This Friday, Twin Cities hip-hop legend Carnage continues his tradition of groundbreaking live endeavors with his second Up Close and Merciful show at The Dakota. The room provides a more personal setting for his music, and Carnage will be joined on-stage by his band for a wholly different experience than his performances at more traditional hip-hop venues. We spoke to Carnage, whose new EP The Ultimatum will be available for the first time at the show, about what goes into his live performances, as well as the his unforgettable guest appearance on Eyedea and Abilities’ “Star Destroyer.”
This is the second annual Up Close and Merciful show. What struck you about last year’s event that you felt warranted a sequel?
Carnage: Last year’s atmosphere just felt different to do some of my crazier tracks in a room that was designed to not be a regular room or club. It’s more elegant, the atmosphere’s more grown up. It seems less about alcohol and the shenanigans that come with a regular bar or club and more of a grown up presentation. At those shows, you can tell when people are drunk and when they are not.
This event I feel is more of a presentation where I’m performing for people and to people instead of at and over them. The usual Carnage performance is fueled by whatever energy is going on in the room and the comfort that comes from people being drunk, and I feel maybe people were missing some of what I was offering. The Dakota allows me to chill out a bit and talk to the people, deliver something to them that allows them to walk away saying “I remember these words” or “I remember the mood for this song.” I’m trying to be heard and felt and feel like they’re getting a personal piece of me when I’m performing. I’m trying to test the waters with people to see if they’re cool with seeing me in different settings.
Where did the title Up Close and Merciful come from?
You can see me a little closer than on some big stage where I’m ten feet above you and looking down on you. You can actually reach out and touch me. “Merciful” came as a play off “The Executioner” and the personal thing. “Up-close and personal” is a very thrown-around term and I thought how can I not use the word “personal,” and then I thought “merciful” because usually The Executioner is taking bodies and tonight he’s being merciful.
I don’t want people to see me in the same light every time. If you see me five times in a row, I want those to be five different experiences. Last year, people told me it was one of the best shows they’ve ever seen me do. People said they really like the Dakota and, “we really got to hear how you sound with your band there.” Those were enough reasons for me to do it again.
That in mind, when you’re creating your recorded material, how much do you have the live show in mind when songwriting?
I have a lot of live show in mind when I’m creating. Most of what I’m writing I try to write in a way I can deliver it on stage. I don’t like to write songs that I can’t really perform in terms of delivery. I like to write the delivery into ever song that I’m not fatigued or burdened trying to pull them off. That’s not the single most driving force of me writing a song. Sometimes I write songs that are more detail oriented that people won’t get live, so the biggest thing I do for a show when I’m writing is that there’s not too many words. Every song I write is physically performable live, and that’s a conscious effort.
What’s the secret to connecting with a live crowd?
I don’t know if there’s necessarily a secret or definitive formula. I’ve just been told whatever atmosphere I’m in, to connect with people. Part of the reason I’m doing this show is because I feel maybe there’s some people that didn’t connect. Most of the time, people say I have stage presence and great crowd control, which I believe is another word for connection with people.
I kind of do what feels natural, which is why a lot of times I don’t do a setlist and go in and do what songs feel like the hit the atmosphere or I ask people what they want to hear. There’s no secret, but maybe the answer is being able to do songs that fit the atmosphere of what’s going on in the room. I judge a lot of things by how people are reacting or not reacting, so maybe I’m answering the question right there. (laughs)
Eyedea and Abilities’ 2004 album E&A was just re-released on Record Store Day. You cameoed on two tracks, including “Star Destroyer.” What do you recall about making that track?
Originally [Eyedea] wanted Blueprint and Juice on the song. Blueprint couldn’t do it because of some obligations and then Juice couldn’t do it either, or it was the other way around. Then he came to me and at first I was like, “Oh, I’m the leftover guy.” He said “Nah, it ain’t that. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that they couldn’t do it because I think you can pull this off. You do these weird battle raps that are really conceptual to what the topic is, so let’s try this one.” So that’s how it happened.
I wasn’t originally the guy who was supposed to be on this song. He ran it by Abilities and Abilities said, “We don’t have a song with him, let’s try it.” When I first played it for him, I rapped the song to the beat on the computer and I wasn’t facing him. When I finished I turned around, he was looking at me and said “Dude, say that shit again.” I did it again and then he said, “Dude, nobody’s fucking with you.”