Exclusive Interview With Action Bronson

Action Bronson began his Blue Chips 2 tour accompanied by Party Supplies a few weeks ago and during his show in Denver I was able to sit down with Bam Bam while he broke down where he came from and where he's going. Only discovering his rapping abilities within the past five years, Action reflected on his many influences, his relationship with Ghostface Killah and his transformation from a chef to an emcee. True to Bronson's New York roots, he held nothing back in this raw and fiery interview with Come Home With Me.

Come Home With Me: “From having money on my mind to money in my pocket.” You even say “no emotion over here.” Tan Leather brings a really different emotional content than what we’re used to from you. Can you talk about the vibe of that song and where you’re coming from.

Action Bronson: It was just pretty much the music. Sean from Party Supplies wrote that on the piano and on the road. I was just in the fuckin’ zone. I don’t try to stay on topic or nothing like that. You know different types of things, they make you feel different things and you rap about it and sing about it in your music.

CHWM: You’re background as a chef is really evident in your music. How did you go from Action in the Kitchen to Action Bronson?

Action Bronson: Who knows? (laughs) It kinda just transformed, I just took a liking to rapping and that was that. I broke the leg in the kitchen and from then on I just became a fuckin’ professional rapper.

CHWM: I wish I could rap.

Action Bronson: Listen, you don’t wanna rap, you have to do things, you have to come here and rap in front of people. You have to go to Salt Lake City and rap in front of people.

CHWM: It’s not fun?

Action Bronson: I love it, but I’m, saying, I have to be away from family and shit like that. But I’m not complaining, it’s a good time. I always wanted to do nothing, I dreamt about doing nothing.

CHWM: What are some of your favorite foods?

Action Bronson: I try new things everyday. But I would say bagel and eggs from my mother man. Just get the bagel from the neighborhood, Utopia bagels, they make the best joints. She cuts it up with the butter knife so you get some edges, some scrambled eggs soft, softly scrambled.

CHWM: With cheese?

Action Bronson: Naw, I’m not the cheese and eggs type of guy.

CHWM: Your knowledge and homage to the past on Dr. Lechter was incredible. I know you’ve mentioned Kool G Rap being a major influence, who else inspired you to pick up the pen?

Action Bronson: Everybody from Wu-Tang from Nas, Mobb Deep, everybody that I listened to when I was young. I knew everybody’s raps by heart, so off top I’m gonna come in the game and I’m gonna fuckin’ rap the way I know until you get your own voice and this and that. I think going back to people always comparing me to Ghostface, that’s an honorable comparison and that’s my man, he’s a fuckin’ stand up human being, I fuck with him heavy. I think people got over that quickly, I mean I wouldn’t be where I’m at if they didn’t.

CHWM: At first the comparisons were really out there, but I feel like they’ve totally disappeared now.

Action Bronson: Ghost is definitely one of my favorite rappers, I can definitely recite entire albums of him, I can recite entire albums of Nas, I can recite entire albums of M.O.P. All these people influenced me in my music and not even Hip Hop shit, things that I listened to growing up, like Spanish music.

CHWM: That’s really clear in even the samples you use.

Action Bronson: All that type of shit, that’s just what I do.

CHWM: Why do you think the Ghostface comparisons stopped so much?

Action Bronson: I don’t know, it’s not something that everybody said, like “omg this is Ghostface reincarnated.” I remind everybody of the Golden Age, that’s just what it is. It’s just what rap use to sound like, the shit that they remember from rap. I got 35 year old men coming up to me, 40 year old men, coming up to me like “oh man you’re the fuckin’ greatest, you remind me of Pun, Nas, Easy-E.” I just remind people of the Golden Age, I’ll never be caught up in that, I’m 3k, I’m not on that old shit.

CHWM: That’s interesting, because this year New York with Hip Hop has gotten huge backlash, but your name has been constantly mentioned as one of the only New York rappers to keep it real. What are your thoughts on that?

Action Bronson: I’m fuckin’ from New York, I don’t give a fuck, that’s rap straight up, bottom line, that’s where rap is from. I don’t care about anything else. Good music is good music, if you make good music, people are gonna like it. It doesn’t have to be mainstream, it doesn’t have to be on the radio 24 fuckin’ 7. You don’t need that to have a career. There’s plenty of people that tread the line. I made a career off the Internet, are you kidding me? It’s a big fuckin’ joke. At the end of the day, just do what you feel, make your art and people are gonna like it or they won’t and that’s really what it is. I been doing this now, first time I put a joint out was three years ago and I always rep New York, I don’t know anything else. So that’s always what I’m gonna do.

CHWM: Are you interested in achieving more mainstream success or radio play?

Action Bronson: I don’t give a fuck about anything honestly, I just do my music and if people like it, they like it. I sometimes shoot myself in the foot, I’m being brutally honest with you right now. You know sometimes motherfuckas be like this song is gold and I be wishy washy. I’m a victim of it, I’m not even gonna front. That’s being brutal. Sometimes you’re your own worst enemy. But you gotta keep your reputation in tact. Because when all this other bullshit is over, you’re only gonna have what you built yourself and your character. That’s the only thing that’s gonna take you through life, is the character that you built. Fuck all that flashy shit, quick money, it’s gonna be gone in two seconds. It’s about longevity.

