I am Dumbfoundead, Rapper, Youtuber and Creator of RUN DMZ. AMA

You're too popular.

Huge fan, really love your music. I've got a signed copy of your album DFD. If you have a good experience during your AMA, we'd love to have you over at /r/hiphopheads and bring some of your friends such as Jeni Suk (PLEASE DO A SONG WITH HER ALREADY), Traphik and Intuition among whoever else would be willing. Your boy Wax did one 6 months ago and it was really awesome to see him vibe with the crowd. I wrote a Listening Guide to your music but will probably updated it with better descriptions soon. Answer as many as you can.

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MANDATORY: Thoughts on Kendrick Lamar's GOAT verse? You gonna reply to him with something hot?

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1) Are We There Yet is a really deep song about making life work after moving to LA and getting yourself to stand up and pursue a career in music. Will we be seeing any more songs with a similar vibe come out soon?

2) You give mad respect to your community and want to give kids the chance to get some music education, something you never had the opportunity to have when you were younger. You run a program called KnockStudy that connects with teenagers and teaches them basic music production. How has this gone this past summer and what are your plans/goals to expand upon this wonderful program?

3) Speculation of KnockSteady breaking up because of 'beef' between you and Intuition has been circulating since the weekly shows sort of disappeared into smaller segments/videos. This video here makes it evident you two are still tight -- what was the reason behind the break up of the show? Time or just splitting up in different directions?

4) I saw you tweeted one of my favorite guys in the game right now, Logic. What's the plans with that?

5) You rose from street fame into one of the most popular rappers on YouTube, the internet's main source of videos around the world. It's evident in the production of your newest series (Hotbox, for example) along with your music videos. The homemade feel is gone and the professionalism is there -- when did the real transition from street to YouTube sensation occur and how did it feel for you?

6) What's your favorite album of all-time for hip-hop and why?

7) Who do you look to for inspiration and what rapper is the best in the game right now?

8) Where could I get autographed copies of your albums after DFD? I missed every single one due to college and not being able to pre-order them so that they were signed, I wanna keep the collection complete.

9) When are you coming to /r/hiphopheads with your Asian connections? We need some more rappers to do AMAs over there.

10) Not a question, but please put more Korean mask shirts into your store so I can buy them. I missed out.

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Appreciate your time man, KEEP YOUR GRANOLA BARS UP.

P.S. 24KTOWN was fire, we need more songs from you with this vibe.

1. yea man, Are We There yet is one of my favorite songs and i definitely want to capture that vibe again!

2. We going 3 years strong and served over 200 kids in LA. a lot of of our students have gone to dj or write music. its an awesome program held out of the youth center i used to attend. we definitely want to get more sponsors and take it all over the world.

3. there is no beef between me and intuition, we were actually chillin the other day. everybody in the knocksteady team went different ways because of other things they wanted to pursue. im currently not involved with knocksteady but still support it.

4. i would love to do some work with Logic, i just reached out to him and it turned out we had mutual respect for eachother.

5. i think when i transitioned from battle rap videos to music videos and other types of content i saw my fanbase/subscribers grow. i finally wanted to control the content i was putting out cause before it was just people filming me freestyle at parties and shows lol.

6. damn i have so many favorite rap albums, but i do love Midnight Marauders, Illmatic, Ready to Die and Death Certificate.

7. i love tons of new rappers right now, from the TDE camp to Chance the rapper. im more inspired by younger cats than OGs right now. young dudes are fearless.

8. i'll be opening up the shop again very soon with old albums and new shirts.

9. i'll definitely do one on there real soon. im new to this thing.

10. yessir!

How can I pay you for 'Selfish'? like seriously, take my money. Btw, saw you on tour, you were fucking awesome.

man people really love that song hahaha but it was never released just rip it off of youtube

https://twitter.com/dumbfoundead/status/367363783322132480/photo/1

sup brother, huge fan here. first heard you back in 09 when you did that collabo with epik high and the whole crew. you and myk blew my mind.

i got three questions: - what made you start getting into rap at such a young age? - do you have any real world advice for aspiring asian american musicians? - THAT VIDEO WITH YOUR ROUNDHOUSE KICK, WAS IT REAL?

i always loved the attitude of rap. you can get away with saying anything and i loved that. i was always outspoked and a class clown, it was a perfect medium for me during my youth. far as advice goes, it doesnt matter if youre asian, brown, white or black, you can do whatever the fuck you want. i never though id be an asian american making a living off of rap music in america but i OWNED it and went for it

What's the news, if any, on Cut & Paste 2

i promise this will come out within the next 6 months

Hey Dumb! I'm a huge huge fan! My question is, what was it like working with Epik High? Would you ever be willing to work with them again in the future? Thanks!

it was amazing, those guys are dope and im always open to working on tracks with them

keep the questions coming! by the way the season finale of RUN DMZ came out today! watch it and watch all 6 episodes! yeee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tcwcFNvWSo

Will you ever do more WISDUMB episodes?

im not sure, people really love those but i just felt like it was turning to a kids show and thats not the direction i wanted to take that.

what's your take on kendrick lamar's new verse?

the verse was dope but the fact it got people talking and bringing that hip hop competitiveness back is doper!

a new album will be out before the year ends and a U.S. tour with my boy Wax is in the works for December! stay tuned!

