Joe Blow The Next To Blow: Full Interview Audio (9:49)

Words: nando
Published: February 23, 2010

An artist who lives the lifestyle first, and raps about it second, The Jacka's new protege Joe Blow may be the injection of realness that the rap scene needs.

Bursting on the scene on various compilations and features in 2009, Joe has his sights set on releasing his debut album as well as other collaborations.

If your ears are new to Joe Blow's sound, check out this exclusive, hip-hop heavy track below:

Joe Blow - Rap Shit

Baycentrik: The name Joe Blow, that usually implies like the average person, any old guy. Why did you pick that as your artist name?

Joe Blow: How it came about, The Jack gave me that name. He was just playing around with it, from that movie Dolemite, they called him Joe Blow. That's just how we move. My real name is Joe, so he hit me with the Joe Blow all the time and it kind of just fit. I really  am just your average person, I do this music and I rap, but that ain't really what just I do. It really fit, I'm just an everyday person. I'm not really trippin off all of this, not really trying to get famous. You can come up to me man, I'm a cool dude.

(Read Part Two of our feature with The Jacka, "At The Top" in which he discusses Joe Blow and much more)

Baycentrik: The Jacka vouches for you majorly, how did you end up connecting with him?

Joe Blow: I known Jacka for a while, I would see him around a lot. My boy Montana, that's really how I started messing with him, he grew up with The Jacka.  We always hung out years ago but I never really talked to him about music. We just hung out though, we was like boys. We did everything else but the music. I would go to the lab with him but I wasn't really trippin off the music at the time so I never tried to get on any music with him. I would just let him do his thing. One day he was just like man I wish you rapped with me man, I wish you would get on one of these songs. I was like I'll get on one with you man, I ain't trippin. So I got on a song, and it was Shooterz, and I been on everything else since.

Baycentrik: From the way The Jacka describes you and your lifestyle, you didn't get into rap for the money, nor do you need it. What inspired you to get into it?

Joe Blow: Yeah, it was more like a hobby to me. I had been rapping making songs, just doing it cause I like doing it. I love music, hearing it. Honestly, the music I was hearing was watered down, so I stopped listening to a lot of music. I could only listen to a few people. So I really just started making music myself, and I was like man I might as well get into this. I could do it, let me go ahead and do it.

"Joe Blow is probably gonna be the first artist that I put out. He get a lot of respect because he can actually rap good, he sounds good on tape but at the same time he's one of those dudes that he really got his shit together." -The Jacka

Baycentrik: A lot of artists put out that image for themselves as far as getting money and being street. As Jacka described it, this is a guy that really lives it, you get that authentic touch to it when you hear Joe Blow.

Joe Blow: Exactly.

Baycentrik: How has hitting the studio with Jacka and some of the other Mob Figaz helped you improve or grow as an artist?

Joe Blow: Yeah most definitely. Being around all them, you ain't got no choice but to come hard. It's all in the door. You got no choice, you can't just be writing no little 10-15 minute rap, whatever come to your head. You gotta really sit there and think about it. They talking about real stuff and it's real life going on. I'm just trying to bring that real stuff back to this music really. That's it.

Baycentrik: So you're a perfectionist with your music. How long would you say it takes for you to come up with something you're pleased with? Do you go in there and knock it out till its perfect, how does it all go with Joe Blow?

Joe Blow: It really depends. It may take a few days, it may take that day, or it may take a week. I may go do a song and I'll go listen to the song, and just hear something I don't like, or  hear something that could have been better, or said better, or took some words out to make it sound better. I'm just a real critic on my music, I just want it to sound right. I may listen to it and go retweak it or refix it, come back and it sounds a lot better. I'm always gonna listen to it and be a critic on it though. It may take a while.

Baycentrik: Talk about some of the albums people can hear you on.

Joe Blow: I was on The Street Album, I was on Wit The Shit on there. I was on Broad Daylight, two or three songs on there. One of the songs it said I was on but it wasn't me, it was my boy Young Lox. It's been a few Demolition Men albums, mixtapes. Drought Season 2. I got a lot coming with Jack though, like on Devilz Rejects 2, him and Freeway, Murder Weapon. A lot coming along.

Baycentrik: It's a bit early on, but are you already working toward a debut solo album?

Joe Blow: Yeah, I'm already working on this. It's in motion. I got a lot going on, I'm working on that. I been working on one with my boy Dubb 20, I'm working on an album

"[Joe] knows that life for real and can explain it in a way where only you had to live it to know it. [He's] getting a lot of respect in the Midwest and the South, all the.. places that I been." -The Jacka

with my boy from Ohio, Bossy. Working with my boy Young Lox. I got a lot in motion right now. That solo album is definitely coming, I'm about halfway through done with it. I got a lot of songs for it, but I really only got about 6 or 7 I really like to go on it though. It will probably be a couple more months for that.

Baycentrik: Who are some of the producers you are working with?

Joe Blow: Right now I got a few producers, my boy MG, I got a young up and coming producer BA, he really dope too. Not too many though. A lot of people ain't really heard of me yet, so I'm going through a lot trying to get some beats from certain people. It's all good, I'm gonna make it happen though. That's the thing about the beats too, I'm real picky, I don't want nothing unless it's dope. I ain't messin around, I need the dopest.

Baycentrik: From the outside looking in, how do you perceive this bay area rap scene?

Joe Blow: It's alright. I don't even really listen to a lot of bay music. It's becoming so watered down, it's not the same. I grew up on 3XKrazy, Luniz, Bad N Fluenz, Too Short, it's not the same no more. It's only a few really holding it down, I'm gonna really work with them few that's doing they thing. I'm gonna try to help build some more.

Baycentrik: Any closing words?

Joe Blow: Look for that album, I'm working on it, going hard on it. Making sure it's dope. Give it some time but I'm working on it. Look out for it. I'm finna put this hard line for this bay movement, and push the line for this Mob Figaz and Artist Records movement, and just keep it pushin. I appreciate all the love I been getting, I get nothing but love from people, they like my music, I'm dope, coming hard. Just trying to keep that pushing.