Interview Season 2: Alpine

When it comes to creating music that tells a story with its many layers of atmosphere, Alpine has everybody beat. As both a producer and rapper, the Pennsylvania native is making truly astounding pieces of art. This interview was a long time coming, and I hope you learn something from it.

1. You dropped some quality tapes last year, including Dolomite Delights & Frozen Dishes. Do you start off with specific visions for your projects or do they come together out of existing beats/raps?

The beginning of last year is when I decided I’m gonna start self producing projects and really trying to tell my story more. The projects are grossly dramatic expressions of what’s going on in my life at the time. I’m just opening myself up when I cook a beat and channel that shit into FL. Sometimes I’ll make a beat and listen to it like. “This is exactly how I feel when this happens, how did I know?” and see how I can work it into whatever story I’m trying to tell. Shit just be sliding together seamlessly. When I start using more skits the stories will be easier to follow along with hahah

2. Your latest project Warrior’s Delight (Solar) is one of my favourites you’ve done, it definitely has some of the smoothest beats you’ve produced to date. Did you have any specific influences when putting that one together?

Big blessings big blessings. I was listening to a lot of early house records, Freddie Knuckles stuff like that and some Reggae, Black Uhuru and one of my homies Nga Han too really feeling tha riddims and like old Memphis and New Orleans shit Hundo was putting me on to. Mix some acid and City of God and that’s what you get. Wanted it to sound like a you’re sloowwwly ascending mountain range in like, Jamaica somewhere tropical like the Blue Mountains you feel me, shouts my rude yutes, but it isn’t a painfully slow trek up you know mad shit to peep out and lessons to learn fun to have on the way.

3. How long on average do you spend making a single beat?

Really it can be anywhere from 10 minutes to 10 days, it’s always more layers to add, more grooves to feel out. I get lost in a trance a lot when I’m cooking up I lose track of time easy

4. Who inspires you to make music? Can be favourites from when you started or your contemporaries.

I could go on for days about inspiration since most of it isn’t really drawn from music but the people who inspire me like, who also make music are my peers really. Like of course Hov, Young Chris, Pusha T, Cam all influenced me heavy in the flows and all but the people who make me wanna keep making shit are niggas like Vonte, Hundo, Lars, Smithy, Norfside Shae niggas that I really came in the shit with from like NoLove days are the ones who keep me wanting to get in my bag again and again.

5. When did you first begin producing? You have tapes dating back a couple years but I’d guess it’s been longer than that.

I always fucked around on FL since like, late 2000s but I never made anything really. I started taking it semi serious like late 2016 when Promise came to my crib with G Marley and they cooked up some fire shit that I was like okay I need to get my hand in this. I’m sick of taking beats and the mfs trying to send em out being sting low key so around May to like November 2017 I was kicking it with G Marley a lot and he’s just a fool with the beats and was showing me what’s good with it. I think I cooked and dropped my first beat tape at his crib actually Nov 2017. My first few tapes I was just rapping from like 2015/16 were mainly loops from Vine I took and stretched and looped. You know the ones the lil anime Lo-fi clips.

6. You have some really good guest verses for other artists, you killed your features on ‘While You Sleep’ and ‘Neighbours’. Will we ever see a full tape of you rapping on a mix of beats?

Shout out Sly and ThugYeezy for letting me be a part of those classics. Uhhh yeah I got some ideas but for now I’m really a big fan of a one producer projects that’s where my head is right now anyway

7. What artists and producers do you fuck with at the moment/want to work on music with?

Right now I’m really fucking with the homies really. Sounds like some cliche rapper shit but, they the ones I really want to work with since that’s who I listen to and that’s just how it gotta be if we really tryn get it out the mf dirt. Norfside Shae and I got some shit coming, I’m tryn work with Hundo we long overdue, shit me and a lot of motherfuckers long overdue. Definitely trying to get something in with Xface and KillerKane this year, shit Lärs too, Sumwun and Lord Apex would go stupid with a Pine feature. Maybe some more with my guys in Cracks Amp from Japan most def. Man I really wanted to do something with Nip on some Summits big power move let’s get this money shit but, hoe ass niggas done took him from us. Rest in Power to the god for real. I’d work with Kaytranada he gotta stop playing and slide the beats I got mad flows for the house riddims.

8. Do you have upcoming music we should be looking out for? Songs/tapes?

Yeah yeah yeah I got Smudging tha Ink with Ink my brother the Analog Shaman himself coming soon via Summits then a follow up tape after. I singles in the tuck I’m saving for some videos though. Floating In It might be my first full length but we gonna see about that it’s so many options out here. Really after I get some more tapes off imma be shifting focus, it’s bigger fish to fry

9. Why did you chose the name Alpine?

If you know you know for real. But the shit really fits perfect the more I think about it. I’m into all that outdoorsy shit I fuck with Mother Nature the strongest way, I be up peaks you smell me

10. Great interview bro, any shoutouts you’d like to give?

Man shout out the guys, shout out everyone speaking their truth and walking their path 10 toes, shout out the universe for doing what it do, shout out everyone who been holding it down last few years since NoLove was cracking and even after. Shout out everybody for real. Shouts my Gz in the ends too imma be there soon. Summits shit. Tune in to the Peakwave