DFD! Huge fan here

Is "Stereo Jack" a true story!? I've had this weird curiousity about that since I first heard it the day Old Boy Jon dropped.

Also, just to throw it in there, Cool and Calm is one of my top 5 favorite songs ever. Amazing job on everything so far! Keep up the good work and come back to Oregon soon

yea it was a true story at leas 3-4 different times in my life lol.

Yo dumb just wondering when a song with Kixxie will be dropping

i need to knock this out asap!

Hey man, Do you ever think about collaborating with watsky again for a song?

definitely coming soon

DUDE you saw this coming but will you ever battle rap in any battle league again?

as of now i don't plan on going back into battling but i still support it all the way.

Hey Dumbfoundead!

Firstly, I just want wanted to say that your music is killer. I listen to the shit out of everything you release and really end up liking most of your songs.

Second, I took a picture with you around a year and a half ago. I also took a picture of you during the concert. It was a really dope show and I hope to come out to your future shows.

Lastly, two questions.

1. If you weren’t a rapper, what would you have pursued instead?

2. What was the happiest moment/day of your life?

Thanks man.

1. i wouldve been a filmmaker.
2. the day i got to quit my job.

How did your relationship with Wax come about? Any new music coming from you two? What's your next project coming out? Been a huge fan of you for a while, even saw you perform live. You and Wax are my two favorite rappers in the game right now. Last thing, get the homie Micah B. on an episode of the Hot Box!

i just met him through youtube and the scene in LA. we just clicked and made music together. i actually got a tour in the works with Wax right now, before the year ends ;)

Whats up Dumb, I've been a fan of yours on YouTube for a while now. I have seen you live in ATL twice and both performances were great, especially when Breezy was on stage too.

1. I know you have been grinding as an independent artist and have still been generating buzz. Have you turned down any record deals from big labels?

2. What is your all time favorite strain?

3. What is your favorite method of smoking?

ive had meetings but nothing that interested me.

Hey man, I've been listening to your music for a while, I found you through Wax. You're awesome, even my mum listens to you haha. Also, Run DMZ was amazing and the musical narration was genius.

So I was wondering:

Do you have any plans or ideas for another show or short film or anything like that?

hell yea, i want to write more screen plays and do more acting

which hotbox episode is your favorite? http://www.youtube.com/dumbfoundead

Dumb,

You're obviously one of the most famous and well known Asian American rappers out there. You take a lot of pride in ktown and being Korean especially. To what extent do you feel that you serve as a role model for aspiring Asian American musicians and to what extent does that shape what you do? Do you feel that your prominence pressures you to act a certain way or make music about certain things?

i definitely feel a lot of pressure sometimes. i mean asian americans are still paving there way in mainstream culture, so anybody who is contributing right now are pioneers.

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YEA I HATE THAT SHIT. I LISTEN TO ALL TYPES OF SHIT. THAT GAP BETWEEN MAINSTREAM AND UNDERGROUND HAS GOTTEN SMALLER. PEOPLE NEED TO OPEN UP!

Hey Dumb! I've been listening to some of your stuff for about a year now. I originally discovered you because of your parts on "Rocksteady" and "Maze" on [E]. Old Boy Jon as great, W$TSDE and Ganghis Khan are probably my favorite songs on the album. Anyway, listening to you and following you on Twitter gave me some questions, it'd be cool if you can answer some of them (first four are most important to me).

1. How fluent are you in Korean? (I know you had a small verse in Respect 16s) Ever thought about rapping more in Korean?
2. What happened to Map the Soul? Is it dead for good? I heard Dok2 reference it on his new EP the other day, but I still miss pre-YG Epik High, collaborations with the movement, and you being featured on EH's albums.
3. When you went to Korea, did you get to record any songs? I thought I remembered you on Twitter with MYK. Any chance we'll see something soon?
4. Favorite song you've made? Why?
5. Any Korean rappers you haven't collabed with but you want to?
6. Is rapping a self-sustaining way of living for you?
7. Do you believe there's a bright future for Koreans (both Korean and Korean-American) in hip-hop?

Also, thanks for not feeling the need to constantly rap about how great you are. Glad to see you haven't caught Dok2-syndrome. While I like his music, in a more brainless sort of way, every song he puts out now is soley about himself. Don't change that about yourself and keep making great music. Also come to Spokane, Washington sometime, as someone who only lives in Orange County for 1/3 of the year and Spokane for 2/3, I could use the little slice of home.

