“Whas Da Moves?” w/ Ea$Y Pr0phyt
From Okinawa to Baltimore with love
By MC Bravado
Ea$Y Pr0phyt is one of my favorite people in the Baltimore scene. Beyond the A1 personhood, his work is thought-provoking but visceral, his stage show as honest as it is captivating. Today, I was lucky enough to sit down with a military veteran, a Cannabis activist, a true showman, and one of Baltimore’s best rappers; all roads lead to #theCLOUDSVRFERs frontman:
Tell me about your time in the service, as much as you feel comfortable sharing (tell the people where you were, when, and what you want to tell them about what you saw):
As far as my enlistment, I did 8 yrs in the United States Marine Corp (4 active and 4 inactive: 2005–2012). I’m what some would call a “Terminal Lance” (I got NJP’d twice lol); E-3 for those who are familiar. I did 2 yrs in Okinawa, Japan uninterrupted, and 8 months in Iraq where I was a under a Security Battalion made from Combat Engineers out of Cherry Point, NC. My duties were Turret Gunner, QRF (Quick Reaction Force), and Patrols outside the wire, taking part of control dets and night ops.
I wanna hear more about Okinawa. Is time there the catalyst for why you’re such a fan of Anime?
Actually, it’s the egg before the chicken this time. Anime was the reason I went to Japan. Okinawa had an enormous impact on my lifestyle, culture, and more. It’s actually the reason for the Yen symbol in my name. I decided to not come back to the states until it was time for my next duty station, so I was over there rapping.
Sell me on Anime. I’ve always been intrigued but don’t know where to begin.
“AKIRA!” There’s my hard sell. Anime isn’t what ppl think; it’s not just a cartoon
It actually has substance. There are many different types of anime: sports (Kuroko no Basuke), fantasy (That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime), and drama (Assanation Classroom, Parasyte the Maxim) are among them.
With that said, my faves are Trigun, FLCL, and Vinland Saga.
X (Ten) is Ea$y’s producer and engineer in addition to being a dope recording artist in his own right. He’s also a Baltimore, Maryland native, currently operating under his label “Tokai Art Station”. “Whas Da Moves?” is a stellar entry point to the pair’s shared vision, and X (Ten) saw my Pokémon question as an opportune time to join our discussion:
What Pokémon best symbolizes each of you? Haha. And why?
EP: Mewtwo because I’m powerful and also misunderstood.
X: I’d have to say Lucario; they have the ability to sense and manipulate auras. In a sense you can see sounds, well I can, so you can imagine the correlation.
Both of those responses are heat rocks. X, I’m jealous of your synesthesia; that has to be dope, especially under the influence lol, but I digress. Ea$y, I’d like to hear about where your rap career was prior to leaving for the military, namely what you did during your time overseas to continue to work on your art, and how things continued to evolve once you got back.
Before leaving for the military I was working at Rite Aid in Glen Burnie after getting kicked out of Turner Job Corp Center (lmfao). I always rapped, but I had given up on “the mainstream dream” and figured I could either go back to selling dope or be better, so I decided to join up with the Marines.
Right after bootcamp, I went to Camp Devil Dog and boom! Rap fell back in my lap, so to me it was…DESTINY. During my time overseas, I opened for Lloyd Banks at a concert out in Naha and also Sean P of the YoungBloods on Camp Foster at a place they called the Hook & Anchor. My rap career started to solidify overseas and Ea$¥ Pr0phyt was born. When I got back, I was stationed in Jacksonville, NC, and I kept doing my rap thing. I even spit when I was in Iraq.
I went inactive in 2009, so I decided to stay in Jacksonville, NC and continue to pursue rap. When I came back to Baltimore in 2013, I became homeless and wound up getting Veteran Assistance to move to Baltimore County in 2016 (I could never forget; it was Christmas Day). Shortly thereafter, I started working at Wendy’s in Owings Mills to support my rap career. As fate would have it, they built a dispensary a block away from Wendy’s, so I put in my 2 weeks and started working in the Maryland Cannabis Industry. I will forever hold the title of the 1st Black Male Veteran in the Maryland Cannabis Industry! I stayed in the industry for a year and got out to do rap full-time, and that’s where I’m at now.
Sheesh proud to know you bro; your story inspires me probably more than you know. I know you’re passionate about the healing properties of Cannabis; I share this belief. Please explain why you hold this so close to heart:
“Herb is the healing of the nation.” -Bob Marley
EP: I suffer from PTSD and used to take Depakote, Trazadone, and Lexapro, but now I only use cannabis. Cannabis means a lot to me because of the healing properties and history of it. The Godfather of THC actually comes out of Israel which some refer to as the Holy Land; bud was burned as holy sacrament and also used holistically for years. I love the culture of cannabis and enjoy the different strains. I appreciate the terpenes as well.
X: I share this take because I personally used “cannabis” , weed, flower, whatever word is comfortable for everyone lol when I dealt with my back injury back in 2014. My body doesn’t respond well with otc, so cannabis really helped with pain, sleep & stress during the healing process.
I wanna dive a little deeper into the Baltimore scene since that’s something we all have in common. Tell me about the strengths and weaknesses of the Bmore scene in your estimation:
EP: Well, there are plenty of dope rappers, singers, dancers, poets, artists, etc. However, we’ve got too many doing the same thing. We’ve also got OGs blocking the youngins from getting a chance, undercover hatred, and too many chiefs not enough Indians
X: Strengths are you genuinely have talent here. Weaknesses: a lack of opportunities & monopolies. There’s too many gatekeepers that pose as road blocks for the average artist.
