Sims (photo: Zoe Prinds)
After our recent talk with Dessa, we decided we needed more Doomtree Collective action over here at Rice and Bread. So we tracked down Dessa’s cohort and label mate Sims, fresh off his North American tour with Hilltop Hoods and a recently released album, Field Notes, to talk about his solo work, the past and future of Doomtree and the plight of the intelligent hip-hop fan.
You just finished a Canadian tour and you’re from Minnesota; you’re almost a Canadian. That’s pretty close.
I’m very much not a Canadian. I kept shooting guns at everyone, yelling about socialism [laughs].
So, Field Notes, let’s talk about it. There are some crazy beats on there. Do you look for beats to fit something you’ve already written, or do you find inspiration in the beat?
I look for beats that I really enjoy and I try to write to those. If something good starts to happen I get back to the producer to say it’s something I want. From there we work at crafting how it’s going to go. I usually start with lyrics then rework certain segments of the beat and piece it together. I usually work with the producer after I’ve recorded a rough chop with the beat.
“Sims Jong-Il” is a classic rap boast, but it feels like there still some message in there. Do you ever strive to make that kind of song on purpose?
That’s what “Sims Jong-Il” is, just fun. There’s not really a message in it; it’s just fun talking about me and my personality. I cannot make a song without injecting some of my personality into it. That’s what makes it distinctly mine, rather than someone else’s. It’s important for me to say what I’m going to say uniquely, because why would anyone want to listen to what I have to say unless I say it in a creative fashion? I think that’s my idea the entire time. I don’t want to make the things that other guys are making because those guys are making it way better than I could. And even though it’s not a personal song, there are still some really personal lines in it. I make a joking song about resiliency and just make it fun. That’s kind of been my whole ethos
Speaking of that, “They Don’t Work for Us”… That beat is the most disgusting club beat, but it’s a super serious song. It’s like a Trojan Horse song or something, getting a message in through the guise of that shiny club beat.
Ah, a Trojan Horse! I guess it’s like a… Trojan Horse, exactly [laughs]. I listen to a lot of different hip-hop and when people find out what kind of shit that I listen to… there’s the stuff I that I really love and treasure the lyrics, and then there’s stuff that I really love and I just listen to have a good time.
We both like hip-hop. Just wondering if you have music that you enjoy listening to, but don’t quite get why you enjoy it lyrically? Maybe it’s a little misogynistic or violent? It’s the plight of the intelligent hip-hop fan…
It’s a weird thing. I don’t identify with these people; we’re not friends, and if I heard that kind of stuff outside of a song, there’s no way I would let that pass. These are conflicting things and I don’t know why I let it pass when it sounds sick, but I do. The conflict is real. I’ve had tons of conversations with Dessa about this. I don’t know why I let it pass. Especially the misogyny in hip-hop; it’s real. It’s alienating to a lot of females and males who think differently and feel differently, but it’s so widely accepted in pop culture. But I’m guilty of the same; I listen to all types of different rap about all kinds of fucked up stuff. For some reason I let it pass, and it’s one of those conflicts that sometimes makes you feel like a complete fucking hypocrite. But I think as long as you know, and point out that you know, that it’s an inconsistency in your personality, I feel like there’s a little wiggle room there.
Do you find as you get older that you’re more critical of what you’re hearing in hip-hop, or does it go the other way, that with more experience you appreciate, if not necessarily like, a broader scope?
I’ve gone both ways about it. I used to have a really high tolerance, but I completely dropped it in my young twenties and I was not accepting of anything that was offensive, especially in a way that was constantly hurting people. And I’ve softened back a bit since then, and here I am, conflicted as we all are. At least keeping an eye on it and being conscientious about it is something. I don’t know if that’s enough, but I’ll leave it up to other people to decide.
Do you have a favourite non-Sims Doomtree release?
Yeah. My current favourite Doomtree release is actually on its way out and it’s Hella Frreal by Mike Mictlan. Otherwise I say [second Doomtree Collective album] No Kings, because it’s special to me and means something to me beyond what the project itself actually dictates. Like if the songs are good or not, that project will always be special because it was the most galvanizing record in our history. It was 10 years into being friends, collaborators and business partners. It was the moment we all solidified ourselves in a real way, like, “This is my family, for real.”
Why isn’t the hip-hop collective more prevalent, like it used to be? I mean, you guys have lasted 10 years…
It’s ego, and it’s drive, and it’s jealousy, and it’s envy, and ambition, and success and failure. Just getting sick of each other and having big personalities. Artists are weird, weird people and there’s a lot of stuff you need to put down about yourself before you can accept other people for what and who they are. It’s an art and we were all willing to do it. I don’t know how or why we’re able to do it, but we are, and that makes us different than a lot of people, because we were able to figure that out.
Do you listen to hip-hop every day? Do you go any days without turning on music?
Oh yeah, I love podcasts. It seems like I listen to hundreds of them. I listen to Stuff You Should Know and, um, actually Matt [Lambert] from Hilltop Hoods got me into No Such Thing as a Fish; it’s a great podcast. I listen to some Grantland podcasts. It’s awesome. There’s so much out there. Are you an American into soccer? Don’t worry, there’s a podcast for it. I have pretty mild tinnitus, my ears are ringing, so podcasts are my best friend when I’m trying to get sleep a lot of nights.
You sound like me. I wake up and can’t fall asleep without that soothing podcast white noise to get the sound under control.
Yeah. Word to the wise to anyone who’s getting into live music now: get good ear plugs and do it now! I blew my shit out.
Enough music… what do you look for to eat when you’re out on the road?
I used to just look for delicious. When I turned about 26 I started getting fucking chubby eating anything, so now I try to look for something healthy or I end up with burgers and pizza and shit every day.
Is there a city that you’ve found is a wellspring of healthy, delicious food for you?
Hippier cities you’d think of, like Seattle or even Los Angles. Boston has a place that’s called the Middle East, with kabob and shawarma, and that kind of stuff that’s really good.
Sims’ Field Notes is available now on Doomtree Records.
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