Verbal Meditation: RIPMC

Every time I chill with this brotha we end up talking for hours. What starts out as casual conversation, quickly builds into deep discourse on topics ranging from personal aspirations to existentialism and abstract thought. One of the real treats in knowing RIPMC is knowing what a triple-threat he truly is. Quiet as kept, his gifts in the arts are not limited to words alone. He produces, paints, and conceptualizes like a true visionary. The brilliance of his bold concepts flow throughout his many expressions and I am so very happy to have him as the first artist interview on this site.

If you had 24 Hours to live what would you do?

I have these four beats I just made. I would record those four songs. I would write down what my goals were for the next ten years and leave a note for my sister saying to duplicate that. Just try to be as much of a catalyst as I can.

What would one of those goals be?

I got a couple ideas about social reform. Just a few ideas that could help change the social landscape. Like expose the general public to a higher standard of living. Like…help your community set up shop. Don’t try to tell them to do any thing. Just expose them to it. And a big part of that is owning real estate.

What country would you invest real estate in if you could?

I wouldn’t. I haven’t really been anywhere outside America. But if I had to live someplace outside America…Paris is the only city I’ve been to that encompasses all the arts. The city itself- the landscape is fine art. The food is culinary art at its best.

“New Orleans is a third-world country.”

Have you ever wanted to go to any third-world countries?

No. To be honest, if we’re talking about outreach, Brooklyn is a third-world country. All these different hoods are third-world countries. New Orleans is a third-world country. There are parts of this country that fit those criteria. There are a lot of places in America I [visited] haven’t yet. There’s so much to see over here.

What is your ethnic background?

Both of my parents are from Antigua. I grew up in crown heights and I use to hang out in Flatbush. Very West Indian influenced. Then I moved to bed-stuy and as a West Indian you generally don’t like bed-stuy, but that's when my life kinda changed... when I moved into this artistic realm. There were so many black owned businesses and it was so fresh. There’s a subconscious affect on you when you know someone like you has done something.

“If there were a sound track to our lives Melo X would be the DJ.”

So what ethnicity would you consider yourself?

I’m a new generation. We’re the first ones who grew up here. We’re a new kind of breed. It’s a similar story. Most of our parents came here to have us. We have American values. I mean, how many West Indians favorite food is pizza? We’re this mixture of cultures. If there were a sound track to our lives Melo X would be the DJ. That’s who we are… a little bit of everything.

On The Collective & Conspiracy

I don’t really entertain these conversations about conspiracy. I feel like it’s not productive. I been seen it. Not even just conspiracy…I mean religious type groups. The bottom line is it just comes [down] to you thinking this one thing is so important that it just consumes you. It’s just paranoia. You don’t think so much about things you’re not afraid of. If you’re not afraid then why do you keep pointing it out? [This] is the person who put me here.

“Everyday we make sacrificial offerings.”

Life & The Universe

The funny thing about life is, what ever matters most, prepare to loose that shit. It’s like life teaches you how not to be attached. Life’s sits down with you at the bargaining table. Whatever you offer… it takes your car…it doesn’t really care about your car, it takes your friend…it doesn’t really care about your friend. Everyday we make sacrificial offerings. Everyday we sacrifice those two dollars to get that metrocard. It will say, give me whatever means most to you. God says I have everything and I want from you what matters most. At the end of the day it’s about value.

I have been learning the seasons. Like, knowing when my high points are and when my low points are. Its just been catching me off guard.

How old are you?

Twenty-three. I think that’s when it all starts though. Twenty-three.

It goes back to my whole belief that everyone is like their own planet. I come up with these theories and I test them over time. I think every ten years we end up back at square one. These constant ‘childhoods’… There are so many different life times. Every decade you become a totally different person. A constant theme but a different lesson…

I can’t wait to hit fifty.

Me either. But I just can’t imagine going through another cycle [of my life] again. I gotta do what I did twice?! I feel like it’s a prison sentence. But you know me. I feel my actions show that I don’t really think it is.

You can reach RIP about ‘Writer’s Block’, his work with the collective, or about his own personal projects such as the Rebirth of Cool here on myspace & twitter