As Ohio emcee Blueprint prepares to release an upcoming collaborative EP with longtime friend Aesop Rock, he’s staying focused on the bigger picture. In addition to the EP, Vigilante Genesis (produced entirely by Aesop), he does a weekly podcast with Illogic called Super Duty Tough Work, stays vigilant about his recovery and is looking forward to rare summer off from touring.
Since the veteran rapper put an end to his battle with alcohol several years ago, his creativity is flowing at an all time high. But with nine solo albums under his belt—culminating with 2015’s King No Crown—Blueprint’s output has not slowed down since his debut, 2003’s The Weightroom. In between shipping pre-orders, Blueprint took a few moments to talk about the new EP, Super Duty Tough Work and his new lifestyle.
RAPstation (Kyle Eustice): You’ve been collaborating with Aesop Rock for a long time. How did you first meet?
Blueprint: I think me and Aesop met officially in 2000. My crew, Greenhouse Effect, had an album release party for our first album and his first album came out around then, too, so we invited him out to Columbus, Ohio to perform.
What about your styles gelled?
I think more than anything we get along great on a personal level, but musically I think we both have a weird but strong sound to our voices. Nobody sounds like him and nobody sounds like me. We're also both rappers who make beats.
Are you doing full-length with him? Or what’s currently in the works?
I have an EP called Vigilante Genesis that will be out May 27 that’s produced by Aesop Rock. I'm rhyming on it and he's doing the production on it. The record is a concept record that is a story from beginning to end, so it doesn't sound like what people would probably assume we would do when we collaborate, but we're both really happy with how it came out. I think the people are gonna really dig it because the storytelling and vibe of it is so intense.
Are you still doing the podcast? How is that going?
Yup, still doing it. We took a break from the Super Duty Tough Work podcast this past fall because DJ Rare Groove lives in another city and wasn't able to get down and record, but right around the beginning of the year, Illogic stepped in as the co-host. Since then we've been doing it pretty much every week. So far the response has been great and it's been slowly building up more every month. I'm really happy with it.
You got sober many years ago now. How is your career different now versus then?
It's night and day in terms of my productivity. When I was drinking I would wait on inspiration a lot, but now that I'm sober I don't need to do that anymore. Whenever I think about doing some music, I just do it. I don't need to be in the vibe or wait on anything, I can just turn it on now. That's been a big plus. Another benefit is that there is so much less drama in my life nowadays because I'm not hanging out at bars like I used to. My social circle has changed a bit but it's been great so far.
What do you think would have happened had you continued down that destructive path?
My guess is that I probably would have made some bad decisions that would have led me to not be doing music full time anymore. When you keep gambling with it, you'll eventually lose. I think I stopped right on time and that nothing was left for me but negative outcomes.
What does your summer look like?
This will be the first summer in five years that I'm actually home in Columbus and not touring. I'm excited about that. I've only got four to five tour dates, but the rest of that time will be spent here at home, being creative and spending time with family and friends. I may tour this fall, but this summer will be a much needed break from touring for me.
