Access All Areas w/ Homeboy Sandman

Access All Areas w/ Homeboy Sandman

We’re back with a new edition of Access All Areas.
 
This time, we connect with Homeboy Sandman—accomplished MC, solo artist, and one half of Lice (with Aesop Rock). We dive into the new EP, Miami Lice: Season Four, along with touring and the creative synergy behind the group.
 
Lice Team Baby!
 
 
RSE: You’re currently on your Outer Child Tour, and footage of you performing “The 1” from Miami Lice has been circulating online. What has the reaction been like so far? Do you typically like to test new songs live while on tour?
 
HS: Folks loving it. Beat knocks like crazy live. Folks ask me about Lice every time I tour. Obviously they still miss Aes very much but getting to hear a complete new Lice jam even in his absence appears to soothe them to some degree :) I rock new joints every tour. You know I'm always dropping so I always got something new to break out. Keeps the sets fresh.

RSE: Miami Lice arrives just over 10 years after the first Lice EP. Looking back on that decade, how do you feel your art has evolved? Were there any pivotal moments that shaped that evolution? 
 
HS: Oh yeah for sure. Mad pivotal moments. Getting married. Becoming plant based. Quitting porn. Quitting instagram. Quitting cursing. Making Don't Feed the Monster in 2020 where I faced a lot of truth about myself that I really needed to acknowledge and work through, particularly on "Trauma." Leaving Stones Throw. Starting Dirty Looks. Getting my own recording set-up and learning how to record myself. Those are just like 1% of the pivotal moments :) I'm much more in touch with who I am now though. Much more comfy in my own skin. Although work still remains of course.
 
RSE: Does your writing approach differ when doing collab projects versus solo projects? If so, how?
 
HS: While I do do mad collabs with mad rappers Lice is really the only one where I'm locking in with another rapper the entire time on the bars. Quelle Chris only rapped a little on the record I did with him. Edan only rapped a little on the record I did with him. Same with Deca. Sonnyjim didn't even rap at all on the record we did. I even did an entire solo project a couple years back that Aes produced all of and rapped a little bit on. So Lice is it's own world. I do write different for Lice. Aesop is such a marvel, it's impossible not to get pumped up going back and forth with him, not to reach new heights. I think he's so creative too that going back and forth with him unlocks new dimensions of my imagination and creativity that I otherwise wouldn't get to. His frequency affects me like that.

RSE:How do you and Aesop Rock know when a Lice record is finished? Is there something specific that tells you a track has hit that point?  
 
HS:I think we know when a jam is done when we both love all the components. I don't think Aes is capable of not being otherworldly with any bars he writes so that's an instant thumbs up and I'm grateful there was only one time years ago when I had a bar he couldn't get with. I don't think I'll ever reveal the details but basically he realized that in the absence of proper context this one bar I spit sounded mad inappropriate. I make such a habit of trying to never switch up my speed because of what people will think, that for a while it was a point of contention, but then I recognized his position and switched it. Looking back now he was definitely right. But, other than that the checklist is great beat, great bars, great hook, and depending on the song maybe great concept is another box to be checked. Once all those boxes are checked it's on to the next.

RSE: Any last shout-outs? Any upcoming projects fans should look out for? Where can people find you?

HS: Shout Aes Rock, Jeremy Fish, as well as Luke Warmth, Art Morera, Darian Burns, and my wife Taty. Yo I got this record dropping in July that's gonna make your nose bleed but won't give any more details now but anybody who wants to stay tapped in sign up for my email blast at https://linktr.ee/HomeboySandman and anybody who wanna stay super tapped in peep the patreon at https://www.patreon.com/homeboysandman where I drop new ish pretty much perpetually. Big shouts to Rhymesayers too.
 
The new EP for Lice - Miami Lice: Season Four is out now on all streaming platforms and available on vinyl along with an apparel collection. 

Get it HERE