Music editor Matt Dearborn talks with one of rap's old-time greats who's finally making it big
Chris Palko, known to the music world simply as "Cage," is one of the most tortured rappers around. Growing up in Germany, his father-then a military police officer for the U.S. Army-was sent back to New York for using and selling heroin when Cage was just a young boy. His father's heroin addiction was so open that he would often ask the boy to tighten the tourniquet around his arm before shooting up.
After a downward spiral of a life, including being expelled from school and spending many years in jail for his own hard drug abuse, Cage began to write lyrics for rap songs. Following many years of failed attempts and albums, Cage met up with the underground rap legend El-P, who quickly signed him to his underground mainstay label Definitive Jux. Finally, Cage's newest record, Hell's Winter, has garnered widespread critical acclaim. recess sat down with Cage to talk about therapy, Eminem and his show at the Cat's Cradle on Dec. 6.
recess: Hell's Winter sounds completely different from anything you've ever made before. What made you change?
Cage: I was getting tired of reliving and repeating the same f---ed up behavior in my life that I was trying to get away from. I wanted to be done with the drugs and the violence and just shocking people for the sake of shocking them. With Hell's Winter, I just took some time to look at myself some more, and it felt a lot better.
Speaking of your lyrics, they've definitely moved from shocking to introspective. Talk to me about your shift in lyrical content.
I'm pretty much done with all the lying in my raps and lying in my life and I'm sick of trying to have this super big ego telling people I'm the best rapper. That f---ing stuff doesn't mean sh-- to me anymore.
You're talking a lot more about your dad and your past in your songs now. Is there any particular reason?
I do it because it's therapeutic. Sh--, it's better than going to therapy. You talk about something that's been bothering you for years; you get it off your chest, and instead of telling one person, you put it out to the world. It's humbling as f---.
So you've changed your approach to making music?
Definitely. When I first started cutting records, I didn't have a conscious approach to making them. Now, I have to sit down and think about a song, think about the beats and the lyrics and start small. If I come up with an idea and it sits, it's kind of a Big Bang sort of thing from there. If I don't like it, I throw it away. Before, I would just walk into the studio, throw down some lyrics and then get the hell out of there. Now, it's a long and complex process, but the end result is infinitely better.
You were one of the original rappers that Eminem dissed in his albums. Do you still hold a grudge?
I don't address that sh-- anymore at all. The dude's a millionaire-what does that have to do with my life? It has nothing to do with me or my music; I just don't care anymore and don't give it the time of day.
Do you think you could ever move over to the mainstream rap world?
No, I'm not interested in mainstream rap at all. It's total sh--. I don't listen to it, I'm not a supporter of what it is or what it's about; it's just not me at all.
Why don't you like it?
I guess what pisses me off is just the fact that it's sounded exactly the same for about a decade now. It used to be that people used to try to outdo each other and come up with different beats and different subject matter. But now the creativity ends when they start talking about the ice on their neck and the ways they can flip gun lines. But that's as far as it goes; nothing enrages me, I just get annoyed. I don't care about it that much, and I don't like to put that much energy into anything anyway. Nothing in hip-hop pisses me off. It just slightly perturbs me sometimes.
What would you like to see in your future?
I want the same thing as everyone else: success and happiness. But I'm not interested in having a hundred cars and boats and girls. As long as my rap can keep my needs and my wants happy, then I'm fine. And my music is constantly changing, so as long as I can keep doing my thing and keep enjoying myself, I'll be happy.
How do you see your music changing?
I'm not going to even blow my load there, I'm not telling anyone sh-- about new music. They'll just have to wait and see.
You're going to be hitting the Cat's Cradle on Dec. 6th. What can we expect from your live show?
It depends. If the crowd is freaking out and loving me when I jump around, I'll give them one hell of a show. I love to get riled up and scream in people's faces and go crazy, and to have a personal connection with the audience. I perform only for the kids in the front row and screaming, not for the punks in the back who are just observing the show. If you're just going to f--- around and do nothing, you're not going to get a good show from me.
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