Palm Pact mid performance at a Face Melt show
Z:
Where's home?
Euphemistic:
St. Petersburg FL, aka area 727
Ryan Rev:
The Studio
Kai Ken:
Home, some say its where the heart is. I grew up in St Petersburg FL like most but not all of Palm Pact. We all hail from 727 area, but sometimes I even feel at home with the boys when we go on tour together like we did in New Orleans at the start of the year.
Z:
Gotta love St. Pete! If you had to pick 2 genres to "label" Palm Pact, which genres would it be?
Euphemistic:
Oh man, to be honest we are a bunch of genres often blended together but I'd say Hip-hop and RnB are the most commonly depicted in our music.
Z:
Now that Emerald Era has released has anyone in the group purchased anything Emerald related?
Ryan Rev:
I just ordered a chain with an emerald pendant on it. This is my ashtray *shows an emerald cup* .
Z:
Emerald Era is a fun project colliding a multitude of different sounds and emotions. From fast rapping and braggadocios bars to soulful melodies and emotion-filled harmonies it definitely showcases a variety of skills you all tapped into. If each of you had to choose one song that meant the most to you on the album which song would you pick and why?
Kai Ken:
I think Eye of the Storm maybe means the most to me, that one stands out to me due to the content of my lyrics I was going through a rough patch with my ex girlfriend at the time, where things were starting to feel strained, I think alot of that emotion wound up in my verse.
Euphemistic:
Every time we've asked each other this it never gets easier. For me it would be either Pan Out or Eye of the Storm. Coincidentally I'm on the hook for both but it's the message behind each track that gets me, that and the outro for Eye of the Storm brings storms to my eyes.
Ryan Rev:
That’s a tough one but I’d probably end up choosing track 1 Soul of Emerald because i think it does a good job of setting the tone for the album, and I produced it so I have more personal connection too it cuz the production process was kicking my ass then it all came together at the last second and I was able to get all members on it and everybody killed it which is special to me, plus I love the hook it’s one of my favorites, and I got a lot out subject matter wise in my verse that I hadn’t talked about and referencing real life stuff like bar 548 and Emerald bar and smoking by Jolly’s, it’s just quintessential us.
Z:
"SELLING POT IN THE PARKING LOT" is a track off the new album that I've seen you guys perform live. It turns heads and probably helps move "merch" for sure. Do you guys feel that live crowds prefer those upbeat songs with humorous undertones over songs with lyrically deeper emotional content? An example being the song "PAN OUT" off the same album.
Kai Ken:
That is a good observation, I do feel that song is a head turner even though it does have some funny undertones, its relatable to alot of the "Florida Man" who all have probably sold some dope in the past. That song has wild energy and when we perform it live I almost feel like we become a "Punk hip hop" band, I do think the crowd reacts somewhat better to it then some of our more sad / somber thoughtful songs like Sad In the Morning, and that song is hella fun to perform. It has been our most requested song live by fans.
Ryan Rev:
Yeah for sure, a lot of it depends on the make up of the audience and the vibe of the event, but some songs shine in some places more than others, like the more smooth deeper emotion based stuff probably gets more play in someone’s headphones when they’re by themselves as opposed to Pot in the Parking lot which Is just raw energy and entertainment and fun, a song like that excels in a turnt show setting, that’s why slow joints go best in the middle of a set so you can bring it back up for a big finish.
Euphemistic:
Personally? I think it depends on the crowd because not every crowd will respond the same to every track. Although I feel as if an audience in live settings is more often responsive to upbeat tracks and even more so when they can understand and yell the lyrics back at you. Other than that, we have seen quite a few similar responses to Mountaintop (also on the same album) as we have Pot in the Parking Lot just with a different vibe despite the energy being the same. Otherwise, there will always be a time and a place for deeper lyrical content, just gotta read the room.
Z:
Yeah I suppose with touring it'll be a good catalog to go through depending on which crowd and what city you're all in that night. I wanted to ask one last question bout Emerald Era. With artists like Drake, Logic, The Game, and most recently DJ Khalad it appears artists are dropping long full blown projects with 15-30 songs lately. Emerald Era is a 16 track project. You're previous project (Palm Pact Armada) was a 20 track project. Do you see this trend becoming the next wave of how artists release music? Will Palm Pact continue to release large stacked albums or are singles and ep's a possibility in the near future?