Favorite artists in the Baltimore scene (and why):
EP: X(ten) <beats and style>,Y1< delivery and storytelling>, SilentToughGuys <song making capability>, Rapper AM <lyricism>, Dre Thompson <new age/hype>, Apex the Genius <lyrics/style/wordplay>, Title, Beth Banger, Elle Cook <new wave>
X: Shordie Shordie at the moment. I really like his movement and wish Baltimore was a place where we see people like this and support them freely & to our max potential. I mean like pushing these people towards Grammys; Baltimore needs a lot more Grammys.
I’m a Baltimore transplant, but it’s become home. I know this city can be a difficult place to grow, but it’s also a beautiful place. What do you love about Baltimore?
EP: I LOVE BAWLMER period. I was able to eat a hot dog at Memorial Stadium; I’m a #BohBoy , and it’s Birdland through and through. Ravens & Orioles: nothing else. I’m from “Ova West”, but I have family everywhere from Federal Hill to Latrobe to Perkins; it’s all love. I love this city unconditionally.
Tell me about “Terrapin” as a project both conceptually and sonically. How does “Whas Da Moves” fit into the equation?
EP: “Terrapin” was a passion project of mine. I’ve always liked to think outside the bun. It’s heavily influenced by a few things: Broadway Musicals, Stephen King (my fave author), Vampire in Brooklyn, and Urban Legends. I figured I’d make my own Urban Legend inspired by the Maryland Terrapin. I’m from Baltimore, but I’m also a Marylander, so I didn’t want it to be just one remote place when I’m a part of something even bigger. I figured that it should be a story through musical expression but also visual representation.
(EP continued) I’m a fan of Easter eggs and I put those in my projects. I’m upside down on the cover to show already it’s not our Maryland; it’s an alternate universe so you can expect something strange things to happen. There’s also a backstory explaining why I became the Terrapin (Terror Pen). The motto of Terrapin is “Fear the Turtle”, so I didn’t come to play around. Whas Da Moves? is actually the first song on Terrapin but it’s to be played last because again this is an alternate universe. The song is pretty much a set up for after the club (when it lets out). It shows what am I willing to do to make sure I’m able to put a spell on the woman I chose for the one night that I’m allowed to roam the human plane. It’s like a victory dance after a touchdown.
(More EP) It’s meant to be friendly but at the same time creepy because I’m still an entity, so that’s why I have the sunglasses on during the night in the video. I pretty much wanted to make a neo-Thriller with a dance vibe.
What inspired you guys to do a short film representing your entire project? I dig the ambition and the execution is there, just curious about your process.
EP: Thank you, I really appreciate that. I always knew I wanted to make a short film because Terrapin is a musical short story and in order to understand it, you need the visual. Snubb Geez made sure that my vision came true.
Shit is fire to me. I’ve been a fan of you both for a minute and would love to know more about your collaborative process:
EP: He’s my best friend. He’s younger than me but taught me a lot, especially from the civilian sector. When we first met in 2017, I saw the value in him, and that’s why I asked him to join theCLOUDSVRFERs. Our collaborations are always organic. It just works.
X: Our best work just happens. We typically just let the songs create themselves.
The chemistry is plenty evident. You have one of the most energetic and heartfelt and overall captivating performance styles of anyone in the city. You’re also more supportive and genuinely happy for your peers than most. Have you always been that way?
EP: Yeah, pretty much. I feel like your body might change, but your soul never does. That’s not some Hotep “woke” type ish; that’s real talk for me. If you ask anyone who really knows me, they’ll tell you I’ve always been the same. It’s hard being someone else and much easier to be yourself.
Where are you guys in a year? In five years? What’s your ultimate goal in this shit?
EP: In a year, I’ll be in California, still pursuing rap. In five years, I’ll either be a mainstream chart topping award winning rapper or an award winning author/Cannabis Cup Winner. My ultimate goal is to become mainstream, so I can accrue enough wealth and influence to actually change my city for the better.
X: In the next year, I’d like to have at least three projects completed, one being a compilation project where I just produce. The next five and ultimate goal is to continue to add to the portfolio & live life. I’d also love some movie or animation placements.
What do we have coming up in terms of more content?
EP: I finished my whole PACK series: #StarterPack #B00sterPack #FlammagePack #GrassPack & #SplashPack , so now I’m taking time to do my new album (SleazeLand) the way I want to. That will take some time because I want it to be some of my best work.
X: Other than features and production, I’m releasing a project containing my demos to really mark the start of “new” music and using the shit I learned with production, writing & mixing. I took a step back to really focus on quality and clean up my sound, so now I’m ready to start playing around a bit. The demo is Called “Salem Days Demo” and should be out sometime this June.
Tell the people where to find you and whatever else you want them to know:
Follow me on IG: @easypr0phyt
Music Link: https://linktr.ee/easypr0phyt
S/O to all of Baltimore! Oh yeah, stop using the fuggin T when you say Baltimore; it’s Baldimore lol.
$ ⚡RF “For those who $UCCEED! Vndoubtedly Refuse Failure”
I’m on Twitter & IG: @station_ten
I’m your friendly neighborhood MC Bravado; many thanks for reading. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Please remember to be kind to one another and that “Michael Jordan is the GOAT” is a fact and not an opinion.
