Despot

Despot has rapped acclaimed verses on releases by Das Racist and Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, performed in front of crowds of all sizes and musical tastes and made enough money to purchase a diamond-encrusted ring shaped like the Forest Hills, Queens apartment building on 108th Street in which he spent his childhood. He’s managed all this without yet releasing an album of his own.

The erstwhile Alec Reinstein, who approximated that he has been rapping for 17 years, is planning to release his debut album, entirely produced by electro-pop duo Ratatat, this year. A supergroup of frequent collaborators Das Racist, eXquire, Danny Brown, El-P and Action Bronson is also in the works, Despot said in his conversation with RapGenius.  “It’s going pretty well so far,” Despot said of the album. “(Ratatat) are two of my best friends, and we’ve toured like five or six times together. Recording with them and recording with Das Racist is really just like hanging out.”

Despot said the reason he’s gone this long without releasing an album has nothing to do with creating a sense of mystery or a Dr. Dre-esque obsession with perfection. He’s acutely aware of his pattern of sixteen bars a year. “People think I’m a perfectionist, but I’m really just lazy,” he said, admitting that he’s seen friends and acquaintances, particularly Das Racist, gain success while he did not. “I’m not bitter at all. They worked on that shit. All those dudes have worked really hard, and I haven’t really worked at all. I guess I worked at other things, but not rapping.“ 

While his work at Santos Party House, the club he co-owns with Andrew W.K. and others, has brought him a level of success (he handles much of the club’s talent relations and booking for concerts), Despot said he now wants to focus on rap-related goals, including his new Short Cuts endeavor with friend and collaborator Heems. “I want to be a rapper,” he said. “I’m disappointed that I’m not more of a rapper. But I want the club to do well. We have some long-term plans for it. But I mostly want to rap."

A special message from Despot to his fans: “I’d like to say I’m sorry. I meant to make a rap album a long time ago. I swear I’m really making one. I don’t recommend being a rapper. I don’t recommend owning a nightclub. I don’t recommend dropping out of college – no, I do. Please pay closer attention to my lyrics, and write them on the internet correctly. I’ll pay someone $5000 to beat up Mac Miller. For real. And a shout-out to Mac Miller. Your album was really dope. “