Worcester’s hip–hop scene has taken many different forms since the 80s – a lot of which coexist right now. Cypher battles have b-boys square up to see who’s best, graffiti covers old brick buildings , and rappers and beatmakers still hang out in attics chopping up samples and delivering verses. Even after these elements have splintered off, there are artists still holding true to the roots of the city’s hip-hop.
Death Over Simplicity (D.O.S.) is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest. A Wormtown native, I first learned about him last year after finding his work at That’s Entertainment in the local artist section – his mixtape “From The Mind Springs A Painting.” His ability to weave meaningful messages about love with smooth references to comics and manga had me captivated, and his mesmerizing wordplay fired off the same energies of Lupe Fiasco and MF Doom. He’s gone on to open for artists like Souls of Mischief and is the Vice President for the Worcester Hip-Hop Congress.
I was lucky enough to get some time to sit down with DOS and ask him about his career, influences and where hip-hop has taken him.
Jack: You’ve been doing this for a while now – from the earliest I can find, you’ve been rapping since 13, with your self–titled album coming out in 2015 – but you consider your first real body of work Mandatory Movement. What was the vision originally? Where did you want rapping to take you?
D.O.S.: I’m born in ‘91, so hip hop was all over the radio, you know, it was all over commercials. It was in movies. So that was big. It was big, yeah, it was huge. And, you know, all the top songs, you know, or the majority of them on the radio were rap songs. And then, you know, MTV, VH1, they had all the music videos playing. There were cameos from rappers and all these, like, sitcoms and stuff. It was just everywhere. And then I just gravitated to like, the more lyric-heavy rappers, you know what? I mean, like, I enjoyed, you know, some of the hit records, and that brought me to people’s albums, and then I really started to enjoy, like, rap music a lot more.
Jack: Your pen game is on point, let me just say — did it take time to get there or were you just like “boom — verses?”
D.O.S.: It took a lot of time. So when I first started, before I ever wanted to write my own raps, I would just memorize other people’s lyrics. So I was listening to — I was a big DMX fan. Loved, you know, “24 Hrs. to Live.” I had on cassette, and just any, any song I liked, any record I enjoyed, I just would try to memorize it. And then, you know, my friends and I who were into the same music, we would just, like, wrap those songs. So that was just a thing I did. And that kind of helps any, any MC that’ll help you with your flow and, like, breath control and stuff like that. But no, it took a lot of time. My first raps were not good. I don’t think anybody’s is, you know, Ice-T still tells an incredible story about having a vinyl. And then on the back side of the record, they had the same song. I forgot what song it is, but it had the do it yourself version. It was the instrumental, and then when the instrumental hit, none of the words came out. And that’s how I felt. It was like magic to me, you know what I mean? So, especially the style of writing I do. It’s not just something that I could just freestyle, right? I take the time to make it make sense, and also to make it dense. You know what I mean? The people I listen to the most, or listen to the most, and had the most influence on, have really dense writing. So people that I enjoy are like, MF Doom, of course, Del the Funky Homosapien, Nas, it’s like these people.
And some people won’t do that, but I see it in the same way that there are certain films that are just surface level. You could just enjoy them, like, say, a Transformers film. You could just enjoy the action, the buildings being destroyed, all that. But then there’s, you know, films that have, like, nuance, and you could go back and watch it, you know, seven times, and you’ll catch something on that seven times. That’s like the lyricism that I enjoy. Not everybody’s into that, and I think that’s where it gets messed up. It’s like, everybody doesn’t need to like everything. No, sure you know what I mean. And know what I mean. And that’s where, because people feel like there’s only limited space in the commercial realm. That’s why they want to push, you know, like one type of rap over the other one, where it’s like, no, you can’t be lyrical and be successful when that’s not true. And then the people who enjoy the music have to be able to stand strong and be like, Yo, this is what I like.
Jack: Do you feel like you’ve grown? Material, flow, penmanship?
D.O.S.: Absolutely. I think I could say, if I were to rewrite, like, a song from, say, “Frodian Spit”. You know, if I took one of those records, or at least the concept of one of them, and rewrote it, I think I would do a better job today.
Jack: Which one?
