To say that Busdriver is a rarity in the realm of hip-hop is something of an understatement. Born Regan Farquhar and raised in Los Angeles, the MC was first turned on to hip-hop at age nine [on a related note, his father was also the screenwriter for Krush Groove—one of the first films to explore hip-hop culture -ed] and released his first album as part of the group 4/29—named for the date of the L.A. riots—when he was just 13. Farquhar went on to release eight full-length albums for indie labels Mush and Ninja Tune between 2001 and 2005 before inking a deal with Epitaph subsidiary Anti- Records in 2006 and releasing RoadKillOvercoat in January of 2007. For Farquhar, tasking Busdriver to a major made the best possible sense and was something of a dream come true—even if he didn't know initially that he was capable of such a move; even though Epitaph does have a history of signing diverse acts, he self-deprecatingly never thought it would be him to get tapped. "Epitaph does have a roster of rap acts, but I think on top of being in the minority as part of that stable, I think it’s more surprising that, of those rap acts they have signed, I probably have the poorest sales history and I’m definitely rooted in a very unsuccessful, indie lineage," quips Farquhar modestly. "That said, they took a pretty big risk on me I think more in that respect than me being a hip-hop act.
"Epitaph's a bigger label—it’s huge," continues the MC. "It’s gigantic and they wanted me and it’s the best thing, I think, for everybody that I go on a bigger label; certainly the best thing for Ninja Tune and Mush and me [laughing]. It was the responsible thing to do. I guess I've stepped up and, I don’t know if it was actually time to make that step, but I could make that step so I did. I was able to do so, and that was important. It was actually a surprise to me too because I don’t have a manager to handle these things; I’m my own manager so I ended up finding out on my own.
"Honestly too, the staff over there—the various staffs—they’re the nicest hub of people that I’ve come across. I almost can’t believe how accommodating the Epitaph people can be. It’s crazy. I feel a little spoiled. They have had other rap acts—Atmosphere, Blackalicious, The Coup and Sage Francis—so needless to say that it’s not virgin territory for them, but what I think is the more virgin territory for them is the kind of act that I am. The kind of rap act that I am.
"What I do is a little more off the beaten path. It doesn’t comfortably fit in a rap category. Even though that’s very much what it is, there are other sets of sensibilities that bleed into it from different genres and hint at different things. From a vocal standpoint, there’s a little jazz mixed in, and some electronic music or some facet of dance electronic… anything and everything; there are all sorts of micro-genres that come into play that I don’t necessarily take notice to while the music is happening, but get referred to after the fact. It’s not as clear cut as simply owing a singular debt to one genre."
It is true that, by current hip-hop and rap standards, RoadKillOvercoat does play like the most plastic, shiny and intelligent variation on a form renowned for its glorification of bitches, pieces and bling, and may be the most fun and satirical record to come out of the genre in nearly a decade. Farquhar's trademark hyper-literate, self-referencing, self-deprecating and intellectual flow once again surfaces on tracks including "Casting Agents and Cowgirls" as well as "Less Yes's, More No’s," but this time the MC has also absorbed the indie rock sensibilities of some of his new peers including The Weakerthans, Farewell and The Higher like an amoeba and produced songs like "Sun Shower" and "Dream Catcher's Mitt" that are pure pop and, with beats supplied by Nobody and Boom Bip that mimic verse and chorus structures, the record stands peerless and defies easy categorization. Lyrically, Farquhar is still as cynical and biting as ever; throughout the album, the MC criticizes and cracks jokes at different groups of people while drawing attention to the innate, dogmatic hypocrisies that they hold so dear. Perhaps as a tribute to his new punk-rock surroundings at Epitaph, he takes an especially hard swing at hippies—that great, unwashed mass get mentioned frequently throughout the album—but rather than present himself as above them or any of the other subjects he broaches, Busdriver puts himself right down in them too. Often referencing his own back catalogue and cracking wise at himself, that self-deprecating humor is the closest hit to home for the MC—in conversation as well as on record, he constantly makes fun of himself and his accomplishments. For example, when asked how the record has done since its release insofar as how fans have taken it and if he's been offered any congratulations, the MC immediately recoils behind a wall of bravado. "I don’t know—you’d have to tell me [laughing]," dodges Farquhar when the subject of RoadKillOvercoat's success is broached. "I live in a bubble; when we play the songs live, sometimes people know them, so at least somebody has heard it.
"I’ve always considered it a relative thing—how any record does," continues the MC. "For me, it’s done really well in comparison with everything else I’ve put out, but probably in the grand scheme of things it’s not an industry-altering record. By industry standards, I’m sure it’d be considered a complete and utter flop, but I’ve sustained myself on a string of flops and I’m completely happy with that.
"I think that’s the genius of this kind of music on this level; there’s a whole different perception of what’s conventionally considered a success. Our goals are very modest and, to sum it up, I think people have enjoyed it even though it is a little different from the past records I guess. That’s what people tell me anyway."
All bravado aside, even Farquhar has to admit that the increased exposure has been good for him. When Ground Control spoke with the MC, he was on the road between Kansas and Oklahoma—not an area widely renowned as being a hotbed of hip-hop support—but he did admit that his tour stop the night before in Lawrence, KS was "really surprisingly well attended and spirited." With that support clearly in evidence, Farquhar’s still reluctant to concede that his brand of hip-hop might finally get its due and the thinking man's MC may now get his day.
RoadKillOvercoat is out now on Epitaph.
More on Busdriver: www.busdriversite.com
