Since 2007, Homeboy Sandman has proven himself to be a professional MC who makes meticulous, lyrical rap music beloved by the hip-hop cognoscenti. The Source, XXL, Rolling Stone, and Pitchfork have all hailed Sandman as one of the best underground rappers of his generation. Fresh off the release of Don’t Feed the Monster, his new collaborative album with Quelle Chris, Sandman took some time to share his singular take on the world, faith, sleep, and possibly riding his bike uptown in NYC.
The following interview has been lightly edited.
What are some of your current influences?
One of my big current influences is The Impersonal Life by Joseph S. Benner.
What are your all-time influences?
God.
What’s the most overrated?
Money is the most overrated. There’s a belief that it matters.
What’s the most underrated?
God is the most underrated. There’s a belief that things are somehow “going wrong,” as if God is not in thorough control of every iota of reality.
What are you most excited about right now?
Giving myself completely and absolutely to God within me and without. I’m trusting completely in God.
What’s next for you?
I’m interested to see how I sleep tonight. If I sleep soundly, I believe it will be a good indicator that I am on the right path. Tomorrow morning I may ride my bike uptown to deliver a book to a friend.
Bonus Question: How did you connect with Quelle Chris for your collaborative album, Don’t Feed the Monster, and what’s the artistic relationship like between the two of you?
I got hip to Quelle many years back through his frequent collaborations with Cavalier, who I am a fan of. Then I became a fan of Quelle and was grateful when we began speaking of collaborating. Since then, I’ve been on two of his records, and he’s been on two of my records, and after two tours together, our creative momentum finally reached a breaking point and spill over into a full length. Our artistic relationship is one of great mutual respect and trust, which I am very grateful for.
You’ve mentioned in previous interviews that this record “saved” you. What do you mean by that?
This record saved me because I was having much difficulty sleeping, and I was dealing with anxiety wrought from health challenges. One month before recording, the longest relationship of my life came to an end – which was for the best but still a challenge – and it was generally a challenging time for me. I found great solace in writing and recording. Creative time and time in the studio with Q and Xavier and Pootie and Fatboi Sharif gave me something to look forward to and also gave me an escape.