D.O.S.: “Custom Sprite,” yeah. I think I could, I could do that. I could do a better job on that. You know, what I was going for is, like, like, a kind of, like an anime outro type of, feel, you know what I’m saying, like, if the show ended, and, you know, maybe it’s the end of the season, and then you get, you get that dope, like, outro music.
Jack: It seems like being a nerd is a big part of your persona. Was it always like that?
D.O.S.: I mean, it’s just stuff I’m into. You know what I mean, it’s no different than, you know, if I was super into horror films, which, you know, I enjoy here and there, but it’s not my favorite thing. But if I were, you would see that side of me come out in the music, you know what I mean. So it’s just a reflection on stuff I’m into. So when I’m at a show, you know, I’ve had a couple times where I have stickers of, like, the parasite cover that I use for, you know, my beat albums that, you know, people recognize that. And that’s, that’s the people that it’s like, All right, we’re in line with the music, because you’re obviously enjoying what I’m doing on stage, but then you also enjoy, like, this other part. So I connect with people on that level.
Jack: Follow up question, off the record-does that mean you suffered through Street Fighter 1 to write “Eternal Challenger?”
D.O.S.: That’s just all from what I remember, like, I didn’t see that. I didn’t look up reuse bio. It’s like, Yeah, I’ve been playing Street Fighter since I was young, getting my ass whooped by my sister, you know, who used E Honda, you know? Yeah, it was, it was terrible. But I just been playing every Street Fighter that came out, you know, the Street Fighter II anime movie. Yes, big fan of that.
Jack: You’ve gone to describe yourself as an MC. What does that mean to you, both in definition and in values?
D.O.S.: To me, I think it’s the live aspect. You know, if I never perform live, I think I would be comfortable just calling myself a rapper, you know, someone that. And if it was the same like, if I had the same level of like, if all my records were the same, but I just didn’t perform live, I would say, you know, like, I enjoy being a rapper, and I make this rap music that I hope people enjoy, but I think MC is the live aspect of it. It’s the way you control a crowd, and people do it in different ways. Some people are like, really big and boisterous on stage. Some people are like, hilarious. You know what I mean? There’s people that have different styles, but I think it’s that crowd interaction and being able to, you know, control your set, even if it’s one song, to be able to get the crowd in line with what you’re doing and take them through your music, like, with your perspective in mind.
Jack: On the subject of emceeing-Hip Hop, I think of the four big tenets of that, which is MCs, DJs, breakdancers, b-boys and whatnot, and then the artists, graffiti, all these, like, used to be a lot more close together. How does it feel?
DOS: Oh yeah, they’re like, they damn near occupy, like, different universes. Now, you know what I mean, like, you could, you could have the like, someone that does graffiti that, like, does not like the other elements. You know what I’m saying, you could, you could have, there was a time especially, I learned a lot from, like my older b-boy homies. You know what I mean? Like, I’m part of a crew called Orphanage Movement, which started because, you know, there was a few crews in Worcester, and then when people started having life changes, they stopped breaking. There was still a few people that wanted to keep breaking. So my man Backspace created Orphanage Movement as a way to connect people that lost their bigger cruise, and then it just made like a found family of b-boys. But what they would tell me is, you know, everybody used to do all the elements, or at least, at least more than one. So if you were breaking, you wrapped, maybe you beatboxed, maybe you did graffiti, maybe you did all of those, but you had a connection to other parts of the culture. It wasn’t just breaking where now it’s like, there’s people that just break, just rap, and then there’s active, like, disrespect. You know what I’m saying? It’s like, “Yo, like I rap, but like I’ve, you know, I don’t want, I don’t want to see these b-boys break in at my show.” You know I’m saying that I’ve seen that in real life.
And I think that’s the story of a lot of different places. Like Worcester’s, you know, a mid-sized city. It’s what, like a 200,000 roughly, population. So everyone that did hip hop is a degree or two of separation from each other. So if you don’t know somebody, like, you’re probably just two people away from knowing somebody that raps who does another element. Especially, you know being that we’re not the biggest place. But yeah, people have separated. There’s people that despite the mainstream attention that some of the elements get, like people will see large murals, like, popping up all over the city from well known graffiti artists, and then not recognize that as, like, a part of hip hop. You know what I’m saying? They’ll enjoy it. They might even tell their friend, like, yeah, like, Worcester’s changed a lot. You can see all this dope art, but they don’t recognize that, “oh, like a lot of these people, you know, might congregate at artifact supply, maybe we should go support that shop.”
