It’s almost impossible not to dance at a Spank Rock show. MC Super Disco Spank-Ro (Philly-via-Baltimore rapper Naeem Juwan) and his DJ, Armani XXXchange (Brooklyn-via-Baltimore producer and DJ Alex Epton), keep the floor bumping with their genre-splicing megamixes. Spank Rock produce a crazy-original mashup of styles that is equal parts funny-filthy hiphop, meep-morpy electro, and straight-up party anthem. Their first single, “Put That Pussy on Me,” was an instant dance-floor classic, and their self-produced album, YoYoYoYoYo (2006), is the most innovative mix your stereo’s seen in a long time. With all the seriousness and harsh reality in mainstream rap, and all the stark minimalism in dance music like techno and UK grime, it’s about fucking time someone remembered that people hit the dance floor ’cause they want to have fun.
Spank Rock tours with a crew (Baltimore Bass Connection—usually comprising Baltimore’s DJ Chris Rockswell, DJ Ronnie Darko, and Philly rapper Pase Rock), which makes the stage setup more like an “electronic band” versus the typical hiphop setup of just one DJ and one MC. It’s nothing short of a party—on the stage and off.
Where did the name Spank Rock come from?
JUWAN: I came up with it. Unfortunately. It was from this sitcom my roommates and I watched, like five years ago in Philly. There was a situation where this dad was spying on his daughter on the internet—he was making up all this silly-ass slang. One word he kept using was “spank.” You know, like, “Whoa, that party’s gonna be SPANK!” The daughter caught him on that one. No one uses the word “spank.”
What is “Baltimore club” music?
It’s kinda derived from Chicago house and Miami bass, but what’s different with the Baltimore sound is it’s more repetitive, more abrasive, also more minimal. That’s what makes it stand out. Also, how vulgar the lyrics are. It’s sort of a regional electronic gansta thing.
Seems like it. With songs like “Backyard Betty”—which has lyrics about ass-shaking champions (She was an ass-shakin’ competition champ/Oooh, that pussy get damp!)—I gotta ask: In all the cities that you’ve toured, where do girls have the best booty?
Um… [laughs] Atlanta? Montreal!
America, Canada, Europe—which audiences really get crazy on the dance floor at your shows?
I think Paris, Brooklyn, and San Francisco might be the craziest. The last West Coast tour was so much better than the East Coast, too—kids in Portland and Seattle got almost as wild as the kids back in Baltimore.
On your website there’s all this stuff about “the ACT”—the Air Cock Thrust. What is it?
It was invented by DJ Ronnie Darko. Instead of giving people the finger, he would throw his cock out. I mean, he had pants on… Now every time we do a show, there are three or four guys out there ACT-ing it.
Has anyone ever hurt themselves throwing an ACT?
[Laughs] Yes! Once Chris [Rockswell] got damaged in Canada. We were doing an interview for MuchMusic, and he went flying into a brick wall. Kinda dramatic. I think Alex might have twisted an ankle once, too. We get extreme with it sometimes.
What was the best part of your show here in Seattle this past summer?
That show was crazy, man. The best thing was meeting Pearl—Seattle MC Pearl is opening up for us, touring with us down the West Coast. He’s DOPE. Last time we were here, he came up to me at this weird little party after hours at this dingy-ass place above some bar… He came up to me and just started rappin’. I think he was wasted, but he just started rappin’ like nonstop—freestylin’, spittin—and it was like the hottest rap I’ve heard. Insane. It made me feel like I needed to step my own game up. So we kept in touch, and now I’m really excited about having him come out.
I’m super excited for your show.
Me too. We got hometown hero Pearl, we got Samir—Debonair Samir from Baltimore for real—and Spank Rock. We’re comin’ through, it’s gonna be a keeee’razy party! Without a doubt. It should fulfill every musical need.
