Words by Andres Reyes
“I’m going to be completely honest with you, it took me a very long time to develop my style.” Jason Rutkowki, also known to some as MC Blame One, is soft-spoken, humble and brutally honest—not the kind of qualities you expect to find in a rapper. “Some people run into their own style in four or five years, but as far as me really finding my niche it wasn’t until the late 90’s. I was emulating people I loved up to that point and in the late 90’s I started really finding my own sound.”
Despite any stumbling blocks Blame might have encountered while discovering his identity as an MC, the trait that runs constant in his music is his ability to clearly translate his passion through his music. While that may be trite in that technically every musician has some sort of passion for their output, Blame’s dedication to his craft is a very particular one. Unlike many of today’s masters of ceremonies, Blame actually has a full life outside of his music with a full-time day job and a family. “It’s very hard to balance. I work 9 to 5 and I come home and hang out with my kids till they go to sleep, around 9, then I start working on music till 2 or 3 in the morning then its right back up for work the next day. It’s tough to balance, but it’s definitely a labor of love and at this point there is no way I can let it go.”
With Blame’s latest release, Days Chasing Days, it seems this is the album where the passion matches the output. Executive produced by longtime friend and associate Exile, Blame’s Soulspazm Records debut boasts a cohesive energy that truly makes the record an album rather than just a collection of rap songs. Blame credits a large part of this to his partner on the MPC, Exile. “We both have a mutual respect for each other but the one thing that Exile has learned that I really didn’t learn as well is how to construct an album instead of just dope songs. I would have dope songs but not necessarily be able to format them into an album that was something people could relate to, he definitely figured that out and I appreciate that he’s given me the time to helping me with it.” The spirit behind the album stays grounded in the golden era, but the sound is far from dated. Although other stellar producers like Black Milk, Kankick, Blu (yes, he makes beats) and newcomer G Rocka contribute, the tracks with Blame Uno and Exile show a chemistry that is a decade plus in the making.
In today’s saturated hip-hop scene everyone is constantly on the grind for recognition and fame in one way or another. Blame seems content with being appreciated solely by those who feel his music on a very personal level, unaffected by the bright lights and hoopla that is abundant in today’s climate, “my key goal with people is to be honest. I still have a braggadocio side of me because that’s what I was founded in, but overall in my music I try to truly express myself. I’m more honest because I’m around my family so much. It’s a no holds-barred thing in my music; I think I say things in my music that I wouldn’t actually tell people in everyday conversation, unless I was extremely close to them.”
Blame One’s Days Chasing Days is out on iTunes now!
