I interviewed Slim Jesus. There I said it. I admit this openly. But, I didn’t want to. A friend of mine approached me and he asked that I do it. Now, this wasn’t just anybody, it was a friend that works closely with some of the most lyrical guys in the game. His name shall remain unstated, but he made a good case for interviewing the viral rap star that has well over 12 million views upon his “Drill Time” song alone. There’s a need to contextualize this phenomenon, love it or loathe it.

So, I rounded up the team and threw in an A3C performance to boot. I felt the A3C would be a good gauge of the present day Hip-Hop audience, and I don’t mean the faceless commenters. I mean those people that leave the house, take in a show and maybe still purchase music. Slim Jesus took to the same stage, same audience that housed Trae Tha Truth, Gunplay, Stalley, Jon Conner and others in The Basement, an underground ATL Spot. He made it out alive, with only a few heckles. Today’s rap fan is a nicer, kinder hybrid in the flesh even though the comment section of your favorite outlet would suggest otherwise.

While his music may turn some off, in real life, Easton Phillips is a pretty nice kid. “I try to stay humble about it,” he said. “I try to stay real, real cool.” When I was finally face-to-face with Slim Jesus, he was flanked by a few quiet dudes (one of which we found out was his dad). Then, I was wondering…is this guy safe? He doesn’t do happy rap…he does drill music. This is the soundtrack to the Chicago streets, where the murder rate is the highest in the nation. At any rate, Slim Jesus, a native of Hamilton, Ohio (just outside of Cincinnati), answered every question. Only thing…this kid has no street cred by his own admission. In this interview, everything comes up: from Slim Shady to Chief Keef to death threats to Black Jesus. Ah, why bother with more rhetoric? Check out the video interview below.