Whikid, An Old Soul with New Ideas (PSM 2010 Interview Series)

Whikid, recently seen performing with Darxiide at the Viaduct in Tacoma in June, is the artist behind Northwest SlumpFunk, track number 9 on the Unofficial Puget Sound Mixtape.

Whikid's full hip hop name is Professor Whikid Matticuless, Nerdbone, reflecting his true name, his connection to the hip hop community, and his perception of the world. Of Whikid, he explains, "The first part, WHI, is just my name, Whitney. I took that and added on the KID. It kind of represents my attraction to youth, and being free like a kid". Despite his maturity both in his music and his work ethic, Whikid holds strong to the influences he found in his youth, including his father's records:  "My dad had a nice record collection of soul and funk and R&B and stuff, but he never played his stuff for us kids. But just always seeing all of the records stacked up, pulling them out and looking at the covers and trying to put it back exactly in the right spot so we didn't get in trouble"

The influence Whikid's memories of his father's music collection has had on him is not unlike that of other musicians who have endured through the changing music media. The rapid change from records to tapes to cds and now mp3s has greatly affected music sales, and artists must stay current as Whikid is well aware. Even still, he enjoys the novelty of "putting out physical objects that can be held and stored in a closet to get dusty". If Ebay is any predictor of novelty, it is those collections of music memorabilia, especially those physical forms of music, that still hold their monetary value.

Whikid describes himself, as an artist, as an honest emcee. He enjoys hip hop music simply because it allows him to express his opinion and, as such, views himself as an emcee. He has battled in the past and sees that aspect of hip hop as one of developing respect among other artists who must listen and understand before responding on the mic. Whikid believes that a true emcee must embody storytelling as well as battling. He is continuing to work on his craft in all areas as he moves forward.

Whikid's favorite song to perform is Super Grunge, produced by Ma$hin Ne3k. He is hoping to put together an album with all songs produced by the same producer in the future. For now, fans can find his track Northwest SlumpFunk on the Puget Sound Mixtape.

To learn more about Whikid, including his developing ideology promoted through his new rap group Greathinz and their upcoming album, readers can check out his Myspace page and youtube channel. Whikid is available for performances, house parties, and poetry readings.

Readers can download the entire Unofficial Puget Sound Mixtape at Datpiff and Zshare.