was a huge rock fag through early high school, so me and Kasper always had shitty garage bands that we played in. I was also in Jazz Band throughout high school. I started to get back into rap/hip-hop music around 16, and when I was 17 I recorded my first few raps. Those will never be heard by anyone by the way haha. I started seriously making beats in around February of 2011, and thats when Kofi and I started bumping out tracks for City of Elephants. That album took about a year to produce, because it was such a learning process. I started late, but I try to make a beat every day as to make up for lost time. Having been making music my entire life, I feel I was able to catch up to my peers.
Who are you most influenced by ?
- For production, N.E.R.D for sure. Pharrell is the fucking man. Same with Chad. Those two are fucking geniuses. So obviously that extends beyond N.E.R.D, and into Neptunes shit too. Its the chords man, they just got the chords. As for rapping, I don’t really know. Charles Hamilton is my favourite rapper. I probably take a bit from Kanye too. I don’t really know though haha.
How would you describe your music ?
- Hmm this is hard… Its like a whirlwind of fucking colours molesting your eyes and ears, that kicks you in the shins, takes your money, but then uses that money to buy you something nice. Haha that was the stupidest shit I’ve ever said in my life, but yeah something like that.
Do you write your own songs?
- Of course.
Who or what do you have in mind when you write your songs ?
- Little bits of everything. A lot of the time I just get inspired by looking at the stupid shit in my apartment. Other times I have a certain person in mind, and others I write about the mood I’m in. It all varies with what I’m trying to convey with that song
Who’s the coolest person you’ve worked with so far?
- Everyone in AM. Thats my motherfucking family. The shit we create is just so fucking cool.
Any artists you’d like to work with in the future?
- Chad and Skateboard P. I’d like to produce for Justin Timberlake one day too. That would fucking tight.
Do you have a favorite producer ?
- THE NEPTUNES!
What do you listen to right now ?
- I’m weird with what I listen too. I kind of get obsessed with albums, and just listen to them over and over, nonstop, but I never really fuck with them right when they come out. I’ll listen to them and be like “oh thats cool yo” and then like 8 months later I’ll listen again and be like “OH THATS FUCKING COOL YO”. In My Mind by Pharrell, has been in rotation in my car for the last few weeks, which by the way is one of the most influential albums of all time when it comes to my music. I’ve been on a “Dark Fantasy” kick, too. Channel Orange, by Frank Ocean blew my fucking mind. I’m also really following all the new shit GOOD music is releasing. I fuck with their entire ensemble and they’re putting out great songs. Pusha and Big Sean are the shit.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned ?
- Just to do you. As gay and corny as that sounds. You’ll never make it anywhere by trying to make every single person happy. You can’t be afraid to step on a few toes or say things that people don’t always agree with. So yeah, just do what makes you happy, and if its good people will follow.
What should your fans look forward too in the future ?
- Music videos, shows, and more music. After Reptilian, we’ll be dropping an ALTERED MINDS mixtape. It won’t anything too crazy, just everyone in the crew going over their favourite beats. Should make for some good fucking music though. Just make sure to keep checking out www.AlteredMinds604.com and to follow me on twitter @RexPharaoh and you won’t miss out on anything.
