Eugene residents might know Patrick Stutz from his gig at Kampus Barber Shop — he’s the barber with the messy, dyed-blond hair and impressive tuft of beard. Yet for the last decade, he’s lead a dual life as an MC under the name SelfEsteem BoatWillie. Stutz was an active figure on the Eugene hip-hop scene in the latter half of the 2000s, releasing three albums and gigging with the groups Antidope and Clowns of Class.
He hasn’t released a mixtape or album since 2008, having taken time off to focus on his relationship with his now ex-girlfriend and her two kids. But he’s fresh off his first gig in eighteen months, a gig supporting Nashville rapper Spoken Nerd at Springfield’s Goodfellas Lounge. With his upcoming fourth album potentially slated for August, he’s slowly working his way back into the game.
“The show gave me a hunger to get back into (hip-hop),” Stutz said. “The reception was so positive. Even with minimal practice I was so confident in my performance.”
Born in 1982, Stutz started out as a punk rocker before his friends started taking him to cyphers, or freestyle rap gatherings. His roots made the transition to hip-hop difficult at first.
“At first I was reluctant because a lot of the time there’s that punk rock attitude where you like what you think is ‘cool,” Stutz says. “But once I got into hip-hop, I was really inspired by it.”
He took on his name, based on an imagined junkie version of Mickey Mouse, in 2004. Though he was content on the cypher circuit at first, he began to gain more exposure after meeting the prolific Eugene musician Unkle Nancy at a show in 2005.
“When he was on stage, I was blown away,” Stutz recalls. “I spit him a verse and he was like, ‘come over this Sunday, let’s record.’”
The two formed Antidope, a group representing “the satirical side of hip-hop,” in 2005. They released two albums and played several shows at the WOW Hall alongside smaller venues like the Black Forest.
“Punk kids loved us, but hip-hop kids hated us,” Stutz recalled.
In 2007, Stutz became part of the short-lived supergroup Clowns of Class with his fellows in Antidope. The group recorded their sole album First Period in a month before breaking up. He’s rolled solo since then, releasing three albums — Patty Predicts the Present, Big Brother, and Patrick Makes Perfect. Though his infrequent output sometimes leads to pressure about staying relevant, he’s developed a positive attitude.
“A lot of times I don’t care what anyone thinks,” Stutz said. “At times you feel like you’re wasting your time if you’re not doing anything with it. But after a while I realized the reason I make music first and foremost is therapy. If I get that out on paper I can look back on it and see I made something positive out of it.”
Though Stutz may make music chiefly for himself, friends and fans can attest to his passion for his music.
“His music is as approachable as he is in the barbershop,” said Nathan “Spoken Nerd” Conrad, whom he supported at his Goodfellas gig.
“Whenever he plays his music he’s always very enthusiastic,” says Jason Kadderly, a friend and neighbor of Stutz’s. “That’s a very respectable trait to have as an artist.”