A few days ago, Queens was on fire.

A really big fire.

Like you could see it from space fire.

It was scaring all the aliens and they shot Barack Obama a text which read: “Hey B, how can u not c Queens has been engulfed w flames r u gonna help them or nah????”

Silly aliens, who let you out of your Illuminati mating nests?

Fortunately for all of us in Queens, the fire was entirely metaphorical (hopefully). It was just Punskription releasing a new track called "Dreams from a Cubicle". That track happens to be straight fire.

I sat down with P. Cruz (production and vocals) and Pete the Lone Lobo (vocals) of Punskription to discuss the hawttttttt new track, office life, race and the underground-mainstream complex.

Dylan:
Hi Pete. Hi Paul.

Punskription:
Hi Dylan.

Dylan:
What inspired “Dreams from a Cubicle”? Are you experienced with dreams, cubicles or both?

Pete the Lone Lobo:
I spend about seven hours or more a day looking at three screens building documentation tools for clinicians, and what keeps me from bashing my face into the screens is music. I don’t even sit in a full cubicle. It’s an L shaped desk really; littered with various things including my son’s artwork that are distractions from the IT work I have no interest in, but do the best I can at it nevertheless. What gets me through the day is the verses I write on my commute to work, and bouncing song concepts with my Bandmate P. Cruz on Google Hangouts. The music is my dream of not having to sit at my desk anymore. I want to entertain folks and make the music I’ve always wanted to hear.

I’m sure that there’s other people out there that have a talent or hobby they wish they could pursue, but for whatever reason haven’t. Dreams are desires or that thing that seems unattainable right? For me this song is the first step to manifesting my frustrations in song, while producing a product that puts me on the road to making my dreams a reality.

Dylan:
Do you think this is an “underground” track? What do you think constitutes an “underground” track? Do we even have those?

P. Cruz:
I’m not sure it’s an “underground” track because it’s on the internet so it’s available to anyone with access to the worldwide web. When I think “underground” I think of my friend who introduced me to a punk band by giving me a cassette he was only able to buy at their show, so I think it depends on the individual's idea of what “underground” is. If you understand it as a track that doesn’t have the backing of a major label and isn’t being played on the radio or supermarket speakers then yes, “Dreams from a Cubicle” Is definitely underground. If you understand it as a track that you would only find out about if you were a part of a closed-off exclusive scene, then this is not an underground track. You can find it by doing a Google search.

"Check out my band" said Seth, handing me an 8-ball and an 8-track. A 'ball-track' for short.

Pete:
I’d have to agree with P. Cruz on this one. Underground to me was more of a 90’s/2000’s thing. Like Immortal Technique or Mos or Company Flow when they first started. Everything is everywhere these days so it’s hard for anyone to be “underground” in the classical sense. I think today it’s a matter of likes and followers. “Dreams from a Cubicle” is an obscure song, but you can find it with a bing search (yeah bing) or by asking your phone. But it’s not a song you’ll most likely hear in a Pepsi commercial.

Dylan:
That would be an interesting, albeit counterproductive Pepsi commercial. The lyrical content has a lot of racial elements. Can you explain those to the less woke among us?

P. Cruz:
The “racial elements” come from my Filipino-American identity. It took me a long time to understand how living in a culture where most of the art and history I was taught was Euro-centric affected my self perception. My verse is about battling to find my identity as an American who still feels like an outsider because of my Filipino influenced upbringing. I specifically site Lapu Lapu in my verse, a historical native Filipino who killed Magellan, as a figure to represent the start of my identity struggle.

Luckily they stayed like this until the artist finished up.

I find it interesting that he is a Philippine hero for resisting and killing a symbol of Westernization, while the embracing and adopting of Western culture in the Philippines is apparent to me in their mainstream media. This duality is why I also chose the super hero Blade as a metaphor, he is half Vampire while trying to protect the world from Vampires. I can’t deny that I’m Westernized, I grew up in New York, and I stick out like a sore thumb when I’m back in the Philippines. I just want to preserve what I value about my Filipino upbringing as best as I can. I distanced myself from it for so many years because I didn’t want to feel ostracized or labeled by other people. I’m tired of that. I’m proud of my first generation Filipino identity.

Pete:
I typically integrate some sort of political views in my verses, but for this track I just wanted to give straight up bars. I think it’s a great contrast to the content of P.Cruz’s lyrics because we’re giving fun braggadocio rhymes, while making the listener pause, and think a little bit. That’s Punskription: good, fun music, but always substantive.

Dylan:
Tell us a bit of how you guys came to be. What inspired you to link up?

Pete:
I just wore P.Cruz down until he let me join the band.

P. Cruz:
(Laughs) On our first album “Conscious Pop” Pete featured on a song called “Strength (of the Gods)” and he absolutely killed it. He would play shows with me because of his feature and through this we found our chemistry as both performers and songwriters was undeniable. Since then, he joined, we changed our name, and it’s the two of us running the metaphorical ship that is Punskription.

Odyssey:
Where are you guys trying to go from here? What’s the goal of this track and what’s next for Punskription?

P. Cruz:
We’re really close to finishing up the mini-album that “Dreams from a Cubicle” is going to be on. It’s called “Native Brains:Foreign Hearts.” My short sighted goal is to release that by late fall. Afterwards I really want us to play as many shows as possible. Trying to find a bigger artist to open for and finding artists to tour the east or west coasts with would be awesome. We love performing and I think it’s one of our strengths. Other than that, we have enough songs in production to put another EP or Album out shortly after “Native Brains:Foreign Hearts.”

Pete:
I just want to finish this mini album and keep performing wherever, and whenever. I love the crowd and the energy P.Cruz and I generate on stage. My personal goal is to give anyone that comes to a Punskription show their money’s worth (if they paid). Punskription is an experience that I want folks to remember and enjoy. P. Cruz and I create on a consistent basis, so I’m excited to hear what’s to come and to share it with everyone.

I’m also going to continue curating my hip hop concert series, ILLA LOBO. I’ve had three so far in last 9 months showcasing up and coming hip hop artists from New York. I want to make ILLA LOBO a solid brand while still pushing Punskriptions’s music.

"It's litttttttttttttt."

I love making music, but I also think it’s truly important to provide venues for artists that are looking to perform, and can’t find the right place. ILLA LOBO is for the community, and building community through dope music, what’s better than that?

Peace, Petrus Autem Solus Lupus.

"Dreams from a Cubicle" is available to stream on Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music. If you're a good person with a modicrum of respect for capitalism or free enterprise you can buy it on iTunes, Amazon, or and/or Google Play.

Check out their website or like them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and make sure to catch them Saturday, September 10th at the Brooklyn Wildlife Festival.