Kai Ken:
It's nice to see longer stacked projects coming back in the mainstream. I'd say Palm Pact will likely continue our streak of a longer stacked project, it gives us a nice goal to work on for the next two years or so (time it took to complete Emerald Era), but during that time we can also work on singles and EP's like Euphemistic and myself dropped our Soul Shard 2 EP shortly before E.E finally released. We also have a new PxP single in the works called "Jesus Drunk" which is a bop and fun sort of like Pot In The Parking Lot. I'd like to see Palm Pact continue to release shorter Projects while we work towards another long term goal and a epic third album in the next 2-3 years.
Ryan Rev:
I think it’ll be a quick wave, cuz I don't know too many people that can listen to a 25+ joint in a sitting. I think since our last two albums have been a bit beefy when it comes to the Tracklist that the next projects we drop will be shorter so that we can release more music more frequently, big albums are fun and releasing big Tracklist albums was kind of a way to prove to ourselves we could do it but now it’s time to flood em and drop more consistently.
Euphemistic:
When it comes to our full scale/full length projects, I definitely envision us keeping the format of them having 15+ tracks on it and that would probably be our approach regardless of it becoming a trend. Not all of us, but most of us do the same for our solo projects where maybe a solo EP will drop from one of us occasionally but a majority of our focus when it comes to dropping a body of work ends up being toward making a larger piece, conceptual or otherwise. However, despite continuing to approach albums the way we have, we do still have EPs and singles not only in mind but in the vault to drop between projects so we'll be doing both as we continue making music.
Z:
This next question is for Kai. Palm Pact has had quite a few different lineups over the last few years. It's certainly gone through a new era these last couple years in particular. My question to you Kai, as the founder, what are some of the difficulties you've had with an ever-changing lineup of different vocalists?
Kai Ken:
Love this question, and to get to talk about PxP history. For sure Palm Pact has had quite a list of different artists who joined the group since its official gathering in 2015. I think like almost every major band or group, there is always a struggle of different opinions, different vibes, artists wanting different things or not wanting the share the spotlight. So for sure different MC's who were my friends at the time came into Palm Pact added something and then left. But overall I could say since 2019, when Bomber officially joined and Jolly in late 2018, Ryan in late 2018 and Euphemistic has been here since 2017, we have found our most cohesive and positive lineup of all time. I don't really see the lineup changing again any time soon, or ever. Other then music the current members I consider my brother's and I trust them with all my heart. I don't trust many new artists I meet of the street, I know every artist in Palm Pact has got my back, and even if we have different opinions we always find a way to work it out and move forward.
Z:
What a wonderful summary of the past and what's to come with the future.
Scenario time: You guys just performed a killer set at a sold out show, you walk to the bar and a gorgeous girl whispers in your ear "loved your set, buy me a drink?" What drink do you purchase for her?
Kai Ken:
I ask the bartender if they have any drinks with "EMERALD" in the name, if not then I ask about a drink that has "palm or palm tree" if that's a no, I turn to my bros and shout as loud as I can "WHISKEY COKEEEEE"
Ryan Rev:
Whiskey Cooooke
Euphemistic:
I buy her a double maybe triple tequila shot if she hasn't had a drink yet. It's a test. If she denies tequila or turns her nose at it, she ain't the one. Other than that? Whiskey coke.
Z:
There's a bowl of fruit in front of you with every fruit currently existing in the world. Which fruit do you grab first?
Euphemistic:
Starfruit.
Kai Ken:
Dragon fruit, I’ve always wanted to try it and hopefully transform into a magical fruit dragon upon a single bite.
Ryan Rev:
Banana or a pear
Z:
You receive 1 million dollars but you have to use 90% of it within the first 48 hours. What do you buy?
Kai Ken:
I purchase the rights of the dead and gone toy line Bionicle from Lego (that they are squandering) and start a new production line of Bionicles and also begin writing the comics and books for this new phase since I also already write comics.
Ryan Rev:
A house with enough backyard space to build a shed for a backyard recording studio, and a Popeyes Spicy Chicken Sandwich with no pickles
Euphemistic:
I feel like I should say something like "stonks" or invest it into krypto or something along those lines but in reality? I'd probably buy plane tickets to all of the places I've always wanted to visit and buy tickets for those who want to come with, and just to help ensure that I make it to that 90% I'd book hotels in advance and have these travel plans/plane tickets taken care of years in advance so long as the flight companies allow it. If that doesn't do it, finish the rest with weed and alcohol.
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