And even the art, the artists themselves don’t always connect it like that, you know. And the way I see to change that is to try to bring the people that want to bring it together, that get inspiration. Because every time I see a b-boy getting down or like a dope graffiti piece or a DJ that’s nasty on turntable, like, it just inspires me to write more, you know, and that’s the connection that I see that I think gives me the best feeling.
Jack: I believe I read somewhere that you used to do some custom spreading with your friends.
D.O.S.: Well, there was a couple things like, that’s kind of, like my favorite style of, like, video games, sprite work, you know, it’s just dope. And, there was, like, old websites, like Newgrounds and, like a couple other ones, that people would make flash animations. So it would be like, Goku versus Sonic, or like Sonic versus Mario battle videos. And, you know, we just wanted to make those. We kind of gave up on the animated side, but we would just make custom characters. You know, in the same way that some games, like old wrestling games on N64 will let you create your character, we would just mess with the sprites and make them our own.
Jack: Is that when you were thinking partially, when you came out with the design for “Heart Container?”
D.O.S.: Oh, yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. That came from, like, you know, it’s like, Pokemon Red, Pokemon Yellow, that brings me back to, like, a kid, like, that’s my nostalgic feeling of video games. And then when people bring back, like, that’s why I always loved King of Fighters, yeah, oh yeah, let’s go. That’s what I’m saying. My guy is Kim; he’s got those kicks. But I’m saying like that, like, bringing the technology of today with sprites to make them even better, even cleaner. Like, I just like that style. Something about that style I like resonates with. So like, I keep putting out, like, artwork of me in different sprites. You know what I’m saying? Like, the newest record I put out was a remix done by my boy. DJ rhythm, yeah, yeah. So I had some custom sprites made for that, but I just love that aesthetic.
Jack: You’ve gotten to work with Danny Fantom, Weapon E.S.P., DJ Proof, Ghost of the Machine, Fredo Crespo, some of who are with you at Genosha Records — what’s that been like?
D.O.S.: Well, working with Ghost of the Machine is, you know, it’s just like pushing, like your art in the best direction possible. You know what I’m saying, to the peak of your abilities. You know what I mean? I never feel I’m competing with him. It’s just like, all right, he’s, he’s putting out 150% so I got to push that much further Lane too. But you’re on the same team, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, we’re trying to see, like we’re both going to get to the same goal, which is to make a dope verse. But our goal isn’t to outdo each other, because we do similar things, but they’re different enough that, you know, I can’t do what he does with a pen. You know what?
Jack: You’ve got an opportunity to put people on — anyone we should be looking out for?
D.O.S.: I mean, anyone I’ve collaborated with, I think, is worth checking out their work, you know what I mean. So, DJ Rthym, Ghost of the Machine, Weapon E.S.P., people that are definitely worth checking out. DJ Proof is always putting out new music. That’s one of the best producers, I think, period. But as far as Worcester goes, I would say Cyrus the Great, incredible producer. DJ Manipulator, another incredible producer that also streams full beat making, like his whole process from finding a sample to chopping to finish on Twitch, you know what I mean. So that’s people I would definitely say to check out.
Jack: Is there something different about Worcester’s hip hop that you can’t find somewhere else?
D.O.S.: I think you could find everything everywhere else, except for, like, the personal stories of people. You know what? I mean, everyone has their own story. But I think people from Worcester try to put as much quality as any other place. And I think that’s what connects people across, like, the elements of hip hop, is people just trying to do their best to bring a certain quality. You know what I mean? Because I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I’m from here. Like, I can’t call a specific thing, like, “this is a Worcester thing,” especially since the style I’m of, like hip hop music, at least that I make, is not, it’s not what everyone’s doing in Worcester. Worcester has every other style you know within it as well. So I would say you could find anything in Worcester. It’s just the personal stories for the people you’re only gonna get here.
Jack: A fun one — you’re stuck on an island. You can bring one manga, one comic, and one game. Whatchu takin?
