Jacksonville's Paten Locke flies solo on his latest rap/hip-hop venture

Paten Locke is flying solo. His vessel: A "Super Ramen Rocketship."

That's the name of his new one-man album, which landed a few weeks ago via Tres Records. But don't let the title fool you.

Locke, aka DJ Therapy, doesn't create frivolous music. An established Jacksonville-based rapper and MC, he's known for his work with The AB's (formerly Asamov) and The Smile Rays. He doesn't reveal his age, but it's been narrowed down to between 30 and 85.

So, back to the ramen. What's that all about? It's about tough economic times, Locke said. Think of the rocketship as a person's body.

"Ramen is cheap sustenance," Locke explained. "People buy it because it's cheap - it gets you to the next stop."

Plus, he eats ramen way more than an average person. At this point in his career, it's not because he can't afford anything else. He's a self-described fussy eater, and ramen is something he actually likes. Really likes. So for him, ramen fueled the album.

"Super Ramen Rocketship" is his first solo venture. Despite the trend to bring guest artists into the studio to add their influence, all the beats, cuts, rhymes and performances come strictly from Locke. He said he made a conscious decision to make the album that way, because it seems it's not done anymore.

"This is my chance to let the world know what I got," he said. "It's a testament to myself."

Locke went to Berlin to record, primarily because his good friend Britt Traynham, aka Batsauce, has been living there with his wife, Lady Daisey. Batsauce engineered the album, and he's who Locke looked to for feedback.

"When it came time to do this record ... I wanted to work with somebody who understood everything I was trying to do," Locke said, and Batsauce fit that bill.

The recording process took three months, and because Locke was in Berlin, he wasn't around a bunch of rappers as he normally would be, he said. Not being influenced by others made his creative process more pure.

Reflecting on the finished album, he said he'd "rather people listen to it and absolutely hate it, than never listen to it all."

He explained his approach when making the album, which ranges from funny to sentimental to serious.

"The beat is the most important thing," he said.

Mostly, he creates that first, and words comes later.

He said he probably makes 100 beats for every song he writes, and when he feels inspired to put down lyrics, the most important thing is how they flow with the beat.

"Cadence before content," he said. "I'm going for the whole feel."

But don't ignore his lyrics. They're certainly not subpar.

On "Brava," Locke delves into social and political issues: You think [it'11] change cuz the president's black?/I bet you know better than that.

He said he's an Obama supporter, but the president's skin color alone is not what's going to make a difference.

"I'm telling people to be wary of politics in general," he said.

Locke said he doesn't make those types of statements often, so when he does, he wants them to be bold.

But he's not pessimistic. Overall, the album is fun and upbeat.

"I'm not going to be a political rapper," he said. "The first think I want to do is just be funky. I try not to get too preachy."

If there's one thing people know about him, he said, it's that he's not too serious. That is, with one exception.

"I absolutely take humor extremely seriously," he joked.