by SCOTT C

Last year, U.K. imprint Big Dada popped the lid on a group who would uphold the label’s well-known reputation for sidestepping traditional hip hop for new forms—in this case, the gritty sounds of Baltimore club music. Spank Rock, aka MC Naeem and producer Armani XXXchange, represent the big booty bass and the young and hilariously filthy side of Baltimore, Maryland.

While many are left scratching their heads wondering how the repetitive use of the word “pussy” can make a song so enjoyable for some, and mean an immediate detour for others, Spank Rock juxtapose their nerdy exterior with Baltimore’s carnal crunk. The bottom line is that more than a few out there have always been diggin’ the dirty stuff, and these guys know that better than anybody else.

As the rep grows bigger, people are starting to connect the dots between Miami bass, U.K. grime and Baltimore’s latest export. Much like their label-mate Diplo, Spank Rock go to town leaving no genre alone, mashing up breakbeats, pop hits and eight-bit charm to build sample-stuttered anthems like “Put That Pussy On Me,” “Backyard Betty” and “Rick Rubin.”

With their new LP YoYoYoYoYo on shelves now, the Baltimore sound is getting a lot more attention than it ever did before, and these guys are right in the middle of it. The Mirror spoke to both Naeem and Armani XXXchange from their base of operations in New York.

Mirror: Man, every time I turn around, somebody else is talking about Spank Rock. How does it feel to have everybody on your jock?

Naeem: (laughs) That’s not true, that’s not true. When I come home, my parents can’t find the magazines that we’re featured in. I have to explain to them that you can’t buy Fader at the market, and that they’re gonna have to hit a few of the specialty shops if they want to see me.

M: C’mon, you know it’s true! What has it been, eight months since I talked to you?

N: About that. I think it’s all thanks to the Mirror, man. The Mirror was the first place that ever interviewed us.

M: That’s right, but now you’re effectively in the tornado of hype.

N: Yeah. It’s going pretty quickly, but it’s definitely moving a lot slower than it has for some other artists that I’ve seen. I’m pretty comfortable with the level of stress that I have to deal with, compared to what it could be like.

M: So you’re happy with this level of love, as compared to the Access Hollywood level of love?

N: Well, we’re missing the Access Hollywood level of money as well (laughs).

M: Okay. How many interviews have you done where a red flag was raised, talking about misogyny and pornography in your music?

N: (sighs) It gets brought up every time, man.

M: So you’re waiting for that question every time you talk to somebody?

N: Yeah, pretty much. It’s not even fun anymore (laughs). I don’t even know how to react anymore. It’s like, “Yeah, I said pussy...”

Low down dirty

M: What do you know about John Waters, man? Seems to me that you guys have the same dirty love for the streets of Baltimore.

N: What do I know about John Waters? I know a little bit. I met him just recently. (laughs) He came out to one of the parties at the Baltimore Bass Connection, this monthly party we do in Baltimore, and interestingly enough, our manager is pretty good friends with John.

M: Oh yeah?

N: So dude walks into this party, and he’s there early to meet up with my manager, catch up and talk about some things, and I’m like, “Oh shit! He’s talking to John Waters!” That shit was crazy. There’s nobody there yet, so I’m thinking he’s just gonna talk for a bit and then roll out before things get going, but he stayed for the entire party! I later found out he was pretty excited that kids were developing a scene in Baltimore. He was pretty impressed by it, so that made us all feel really good.

M: So if he stepped to you to provide music for a future film, it’s fair to say you wouldn’t hesitate?

N: Ah hell, no, man, shit! (laughs) That would be crazy. I would be honoured to do that.

Sex, guys and video games

M: My understanding is that most of the record was done long before you even got signed?

Armani XXXchange: Yeah, pretty much. We had a six- or seven-song demo that the label had heard, and pretty much had a contract to finish up what we had started, and that was what the album was going to be. So it was basically done by around this time last year. Then we spent another few months getting everything mixed on the cheap.

M: Naeem seems to think that he’s a bit of a difficult guy to work with, musically—

XXX: Naeem? Who said that?

M: He said that, and I wanted to know if there’s any truth to that, seeing as you’re the guy he works with so closely.

XXX: Usually, it’s more of a collaboration than what usually happens on your typical rap record. We go back and forth with the shit a few times, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that he’s difficult to work with. It’s a little difficult to get him to write sometimes, but he’s trying to come up with good stuff.

M: A lot of things kind of come to mind when I hear your beats, the obvious ones being ghetto-tech and Miami bass, but how into that kind of stuff were you before you guys decided to go in your current direction?

XXX: I didn’t really know anything about the Detroit stuff and the ghetto-tech, but I knew a lot of the big Miami bass songs. I wouldn’t say I was really into either of those scenes, though. I started buying Baltimore club records about six or seven years ago. The Baltimore sound uses a lot of rap samples in a cut-up style, and it’s really fun.

M: When I first heard the record, I just assumed you were watching a lot of porn, and playing a lot of video games, or both at the same time.

XXX: It’s funny how different things make their way into the music, but it’s never really thought out as much as people think. It’s just about making music with your friends, man. When you’re really having fun doing something, it just happens by itself. I’ll take as much work as I can get in this whole music thing, but making music with my homeboys will always come first.

With Delvin & Darko and Ghislain Poirier at Main Hall on Thursday, April 13, 9 p.m., $15

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