Picking Dumbfoundead’s Brain

by Lo-Fi Lauren

Been Trill

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when and where my passion for underground rap music began. Often times when I look back, I view it all through little nostalgic vignettes: my brother’s MF DOOM poster hanging on his wall (which I still own to this day), my sister’s Count Bass D CD…or perhaps it all really began when I bit off some of the lyrics from A Tribe Called Quest’s “Find a Way” and used them for a science class rap in the 4th grade. True story. Regardless, today it is the embodiment of who I am, and for that I am proud and grateful.

The Man Himself

I was first introduced to Dumbfoundead’s music in high school, when a friend of mine showed me the song “Cool and Calm” off the album “DFD.” Ironically, 10 years later, that’s exactly how I’d describe Dumb himself: cool and calm, as well as crazy easy to talk to, confident in himself and who he is. It was hard for me to not be just the slightest bit nervous, as well as just a little bit giggly (or maybe that was just the ice cold beer I was drinking during the interview?).

Thank you, Dumbfoundead, for allowing me the pleasure of dissecting your brain for a bit! And for those of you reading, make sure to check out his podcast Fun with Dumb (which I will sometimes watch right before bed at night).

Somebody picks a fight with you at your favorite bar, what do you do?

Well right now I’m sober until further notice, so that being said I’d probably react differently than I would if I were drunk. I have been in situations like this in the past and what I can say is that it’s never worth it. I’m not trying to fight. It’s never a good look.

Does a full moon actually affect us?

With a full moon the vibe definitely feels different; I can’t say whether it’s in a good or bad way, but people are undoubtedly more moody and emotional. There’s also the fact that there are more people outside, which can mean more trouble. Overall there’s something there for sure.

In your opinion, what’s the most unnecessary genre of music?

Oh man, this is a tough one. I don’t wanna offend anybody, but I’d say dubstep because it’s very harsh and hard to listen to. I grew up listening to punk and hardcore, which can be a little bit much as well, but dubstep is just really gritty and intense on the ears.

What was your very first car?

An ‘03 or ‘04 Ford Focus. I started driving it in high school and I bought it myself. It was so shitty hahaha. But I was proud of it and proud of myself for buying it all on my own.

Are you going to heaven or hell?

Well, I mean, that’s if you believe in a heaven or hell. I’ve done some pretty shitty things here and there but never anything so horrible that I’d say I’m going to hell. I’d like to think that I’m a good person. So at this point I’d say heaven, I hope.

What are some of your comfort films/tv shows?

90 Day Fiance comes to mind. I like watching it because there’s this undertone of (and this is gonna sound horrible) 2 people equally using one another for something, and what’s funnier is that you really don’t know who’s using the other person more in the relationship. I also am a big rom-com guy, but not the new wave rom-coms with these really handsome guys playing the main character. I’m talking like the early 2000’s rom-coms, with every day guys like Ben Stiller who end up getting the girl of their dreams.

Red or blue pill?

I would say that I’m a red pill guy. Ignorance is bliss, but I’m the type of person where once I get a taste of something, it becomes very hard for me to just turn a blind eye and go back into my bubble. I’m also very adventurous, and I like pushing myself out of my comfort zone a lot.

If a genie granted you 3 wishes, what would they be?

This is a hard one. I would say number one would be a lump sum of money so I could do things like make sure all of my people are taken care of. Number two would be the ability to sing incredibly, because that’s something I’ve always wanted to be able to do. I can carry a tune, but I’m a rapper, not a singer. Number three would probably be to get rid of all social media. Like not make it as if it never existed, but just get rid of it now and see what happens.

How did you come up with the name Dumbfoundead?

So I was 14 and I was a huge class clown; one day somebody said it and it just kinda resonated with me and fit. Dumbfounded is such a funny word to me, it’s really old fashioned. But you know what I’ve realized is it’s not so much the name you give yourself as much as what you do with it. You can have the weirdest name and people will still think you’re the coolest person to exist if you do enough with it.

When everything feels like it’s going wrong and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to change it, what do you do?

I’m honestly a big believer in having a support system. There is never any shame in reaching out for help. I feel like there’s this fantasy of one person being good at everything, but that’s just not true. You always need people. Nobody just does something alone; there are always people there behind the scenes helping you out collectively in order to bring something together. Don’t ever be afraid to say “hey I’m having a hard time right now.” Having a support system is everything; and it’s not the least bit embarrassing to have people who love and care about you waiting to help you out when you need them to.