1. im very fluent in korea, i can read, write and speak it pretty well. i would love to rap in korean, but i need to study it more.

2. Map the Soul is done but everybody involved is doing stuff seperately now.

3. i havent collabbed with any korean musicians in awhile but plan to go out there for a few months to work on new proects.

4. are we there yet cause its my life story in 3 minutes and korean jesus just for the fuck of it.

5. beenzino, zion t and jtong.

6. yea i do this full time

7. hell yea, im trynna break through son!

*How did your parents let you date Latinas let alone black chicks.?

THEY WERE COOL AS FUCK

Hey DFD, huge fan. I just have a simple question. Did you get to kick it with Taeyeon, Tiffany or Sunny when you went to the recent Dodger game in LA?

no i did not

Dumb! In your days of battling who's one person you always wanted to battle but never had the chance?

some of the URL battlers

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ASS

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ASS

Favorite spot to eat in Koreatown?

too many to name but i like seong book dong and dong il jang.

Hey dumb,

Easily my favourite artist! One of my favourite moments in life was getting to drink redstripes and sambuca shots in the Newcastle gig.

One quick question, you ever going to do another choose your own adventure??

Thanks for the amazing music! Hope to see you on tour again soon!

Shame your not joining watsky and Wax on the hug a hater tour!

hell yea i remember you bro! and i haven't thought about bringing back the choose your own adventure cypher

Yo big fan here. Me and the homies jam out to Cotdamn and Summer Breeze like no other. We spit your verse in Summer Breeze like we wrote it ourselves.

My questions to you is what's it like knowing that a lot of younger Asian guys kind of look up to you as a role model? I know for a fact that I (Chinese-American) look up to you as someone who makes being Asian in America cool. You're kind of like our Steve McQueen.

haha word thanks man. i love that yo, im an asian american high school drop out who makes a living off of rap in america. anythings possible

Hey Dumbfounded ! I saw you a few months ago in Glasgow with Watsky and you were awesome ! I met you and Watsky after the gig, thanks for the signature ! Are you planning to come back to the UK anytime soon?

Thanks for the AMA!

hell yea

How did you meet Breezy ?

i saw him perform in LA a few years ago and was blown away. i knew i had to work with him. the most talented cat i know.

Hey DFD,

1) As an artist, what do you believe to be some of your biggest obstacles? 2) Do you believe organizations such as Kollaboration and city specific orgs geared towards Asian American interests are a good platform for aspiring and upcoming artists, or do you think that these types of orgs pigeon hole those they're trying to help?

i think the more platforms there are the better. but you should never get too comfortable in peforming at JUST those events. you gotta step out of your comfort zone

What is it like working with Wax? and is there anything from you two coming out soon?

new US tour announcement coming soon!

Big fan of your music I listen to it on a daily basis. Is there any chance that you, Anderson Paak and big wax will ever go on tour? That would be some sick shit. Obviously Dj Zo and José have to be there too.

THIS IS ACTUALLY IN THE WORKS! ANNOUNCEMENT COMING SOON!

How long have you and Kimberly been together for now and how did you two meet?

whos that?

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thanks yo!

when is your next tour?

we're in talks for December!

Probably not going to get read but...

Hi DFD! I'm an aspiring lyricist. What kind of training did you do to build on and improve the different aspects of your rap game, from lyricism, to word diversity to flow? What would you say your foundation was like? Did you have a musical background?

What keeps you focused on your art? Do you ever want to give up?

How long do you spend on a song? How many edits do you do to lyrics, the beat, and how many times will you re-do a song until you're satisfied?

And finally, how do you look at the whole "Asian in rap industry" thing? Does it affect you? Do you use this to your advantage or do you think of yourself as just a rapper and not particularly an Asian rapper?

I'm a big fan, and I hope you keep on making jazzy hip hop!

i write raps and freestyle everyday.

i keep looking at the bigger vision and focus. hell eya ive had plenty of moments where i wanted to give up, but it just wasn't worth it.

it varies, a song could take 30 minutes to a few days. depends on what zone you're in.

whats an asian in rap industry? im just a rapper who happens to be asian.

some people would say that battle rappers cant write songs. how has the transition of being a battle rapper to a song writer challenged you?

its still hard haha

favorite SNSD member?

CANT NAME ONE

Ayo DFD! First off, im a huge fan! I loved "I Love Junior College" and everything you've put out since then! Especially "No More Sunny Days"! All your music is dope but I really like the songs about relationships/love~!~!

Do you plan on releasing anymore songs relating to relationships/love?

Also, is there any future plans for a colab between you, D-Pryde, J-Reyez, and Traphik? I remember when I listened to your part in "Forever" I went crazy! I always blasted that in my car! XD

Thanks for music though :] Keep it up and visit the bay if you can please :c I haven't been able to meet you yet, but I've been an avid fan since I've discovered you!

thanks! yup got a lot of new stuff im working on now!