The fifth episode of Supersense presents welcomes the rap artist and producer, Question again. Shane’s first interview was a hit, and we received lots of messages for more content like this. So we decided to invite him back for a follow-up interview. He was too polite to say no! Here, we present you Question, the famous blind rapper you love to listen to!

Click the video below to listen to the interview on our YouTube channel, and read on for the transcript of the interview.

Happy June everyone!
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Transcript:

Shane: We are back with Question, and this is round number two for him on Supersense Presents! How’s it going?

Question: It’s good, man, we back! I’m so excited for this.

Shane: Yes, man, the energy is high! What’s been happening? It’s been eight months, right?

Question: I honestly lose track of time. When I’m recording, I don’t have weekends. I do what I love every day, so I celebrate weekends with people, but otherwise, I’m too busy working.

Shane: That sounds really amazing, but how do you keep a balance between work and relaxation?

Question: You know, the saying is that if you do what you love, you don’t work a day in your life. I do get time to chill, though, and I watch a lot of Youtube, play games; that’s another thing I’ve gotten into a lot recently. Shane and I actually started that on our spot, Venom, where I can connect in the community in another way and relax at the same time. You can check those out here (http://venom.fm/stoner).

There are stressful and tedious parts of being an artist and producer, though. One part of that is that I had to get used to cataloging my beats. I have to write down the BPM, any co-collaborators, percentages for royalties, etc. You don’t want to do that every time you sit down and make music, but there’s a discipline to it. Then, I took a trip to Cally, and I didn’t have to take out my laptop because everything was cataloged for them in advance.

Shane: I bet that really gives you a good reputation, too.

Question: Yeah, it’s crazy. I have to shout out to my manager for that, David Jackson. We call him OG David. He’s one of the people who knows every part of the business. He’s a musician; he’s been a tour manager, he owns a studio, he built a million-dollar studio back in the ’90s. He puts me into so much game.

Shane: What other things have been happening?

Question: I’m getting back into my versatility, which I’m really excited about. I’m still the drill kid in the south, but I’m displaying more creativity in singing, hip-hop. Now I really want to rap like Eminem. I want to get on the fast bars.

On my Youtube, I’ve been doing a lot of wavy melodic music. You can check out songs like Lost in Space (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JMeVeGKsZ8) Planets (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTiuGazXY78). I have so many new subgenres I’m developing in my head.

I also have some Drill out; you can listen to Fruit Snacks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PVc5sgyaLo) ends (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gcG64_kMcE) and Guts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwZUyq0Fjm4), a lot of good Drill.

Shane: That is sick, man. And you can catch tons more music at Question Official on Youtube. Have you ever thought about putting more sound design into beats beyond what you’re already doing with the music?

Question: Yes. I just got started doing that, and I’m kind of sad it didn’t hit me sooner. A lot of producers have been doing it before me, and they call them textures. You can find folders of textures in your drum kits nowadays. They have recorded static, rain forests, etc. I personally like to pick my own because it makes what I’m doing more unique. Any producer can instantly duplicate what you picked out of a kit, which is sometimes what you want to do. That’s honestly one of the keys to music, where you have to find the balance between your unique approach to music but what is also more relatable to whatever audience you’re trying to reach.

Shane: That makes sense, and you reminded me of another question by saying that. How does it work when you’re trying to stay current, but there’s a lack of accessibility for blind users. Ticktock is an example where you’re probably looking for fans there, but the app can be pretty inaccessible, which I imagine gets in the way.

Question: Yeah, you have to work with what you’ve got. It’s like when we were playing the PS2, you find shortcuts and ways around, and the blind community helps a lot. I have to say right now that I’m so appreciative of all of the love people show me. People will retweet things, turn me on to tips; that’s just how people are. That’s the key. You have to stay plugged in, and you have to be willing to try new stuff. Don’t expect it to be accessible out of the box.

Shane: That’s true, and there are a lot of great avenues you can get info from. If you have the right people on your Twitter, your Facebook, you can just make a post, and you’ll get an answer back that day. Chances are, someone in the community has tried it and can at least offer you some idea. Anyway, last time, we were talking about the Drill album. Since you’ve been expanding and becoming more versatile, what is the new album looking like now?

Question: The album is in a very interesting place right now. I have a lot of music, and I’m supposed to take a trip out to Cally at the end of May to do some recording. I have a few sit-ins too, where people from certain labels are going to see our teamwork.

As far as the album goes, I have so much music done; we’re trying to pick the right ones. I don’t like things to be too old, so now that other songs by other artists have come out, I want to make new songs. I want to stay current, but there also might be something I said two years ago that’s really potent, so it takes the team to help find the best material. The album is going to encompass everything.

Shane: Absolutely, that makes me even more excited for it. Another thing I have to shout out is the Question Official Freestyles. You absolutely need to check them out; Every single one is killer. Anyway, so you’re combining all the music you have into what will become this potent album that you’re going to release to the fans. What’s your theme for it? What ties everything together for the new record?

Question: I really want to be versatile and cover as many musical bases as I can while staying authentic and true to myself. This is my first project to the world. I’m a little insecure about how it’s going to be perceived, and I don’t know if it’s going to do what I want it to do. Because of that, I’m holding certain things back until I have some more leverage since I don’t know if people will care. I want to make concept albums, and I want to make thematic albums, but I don’t know if I’m ready to deal with them not being received in the proper way. That’s just part of the game; everybody has to be ready for that. I’m on the path, but right now, I’m just putting my music into a palatable form for people to get a taste. This is the intro. This is the welcome. The story I’m telling is: Here I am. This is what you’ve got.

Shane: That makes perfect sense because you want to put out music that people can relate to. You want to put something out that will help you progress but will also be the most impactful.

Question: You’re completely right because everyone can feel vibes. People won’t relate to it unless it’s real. If you subscribe to a certain lifestyle, you’re going to listen to people who live that way. People will pick up on whether you’re real or fake.

Shane: Is there anything else you want to give to the people before we jump out?

Question: Yes, again, I have to say much love to Supersense, and much love to you for letting me be here. We got so much love from the first one, so I appreciate y’all checking that out.

Please follow me at QuestionATL everywhere, and I am Question Official on Youtube. Please check out the Blind and Famous youtube channel, and follow our Twitter @BlindFamous.

Everybody there is killin it. Matt is really holding us down. He’s on the front lines; his singles are on Canadian radio countdowns. He has a new project coming out soon called Blurred Vision that we’re collaborating really heavily on, too.

Other than that, please show the love, man. Much appreciation. That’s it.

Make sure to check out the interview audio for conversations about gaming, Youtube, sound design, and soda!