When I was homeless I used to sleep on this hill, and every night when I woke up, there would be a red tail hawk above me and two coyotes across from me. As soon as I would leave my little bed, my coyotes would come with me---I gave them names, but I forgot what I named them. The hyenas from The Lion King, whatever those names were, that's what I named them! Since I have Apache in me, the hawk is the greatest honor. If a hawk comes and visits you, then you are blessed and shit. Down at the bottom of the hill, between the two trees I showed you earlier--I was there when the hawk first flew towards me, it sat on the chain link fence next to me, chilling. Damn, that's being blessed! That's why I always grow my hair out, my Native American heritage is what I feel most. This is my land.
The coyotes from the Apache stories, I've based on my philosophy that in everything there is a good and a bad---you have to accept both. A coyote is a trickster, he is either helpful or he is deceptive. Luckily, my coyotes were helpful to me. Thank god and shit.
Interviewer: We are currently walking in Echo Park---I'm sorry, Lincoln Park---with Robert Pratti Garcia, aka rabit323. You, Robert, are a special person that I classify in my head with the other special type of people that I meet. You all have something in your personalities that can only begin to be described as: fearless. You all walk through anywhere and anything, 100% aware of the perils and risks, but it doesn't stop you. This approach of yours is so clear in your day to day conversations, but also in your work---my question is now, where is the origin of your work?
Robert: I always loved studying ancient civilizations and what they believed. That's the truth you know! If you think about it, everything is not the same as it was 2,000 years ago--everyone has their own interpretations. Everything is connected and we have different stories. All of us are connected, just different stories.
Interviewer: I think that's the quote we are going to use for the project. This form of thinking makes a lot of sense for you---you are a writer, a poet that has self-authored work, now with a poem in our community poetry book, and a rapper. It sounds like you are using these mediums to tell your story?
Robert: I was 13 when I first started making music, I had a song called Cry Later--based off that Chicano song. It was about a homegirl and everything she went through. She gave me permission to write her story and I did that for a few people. When I first started, I was writing other's stories, the people around me. I was reserved about my story because at the time, I thought my life story didn't really matter, that was my mindset. Cry Later was my biggest song in high school, but I wasn't getting too many listens---at most, probably 3,000 plays.
Interviewer: That's a lot!
Robert: It it a lot, but in my mind it was nothing. If it got 3,000 then why isn't it a million!? [BIG LAUGH] This dude Drake has 10 million! So in my mind, my story wasn't worth much because I was comparing it to other rappers. That's why I turned my music towards my audience, my practice for writing songs was to hit up people and then ask them questions: "Yo, tell me this and that about you. I can write a song about you." That was my approach for like 2 years. I've always liked storyteller rap and my storytelling rappers are Big L and Biggie--both amazing ass storytellers. I always wanted to imitate that style.
Those songs did good, I was 13 years old and people were telling me that my music was helping them. It tripped me out!
Robert: After that work, I ended up going through a lot. I am at the bottom and I asked myself: where do I go from here? My name is rabit323, my area code is literally in my name, I started writing my story. It eventually worked out cause now I could better relate to someone who has been homeless than to someone who has never experienced it, I could relate more to someone who has been adopted than to someone who hasn't--it's more of a stoic mindset. Don't be comfortable, everything that happens is meant to happen, learn from it, and adapt to it--it's all going to build up to something powerful. It all adds up. Then apply what you learn.
Interviewer: Knowledge and history are really important to you, especially the knowledge of the physical world around you---I see this in your work, you seem to always ask your readers/listeners to reflect.
Robert: Up there [pointing to the cement wall that lines the side of the hill] you can see one of my tags and my brothers tags. We wrote on anything. I have a bunch of random stuff all over this park. Since I went to high school right next door, we used to use the tennis courts here at Lincoln Park for P.E., one time I put my tag in big letters on the floor--the next day everyone was like "DAMN FOO, THATS HUGE. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" I knew we were going to use the tennis courts for P.E., I wanted everyone to see my work [Robert laughs].
This tennis court is also where I saw some crazy stuff. Seeing people get hurt here. This is home, you know! This is LA! This is where LA began, this is the home of the city. People don't learn tho'. That's why I have spent the time to help the little homies, letting them know there is more to life. That's why I always come back here, I don't live here anymore--I have done my bad things here, but the least I can do is come back and do some good things. That's all that matters, to influence the younger generation to do right---you never want to see someone younger than you do worse than you.
Then there's the dudes who come here trying to press the little ones, so I have to stand up. These people don't get it. I slept in the street, you sleep in your bed [lets out a big laugh]. Just be a kid, live your full life. Dont try to be John Gotti, just be you, whatever that means to you, just be you!
Interviewer: Your stoic form of thinking is clear, you always see the cup as half full. How does music help you get into this form of thinking? This project is focused on healing and art practice--obviously your form of healing is coming from searching for your answers in history and using your words to write your place in history, it's the definition of self-determination! I am wondering why you chose music?
Robert: I love music. If you think about it, music nowadays is imitating traditions that are over 2,000 years old. No idea is new! What we are doing now with music is what ancient civilizations did back in the day with spoken word--obviously they played whatever instrument they had back then. I come from all these traditions and history. It's crazy to learn about the past, that's why I love history. Good history, bad history, but it all leads back to the present, and the present will eventually disappear into the past, which leads back to the future--it's a trip man! I love all this shit! I don't know where it's going to go from here, hopefully this [Robert is pointing to the land known as Lincoln Park] will still be the heart of LA--as long as USC doesn't buy it out [a big collective laugh].
Interviewer: There is a clear line in your thinking that's grounded in knowledge and history, but this other thing I am noticing that might not be so easy to capture is this spiritual line across your work---ideas you speak to that aren't so easy to box. What keeps you going?
Robert: I even made a music video when I was homeless. I mentioned it in a song I recently released, Year of the rabbit, and it says, "Even as a bum, I was still making plays"---I never let the situation I was in deter me from my goals. At the end of the day, I am going to die and be known as a rapper, that's guaranteed. Whether my songs blow up or not, I am going to be known as a rapper. It's funny because I didn't meet my dad until I was 17 and I just learned that he has been rapping since 1979---it's a trip to know that the previous generation of our blood lines influences us, whether we know it or not.
Robert: I don't really care about the money, I just want my shit to exist. I said it in one of my songs: I could die right now and still be alive. Everything I have done: my clothing brand, my books, my music, I have left my art around here [Lincoln Park]. Nothing that we do matters, what matters is the story we leave behind. Your name is going to be forgotten, but the story you leave is going to live throughout time.
Put shit out there, it doesn't matter what your name is, if somebody resonates with it, they'll remember it, maybe they'll pass it on, maybe they won't...but it lives on. Your name doesn't mean anything, the story you leave matters. If it lasts, it lasts, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. And shit.
