Roll of the Dice: 11 questions with MC Evol

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Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.

MC Evol is an up and coming “lit-hop” artist from Minneapolis. She was kind enough to speak with us about her new LP Lit-Hop Lessons, working with MC Lars, the strength in silliness and what’s next.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! What should TGEFM readers know about you and your debut, Lit-Hop Lessons, and where can they find it?

Thank you for having me! I am a Generation X User Experience Researcher from Minneapolis who spent the quarantine working from home producing my first experimental rap album, Lit-Hop Lessons, which is coming out October 21st and will be available on all platforms where you can find streaming music. Here is a link to pre-save it on Spotify.

For my first single, “Talkin’ About Bob Barker,” I collaborated with the Animal Humane Society to raise money to help them find homes for animals in need across Minnesota.  Barker always tried to use his platform to help animals in need, and he inspired me to do the same.

This record is being produced by lit-hop innovator MC Lars. How did you guys connect? 

I would call MC Lars the Creative Director of the album. I co-produced it with James Patrick of Slam Academy under my BCubed producer moniker.  The initial spark was a writing workshop I took with MC Lars. I had been a fan of his for years and he was doing a show in the Minneapolis area in 2017 and he added a writing workshop before the show. I went and after I started writing lyrics and kept that up for about 6 months. I was writing so much, I realized I needed to figure out how to make my own music to go with the words. At that point I found James Patrick from Slam Academy. I told him I had these words that needed music and he said they could help. A couple years later I was actually making songs but I felt I needed more help. I reached out to MC Lars and asked him if he would be willing to teach me how to get better at rapping. He ended up teaching me so much more than that. When I think back, it was a fairly open ended request, but I was so lucky he was game! We started meeting virtually before the pandemic in 2019 so I could work on my own music making craft and soon after the Lit-Hop Academy was born. 

From there both MC Lars and JP became mentors and helped me shape my art into what it is today. It turned out we completed the Lit-Hop Lessons album the same day I got to introduce them to each other on a virtual call.

At cursory glance, your songs are very whimsical, with tracks about Bob Barker, interpolations of Wheels on the Bus and odes to Jessica Fletcher; but lyrically you’ve taken pretty firm stances on COVID, pandemic isolation and the need to rescue the USPS.  Is the lyrical blanketing of the powerful in the playful an intentional choice or a reflection of your general outlook?

It’s a reflection of me, who I want to be as an artist, and the eclectic things that cross my mind. I’m a remixer at heart and I believe in the power of love with a backbone. Seriousness wrapped up in silliness can be truly powerful and that’s what I hope to share with the world.

Aside from the obvious influence on the lyrics themselves, What effect, if any, have the cultural and political landscapes of the last few years had on your music?

In some ways it was this landscape that drove me to work on my music. I needed to speak out (scream sometimes) about what I saw going on and making music seemed like the best vehicle. 

What is it about music that you are most passionate about? What motivates you to keep writing?

I’ve always loved music and am listening to it constantly. I always wanted to be in a band. I’ve always written poetry. Eventually the technology came together in such a way that I could do it much more independently since I never had that posse in my past. I’m motivated to keep doing it because it makes me really happy. It’s the most amazing expression of creativity and the output is so tangible and shareable. Ultimately the act of creating it helps me stay balanced and sane.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Most of the best advice I’ve gleaned in life has been from music lyrics. I love the way lyrics seep into your brain and sometimes your soul. Two that stick in my head are as follows:

“Live a life you love, choose a god you trust, and don’t take it all too seriously” – Love and Rockets

“No dress rehearsal, this is our life.” – Tragically HIp

Nobody can deny the world has been changing drastically over the last few years.  Where do you see the future of music, both for MC Evol and the industry at large transitioning in light of these events?

I think we will see so much change in how music is made because of technology and its constant evolution. The work that Holly Herndon is doing has been fascinating me lately. I’m also really excited to see how virtual presence and performance will evolve.

Who would be your ideal musician to collaborate with, besides MC Lars, of course?

Missy Elliot would be a dream to collaborate with. She is so innovative and so talented. She pushes into spaces in ways that are unexpected and her music is amazing. My other dream collaborator would be performance artist Laurie Anderson. I feel like she does the same thing balancing seriousness and silliness. Both of those artists create music that inspires and makes me think. It would be amazing to be in a collab project with each of them.

One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?

Psalm One just came out with Bigg Perm in September, that’s one to check! She also wrote a book, (“Her Word Is Bond: Navigating Hip Hop and Relationships in a Culture of Misogyny”) recently and it’s really great that she shared her stories. I appreciate the knowledge she drops.

Another amazing Minneapolis artist not enough people know about is Nur-D. He is really talented and he’s saying things that matter. His dual albums 38th and Chicago are incredible. He’s playing a virtual show on October 29th with the Four-Eyed Horsemen (MC Lars, Mega Ran, MC Frontalot, and Schäffer The Darklord). I’m so grateful to them because they kept playing virtual shows during the pandemic and it was really great to stay connected that way.

Beyond the release of Lit Hop Lessons, what’s next for MC Evol?

Quoting the great Timothy Leary, I want to ‘go further’. The next set of songs have beats that bump. I just want to keep getting better at this so that the quality keeps improving. Better performance, better production, etc. My brain is constantly going, so I don’t think I’ll run out of things to write about. 

Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?

I want to encourage your readers to remember it’s never too late. I thought my idea about being in a band was never going to happen. But along came an inspiration and tools and it was right there for me if I put in the work. For me, creating music has made me happy in a way I never experienced before. It’s the way I want to express myself from now on. And it keeps me engaged with life more than before I started this process. For your readers, it might not be making music, but whatever that thing is – even if you think it’s out of reach. Maybe it’s just not time yet. 

Thank you for the great questions and the opportunity to share my answers with you!