Everything seems funny when Action Bronson says it—even when he’s not joking. Like when he says that, while making "A Light in the Addict," he was thinking about what the public's reaction would be if they learned he died from autoerotic asphyxiation. After all, this is the guy who told us that his new album, Mr. Wonderful, is akin to "licking the back of a knee." But this go around, the rapper born Ariyan Arslani in Flushing, Queens, who made a career with hilarious bars masked in a husky voice reminiscent of some New York City rap stalwarts, is serious. It's his first project on a major label (Vice/Warner Bros.), and a body of work he says he's immensely proud of. It's also an album on which he works with some new producers like Noah "40" Shebib. He's even singing on this joint.

After taking a bunch of interviews a The W Hotel in Austin, Texas, during SXSW, Action finished a blunt the size of a churro, opened a container of oatmeal (he's trying to eat healthier these days), and ran through each track on Mr. Wonderful.

Damien Scott is the deputy editor of Complex Music. Follow him @thisisdscott.