10 Things Writers Should Stop Asking Rappers in Interviews

Ever read an interview with rappers spitting the same old spiel? You know, stressing how their album’s a “classic” and that they’re leading a “movement.” Yeah, right. Pretty cliché and deserving of being thrown in the “Things rappers should stop saying in interviews” garbage heap. Well, the writers asking them the lame questions deserve some of the blame as well. After all, they’re the enablers that are setting them up for failure. That said, XXLMag.com presents the “Things writers should stop asking in interviews” list. Writers, get your notepads out. –Mark Lelinwalla

Who's your Top 5 MCs all-time?: While the question may trigger an interesting response, just the sound of “Top 5 MCs” is jarring to the eyes at this point. Ask in a different way or stay away from this altogether. Please. Also Not Acceptable: Who are your influences?

How do you feel about...? (Baiting MCs into beef)
Be detailed. If there’s a specific example of an MC saying something sideways to another, use that. Don’t be too vague and don’t go fishing for beef because your interview may end up sleeping with the fishes. That’s dead.

How is this different from your last album?: As a writer going into an interview, you should have listened to his or her last album and ask something like 'What's the direction of this LP?' Move forwards, not backwards, man.

When's your album coming out?: Come on, son! Speak to the same label reps that probably set up the interview and find out the answer through them. Asking an artist this is a throwaway question and a waste of time.

What separates you from other artists out there?: Hey stupid, YOU should know. There’s hundreds of MCs out there, so what’s the point of asking a guy like Lil B how he’s different from the rest? You, the writer, should know.

Who’d you work with on this album?: Again, this goes back to the preparation and research behind an interview. For the most part, there’s a tentative tracklist at the time an artist starts doing media for a new project. It’s a reporter’s responsibility to find out who he or she is working with and rather ask, ‘How was it working with so and so?’

How would you describe your style?: Instead of asking the MC, why not describe the rapper's rhyme style for the reader? It could be done in a sentence in the Q&A's intro rather than wasting space in the actual Q&A.

What can fans expect from you?: The writer is supposed to let readers aka "fans" know what they can expect from a new album. Set a rapper up with this question and you're prone to get some MC diarrhea of the mouth. Ugh.

Why should fans pick up the album?: Simply put: The question is unnecessary. That's because the average MC is going to litter the interview with multiple reasons why fans should cop.

If you ever had the chance to work with anyone who would you work with?: Yes it can lead to good answers at times, but it's just asked way too much. Stop playing matchmaker. Stick to the lecture at hand.