Q&A with my old friend Six…
Sept. 12th 2020
Let me set the stage for this I asked Six if he was willing to sit down and talk about all that has been going on in his life since 2018. Please note we have been friends since way back and I have always been a big supporter. I also do some blog writing from time to time so I thought why not get the scoop from the old school friend himself with some Q&A since we haven’t seen each other since before he went to the hospital. He asked me to meet him at a local park in Aurora so we could social distance and still speak in person. We met in mid September and spent a few hours talking, laughing and trying to understand the complex mind of my friend Jason better known as Six O’clock…
Q: So I heard your kidneys failed back in 2018 Tell me about that situation?
A: “Ya man it was crazy. It was summer 2018 June I was moving fast, lots of shows, booze, drugs and just living bad even though I was doing good. I remember not feeling really good and decided to take some days off. Then I guess like weeks went by? My kidneys had begun shutting down and I didn’t even know it. My homies said they was beating on my door trying to call and I was MIA. So June 28th my mom came to my house after realizing something was wrong got into my house and found me in bad shape, barely hanging on and called 911. I was rushed to the hospital in Aurora and they saved my life. Both my kidneys had completely shut down and it was panic mode for the doctors. They got me stable into the ICU stabbed that needle in my neck got me on dialysis and said I was this close to being gone. I spent weeks in the hospital I couldn’t walk, barely talk, go to bathroom, nothing! I was broken man I didn’t know what day it was or barely who I even was. So anyways I was in the hospital a couple weeks my kidneys began to work again after hours and days of dialysis it was horrible and the worst diet ever. One of the nurses told me one day she had never seen anyone that far gone come back like I did, so I must be blessed? I must be man cause I truly know what people mean now by “see the light” cause I did and it was so peaceful. Something weird happens to a person when they are that close to death and survive. It was like an energy I can’t explain. I was forever humbled and touched by that whole experience and I think of it daily. I also have not drank booze or done hard drugs since that day June 28th. I still smoke some weed so I won’t ever say I’m sober but I’m safe from my demons now for over two years and have no plans of ever looking back.”
Q: What was the recovery from that like?
A: “Well when I got out of the hospital I had some big choices to make and needing a place to recover I decided to sell the Aurora house and get rid of most of all my personal stuff and move back in with my family. It was hard for me to do because there was so many memories in that house and that city but I knew if I stayed it was only a matter of time before I went back to the old Six. So I packed up and moved out to Parker started over with everything from my car to building a new spot to record and basically just getting everything back on track and dealing with the fall out from missing out on several business plans from when I was sick. Since no one could find me many assumed the worst and felt like I did them wrong? So I was like bump that if they can’t understand I don’t need them. Some people I realized I never needed so it’s been hard the circle got even smaller. I have slowed my pace down and I’m spending more time doing what I want for me now. I had spent so many years caught up in the grind I never really just sat back and enjoyed the small success I have had and that is what the last couple years have been like for me just reflecting and getting better.”
Q: So why do you push out so much music?
A: “Why not? music is music man some people latch on to your stuff and apply it to their own life and as long as people even if it’s a small amount tell me my art has helped them or motivated them then I’m gonna continue to deliver for them. I don’t plan to release any more full length albums but I have no plans of stopping making or releasing music I just plan on changing up the method of delivery. When I’m inspired I create. The world needs this type of gritty reminder that the raw part of the artform will never be forgotten. You can’t water me down I am who I am no rapper outfit what you see is what you get. Tomorrow isn’t promised I have seen that so I’m dropping music like the time is now. I grew up in front of my fanbase since the first demos I put them out there and developed on each project you see my mistakes you see my victories. I’m still tryin too make that perfectly imperfect masterpiece. Some say it was “Rebel Historian” back in 2017? I say it’s “Portraits” my latest work? Since I got sick in 2018 I have released three solo albums and a collaboration EP, not to mention several features. Which I believe this new solo stuff is some of my best work to date? Overall I’m around 30ish projects I haven’t counted in a long time. I’m not tripping on getting old if I make some more fire I’m dropping it. I’m still motivated man this art is a part of me.”
Q: What about the numbers? Do you even care about it?
A: “The numbers? of course I care. I mean don’t we all want millions of followers and streams and sell out every merch drop but that’s not my reality. I started making music before the whole “numbers game” and I’ll still be here when it’s gone. I only started out wanting a demo and to rock some shows now look at me two decades in and I’ve rubbed elbows with legends, released 10 albums and crazy amounts of products. That is why I have always been big on merchandise and physical copies product out the trunk has always been my moto make something people can have forever. I will take my couple hundred real supporters any day. This is my reality I’m an artist not a content creator or a promoter so if my stuff doesn’t reach as my people as it could…well what the hell? I still do limited runs of CDs and Tapes and all our shirts are made to order in house so we got that on lockdown. I may not be doing big numbers but I’m still advancing my position in the game each season. My music is still fire, the products are quality, I kill live shows and I’m original my mom loves me so what else they want from me?”
Q: What is your creative process like?
A: “Honestly; I don’t rush it at all. I let it come to me like a good pitch in a baseball game. I may not touch the mic for a month then one day get inspired and do a whole album worth of music in a week. The writing will just come out of me. I don’t try and force it. I put the beat on and in about 30 seconds I know yes or no and sometimes I’ll hear the song instantly in the beat and just go. There is no big back catalog or notebook full of raps I make albums with precision like I hear the beats and I’m like this is all a project and just begin to fill in the space. If I start something and I don’t like it…Trash! I only mess with it if I’m gonna use it and that means I see it finished before it’s done if that makes sense. Each album I have done has a certain design behind them and I don’t mean art design but the thought from my mind on how I want them to be heard. Most of the stuff I record is in the moment also like I rap the music how I feel it in that moment and don’t really like to go back to it cause I don’t feel the energy can ever be matched from the first time when it’s fresh in my mind. So I always try and finish each song right in the session so it captures the moment of each composition. I move fast when I’m in that zone and as the words come out it’s like I instantly memorize them like it was already written or something? My style is splash the ink on the canvas like bang and keep it moving.”
Q: What is the next big thing for you? Where do you go from here?
A: “The Time Capsule Collection is next… It will be the first of it’s kind I can promise you that. No one in hip hop has ever done what I will do! I’m not saying much more about it cause someone gonna steal this idea. haha. Just know it’s crafty and one of a kind. Where do I go from here well I turned my 2004 Volvo xc90 into a “Day Tripper” and plan on doing lots of bike riding, hiking and getting outdoors as much as possible. I also plan to keep spending time with my family and staying sober because these last couple years have been the best yet. Although I had to feel the pain I did back in 2018 that moment changed my life path and got me back on track moving the way I should have been for a long time. I’m thankful and will continue to motivate those around me and hopefully inspire someone out there to do what is best for them also. I’m a keep pushing this art and maybe one day the numbers will add up. Either way I’m proud of me I did what I wanted my way and I can live with that.”
Six has released three projects in 2020 and they all are pretty damn good. He claims he is done dropping albums? Only time will tell. When we where kids he was a damn good baseball player and he turned out to be a damn good rapper. I’m proud of my friend and glad we sat down for this talk. When the world the gets back to normal I’m going to a Six O’clock show! Thanks man I appreciate who you are and what you do you are truly a highline park legend! A-Town!
Written By: Ryan Harris