CHWM: That’s exactly what I was gonna say, it’s about longevity.

Action Bronson: You build fans, you tour a lot. I touch people, I see people everyday. I don’t do interviews, I did this because of the article you wrote about me. You showed me love. That’s why I did this.

CHWM: Wow, I didn’t know you read it, thank you, that’s how much you inspire me. One thing that I found out is that you do graffiti.

Action Bronson: I’ve always done graffiti.

CHWM: Have you ever incorporated your own artwork on your cover art or into your music?

Action Bronson: I incorporate into the music yeah. Everybody that I know is through graffiti, that’s how I met all my friends. If it wasn’t for graffiti, there wouldn’t be any me, any rap. That’s pretty the much the basis of it all. And sometimes it’s corny to be like fuckin’ with the elements. But I met all my homies through graffiti, we all did graffiti together and now we just live life. I do it all over the place, give me a can, I’ll do something right now.

CHWM: Let’s get this man a can haha. But your imagination is so vivid, how do you develop the elaborate stories you tell in your songs?

Action Bronson: I’m an only child, you have to have an imagination. You gotta make stories up and play lands. You just smoke weed and fuckin’ sit there. I look at things differently. I know everybody’s gonna say that, but I really do look at things differently.

CHWM: One of my favorite moments of Blue Chips 2 is the Practice rant. 2013 was the ten-year anniversary of the original press release and it’s so damn epic. I know this tape was a collab with Party Supplies but did you have input on some of the hilarious samples?

Action Bronson: Absolutely, we worked together on that shit. We would be sitting there going through records, going through samples, going through music, we just do it together. The whole project was done collaboratively.

CHWM: Dope, it was dope to have him here tonight too.

Action Bronson: He’s amazing, he’s on tour with him. Hopefully I can bring him through Australia and through Europe and hopefully Japan. I wanna bring him everywhere. He deserves it and he fuckin’ rips it up on the fuckin’ guitar. That’s a big part of the show right there. I’m gonna do “[Amadu] Diablo” with the defender.

CHWM: One of my favorite lines is “My silhouette resembles Jesus in all seasons.” You’ve kind of pioneered this sub genre of Hip Hop, incredibly lyrical but also really hilarious material. Is that a conscious decision to be a comedic rapper?

Action Bronson: That’s just my personality. You have to let yourself show in your music or else what are you doing it for? I don’t make candy shit. I write what I feel at the time. It might not always have a structure all the time, but there’s some sort of melodic element. It’s always gonna make you laugh or something’s gonna make you go “wooh what?” You go through a lot of emotions listening to me. It’s like a soap opera. It’s like daytime TV but good daytime TV, like Days of our Lives, All My children, Dynasty, it makes you feel like that.

CHWM: So is there a TV show in the future?

Action Bronson: Who knows man, I’m trying to get fuckin’ actor money. So why not? I can do it. If Ja Rule, if Coolio can be in a fuckin’ movie, I can be in a movie.

CHWM: What movie would you create?

Action Bronson: I don’t know, some sort of obscure sports maybe. Something like Worlds Strongest Man, that’s like very depressed. I have to go through my mind for the script, I can’t give it all out.

CHWM: Next interview we’ll talk about that. You mentioned before you’re been on tour almost nonstop and I’m pretty sure I’ve made it to every tour, but what always amazes me is how genuine and thrilling your performance is every time. How do you keep your set authentic performing every night and often the same songs?

Action Bronson: These songs I’m doing now off Blue Chips 2 are pretty new, I haven’t performed them at any other place. I haven’t performed for the whole last three months of the year. So this is all fresh to me, I don’t practice, I just literally go out and do the show.

CHWM: You the franchise player.

Action Bronson: Exactly, I’ve got to this level, we know that I can rap. It’s not like I’m over here fuckin’ around. You know I’m gonna come through and rap. I’m not gonna rap over my adlibs. I’m gonna rap over a beat, just my voice, nothing else is playing, just me the whole time for an hour. And I go out there and I adlib, whatever the moment is, that’s all I do. I don’t got out and fuckin’ plan my shit, it don’t work for me.

CHWM: So it’s natural for you?

Action Bronson: It’s natural.

CHWM: Has it always been natural?

Action Bronson: I don’t know. I just started, I just found out.

CHWM: You just started? You had one hell of a year…

Action Bronson: I pretty much just recently found out in the past five years that I could rap.

CHWM: Yeah I mean 2013 was huge for you.

Action Bronson: If that was huge then fuck I need to be doing some work.

CHWM: So what’s next?

Action Bronson: Work. I’m touring a hell of a lot, I’m not gonna be home for like two months now. I gotta turn in an album and get ready for that. Japan, Australia, New Zealand twice, two different times. That fifteen-hour flight is not looking good right now.

CHWM: Do you get first class?

Action Bronson: Fuck you think? You think I fly coach? No chance. I been flying first class for two years now. I haven’t always had it, but now I have to fly first class. I need fuckin’ famous chefs curating the menu on the flight.

CHWM: Give a shoutout

Action Bronson: Shout her, she’s the best. We out here.

Much love to Action Bronson for keeping it real and consistently putting out dope music. If you haven't already, download Blue Chips 2 now and check out the tour announcement video below.