D.O.S.: I mean, I’m gonna stick to what I’m reading now. So “Vagabond,” I’ll take “Vagabond.” The art style is incredible. If you’re into, you know, like samurai history is based on Miyamoto Musashi. Oh yeah, it’s really dope. Yeah, I’ll take “Vagabond” for the manga. Game? Um, dang, I don’t know. One I just, I have fun all the time, is Dead Cells. And then, what was the game, manga and comic? Oh, word I got I got that. I’m gonna go with “Battle For the Atom.” So this is a X-Men run, this is, this is the one where Cyclops kind of turns into the new Magneto. Oh, and then Beast is like, “Yo, my boy is like, going down the wrong path”. So he goes to the past and brings back the original 5 X-Men when they’re like, I don’t know, a year into being X-Men. So he brings back the originals when they’re 16 to try to convince Cyclops that he’s, like, doing bad, being like, “Yo, look at your younger self”. And then when they get there, they have to fight against, like, a future version. So it’s like X-Men of three different timelines against each other. It’s real crazy.
Jack: Is there any wisdom you wanna drop to the people who are trying to get their come-up?
D.O.S.: Do what you want to do, and don’t really worry about what’s, what’s in right now. Because I’ll tell you, like, I fell in like, really love with the music when I started listening to Wu-Tang. And this was, like, I don’t know, I had to be around like eleven or twelve where, like, you know, out here, they were still making hit records while I was a kid. But I started listening to their albums, and it was like, “Alright, this style, this is what I rock with.” And then, like, in high school, I started listening to Gang Starr, and it’s like that style of, like, boom bap, and like, this certain section of hip hop is what I rock with the most. You know what I’m saying. And it doesn’t matter that, you know, like we talked to talked about at the beginning, where, like, people have certain thoughts about a lyrical rapper. It’s like, that’s the style I enjoy, and I’m gonna push forward with it no matter what. Yeah, you know what I mean, because there’s, there’s places outside the U.S. that appreciate it to a high level. I just seen a clip in Chile, a crowd had to be, you know, 500 or more people going crazy for Non Phixion. Who, you know, when you talk to someone from the U.S., Non Phixion is a group that didn’t blow up, didn’t get as big as they could. But over there, they got major success. You know what I mean? So that’s what I would say to anybody just starting like, find a section that you like and run with it. If it makes you feel good and you like the music you’re making, don’t really worry about what’s in unless that’s what you’re chasing, which, if that’s the case, you’re in for a lot of disappointment. Because what’s hot today might not be hot tomorrow, but like, if you rock with it, you know what I’m saying? There’s an era where people were doing like, a lot of chopped and screwed music because that was popping. And then, when that stopped being like a thing for people to make money off of, a lot of people stopped. But the people that originally started doing that or really fell in love with it. They’re still making music like that.
Jack: Last question-we talked about the vision earlier. Has the vision changed?
D.O.S.: The vision has changed, yeah, because when I, when I started, like, you know, I started as a fan first. And I think everyone starts as a fan first, and then, you know, I went to shows, you know, I got to see, like, I remember seeing red man and meth man at the Palladium in Worcester in, like, 2008 and that was, like, my first big like, wow, this is what you could do as an MC with this music. You know what I mean? Like, their crowd control is crazy, their show is crazy, and it still is. But, yeah, being able to build my skill to where I think people can rock with what I’m doing, it’s become different. Because before it was like, alright, let me get on stage for the first time, and then I did that. Let me make a record where people might know some of the lyrics I’ve done that. Let me figure out how to do a call and response that’s unique to my songs. Yeah, I’ve been able to do so there’s, like, different goals that pop up that you might not have at first. So that’s how it’s kept changing for me. So now it’s like, all right, I want to keep making music, and now I want to make, like, my sets, like a cohesive thing where it’s like, from start to finish. And a lot of the time, you know, I’m not, you know, super big. So if I’m opening for like, the far side or Raekwon. I got to figure out how to make my songs accessible to the people in the audience, and being able to have them enjoy it, hearing it for the first time. Yeah? So, like, that’s my big goal right now, is making the live show better than it has been. You know what I mean, building on that skill.
You can listen to Death Over Simplicity on Bandcamp and Spotify. His latest work is Tranquilo-DJ Rthym Remix featuring Danny Fantom. Follow him on Instagram at @508dos.
