NR: How long did it take you to record the new CD?

Dirtball: The Pop-A-D-Ball record.. Actually I had a lot of the tracks recorded already before I went in with P-nice, Patrick, at Sub Noize Records. I just went down there and re-recorded most of them with him. It took about a week and a half to two weeks tracking everything. The mixing took a little bit longer than expected. Finally it came out.

NR: How has the response been going with this new CD?

Dirtball: It's been overwhelmingly good. It's going well. There hasn't been too much negative response at all. The kids are hyped. I stay connected through the message boards and myspace and all that stuff. It seems like I'm getting a good response. I'll sold a couple of thousand on my first album. It seems to be going well. At least as good as I know.

NR: Your from Oregon. How's the hip-hop scene up there?

Dirtball: It's good. It's pretty thick. It's funny though, I don't play in the Northwest that much. I'm kind of stoked to get up there with Sub Noize and get more shows going with them. It's hard in the Northwest. It seems a lot harder. There isn't an established scenario. Your one rapper with five other rappers. In a mix like that you can tumble and do that forever. So I'm stoked to be with Sub Noize, going up there with them. I'm getting there fans and then I'm getting my own thing going and then we are even.

NR: Being an artist do people judge you on your skill or race more?

Dirtball: I think it's mostly skill. So far my skills have taken me this far. I haven't had any race issues. I'm hoping it stays that way. There is some stigma but honestly it's just getting washed out. Not to be cliche but Eminem really blew the water out for most white MC's. It's a good thing. He flushed it all out so we could do some stuff too!

NR: What artists do and/or have inspired you?

Dirtball: I'm going to have to go back to NWA, Eazy E, Dr. Dre, all the west coast stuff I listened to as a kid. I listened to a lot of Ghetto Boys while growing up and Too Short. I'm a big Outkast and Jay Z fan. I pretty much listen to everything. Those are the main ones. Most of my influences are from when I was young so it's kind of hard to pin-point.

NR: How did you become part of Sub Noize Records?

Dirtball: I actually put out a CD. I had a band in Salt Lake City for awhile. I was rapping and drumming. Cholo was the name of it. We were in Salt Lake for six years. I sent Zinger some demo's in '97, '98, '99, and 2000. After that I kind of exploded the band on my own because I wanted to continue rapping. That's not what really happened. We all just kind of separate. So I did this CD called Dirty B project. I produced all the beats did all the graphics. I just pretty much produced it on my own. I put it out as a full length. I made a couple thousand copies and sent them everywhere. Zinger actually got it through another buddy of mine and so it just went from there. Him and DGAF was interested so I signed. I signed with them about a year and a half ago and now the album just barely came out.

NR: Do you think downloading music off the internet is stealing?

Dirtball: No. Not in my scenario. For me it's killer promotion. I can see maybe if your bigger group making money. But even then how fickle can you be? I don't really see it anywhere as a bad thing. I think it's a good thing.

NR: What's in your CD player right now?

Dirtball: I have Will I Am's CD "Lost Change." (Will I Am from the Black Eyed Pea's) He did a movie soundtrack called "Lost Change." It's dope as hell. I have it in my headphones right now.

NR: Your touring and doing a lot of promotion, what do you do to relax?

Dirtball: Don't let me trip you out, man. I'm a weirdo. Living up in Oregon, I'm a hunter and I fish. I just got back from a week of hunting mushrooms. I'm a mushroom hunter. I do things like that. I'm really in tune with nature. Not like a hippie-style, I just like to be in the woods. I'm like a half logger. I normally wood cut all summer, not this summer. Things like that people wouldn't even know. That's kind of where I get my soul. That's why I stay up in Oregon most the time. When I'm home I can relax. When I'm on the road that's the chaos.

NR: The CD's out, your touring a lot, what can the fans expect from you next?

Dirtball: Gosh, I'm just hoping it continues to go. Everything thus far, I'm getting a really good foundation set. I don't really ever want to hope or think what's going to happen. In the past years it's always been as soon as you start presuming what's going to happen it doesn't happen or you get let down. I just let everything go and see where it takes me. With this album I want to sell over five thousand copies and I'll be happy. Then move on to the next album. I hope to just get it going and have it double every album. Who knows what could happen?