Pitchfork

It's been just about a year since Chris Palko, aka Cage, released his Def Jux debut, Hell's Winter. Since the record hit stores, he's logged over 80 days on the road, according to his own estimation-- enough to weary even the most steadfast rapper. However, last month, Cage dropped off a tour with friends Gym Class Heroes that was to begin on September 14. (He was replaced on the tour by Def Jux labelmates Hangar 18.) Pitchfork recently had a chance to catch up with the emcee to find out his reasons for the cancellation, as well as some news about his forthcoming record, Depart From Me.

"It was a number of things," said Cage, regarding his decision to stay off the road. "At that point, I was in the middle of a grueling tour. I was just kind of losing it. And the label was like, 'When's the next record coming?' I wasn't getting anything done on the road. I'd come home for a couple of days and then go back out for a straight month."

On top of that, it seems that, financially, it just wasn't worth his while. "I would have had to [pay] out of my own pocket to open up clubs that I had already been selling out. That on top of everything, was just like...I just couldn't do it. It was just asking way too much." He is planning a headlining tour for this coming January, however, so fans will only have to wait a few more months to catch Cage live.

But the wait should be worth it, as he's hard at work on the new LP and may showcase new tracks.

"I'm still in the early stages of it," Cage admits of the new album. "I have the whole concept somewhat figured out. I tried a different process with it. It was flying by the seat of my pants, not having any fucking clue. I didn't give a shit. I was like, this is what I want to say. If nobody likes it, fuck it."

As anyone familiar with his work knows, Cage has some personal demons that he seems to be attempting to exorcise through his music. This has become both boon and bane for the rapper. "The problem with that is that I can't seem to make anything but that kind of music now. Now I'm kind of fucked. I'm not interested in making anything that's not endearing or real. Every time I turn on the radio, everything is just lies, lies, lies.

"It's interesting that with all the things going on in the world, the only thing people can think to do is do the same thing that's being done to them: you're lied to by your government, so your artists or modern-day, self-righteous prophets are all just pretty much about themselves and putting the lies out there and generating income from it.

"I just want to do the opposite of everything."

The new record will definitely keep the hip hop therapy alive, but will offer some changes as well. "The whole thing with Depart From Me is there's a lot of insanity still going on...I meant it as, I want all this shit to just leave me-- depart from me," he explains.

Instead of the stable of underground rappers and punk icons that appeared on Hell's Winter, Depart will offer up some new surprises. "I've been hanging out with XO Skeletons, which is Wes from Some Girls and American Nightmare [now Give Up the Ghost]. I just did a song with his new band, which is pretty fucking rad, and he's gonna be on my new record. It's pretty fucking nuts, that dude just screams his balls off. He's sick as fuck."

As for special guests, Cage is set to skew fans' expectations. "If people are expecting me to have all these crazy names on my record, a.) I don't wanna give you exactly what you want, and b.) I'd rather save some money!"

Sean Martin of Hatebreed will be handling some of the production, as well as Head Automatica's Daryl Palumbo, and usual suspects El-P, Camu Tao, and Blockhead. "People will be surprised to find out that the dude makes sick music," Cage said of Martin, "other than just playing heavy-ass riffs."

The Cage of late is definitely a different artist from the one of Eastern Conference and Smut Peddlers days, and much of this change was a conscious choice on his part. "People's eyes can open up when they stop taking copious amounts of substances every single day for years. You grow up and look at yourself, and you're like, what have I been doing? Do I drop the W-bomb and say the word 'wigga'? That's what I was repping. I was repping blackface. It's subtle blackface."

Cage is set to change his tone about the opposite sex as well. "With this record, I'm not gonna be misogynistic. I'm over that. I like women. I don't hate women! That's another thing I woke up from. I'm listening to my music and I'm like, 'why I would have a girl fan?' I don't even know."

Mr. Palko appears to be intently focused on moving forward and pushing the boundaries of rap and rock. "There's lots of kids who are like, 'Go back to your old shit.' Rap hasn't progressed as much as it can. There's so much more to the music." Depart From Me will hopefully showcase this progression, as Cage continues to sort his shit out while adding another banger to the Def Jux catalogue.

Meanwhile, the Gym Class Heroes tour carries on sans Cage and with Hangar 18 and Snakes on a Plane supergroup Cobra Starship in tow.

Cancelled Cage dates:

09-14 Buffalo, NY - The Buffalo Icon
09-15 Hartford, CT - Webster, Theatre
09-16 Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
09-17 Allston, MA - Harper's Ferry
09-18 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
09-19 New York, NY - Knitting Factory
09-20 Baltimore, MD - Sonar
09-21 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
09-22 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
09-23 Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen
09-24 St. Louis, MO - Creepy Crawl
09-25 Iowa City, IA - Picador
09-26 Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
09-27 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
09-28 Kansas City, MO - The Grand Emporium
09-29 Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre
09-30 Ogden, UT - Club Boom
10-02 Orangevale, CA - The Boardwalk
10-03 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
10-05 Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
10-06 San Diego, CA - Epicentre
10-07 Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction