I like What Goes Around Comes Around for old concert tees. Oh man, I got this 'Sgt. Pepper' cartoon Beatles shirt there; it was, like, $300. I didn't even know how much it cost - I thought it was gonna be, like, $80 at most - till I got to the register and was like, 'Oh mah gawd!' Good Lord. But it's classic vintage rock, you know?
I'm an emotional creature. I make music to express that.
I don't like to power trip, but when you're a boss you have to fight for certain things.
I've always felt that because I'm from Cleveland, which isn't recognised as a place for hip-hop, I needed to step it up if I wanted to make myself known.
I have all these revelations as I'm writing. Each song is like a chapter of my diary.
Some people just don't want to see change, but thankfully there are a lot of people more optimistic for something new in music, even with the bigger picture like with Barack Obama getting elected.
To be considered a celebrity, there's a certain lifestyle that comes with that.
Once I accomplish one thing and I'm satisfied, I try something else. I may be 50 and doing something totally outside of music and acting. Maybe I'll become a kindergarten teacher.
I never knew the media would be so interested in my personal life.
So with the freestyles, I just do it for fun. If I hear something that I like, I'm rapping on it.
There was a moment in time where I was really focused on the Navy and I followed through with it - I passed the test. I was happy with myself because I was accomplishing something and I was really working towards a goal. That was the first true thing I invested my energy in.
I hated suits until I wore a Calvin Klein; they just fit me.
My background is not typical hip-hop. I didn't grow up in the projects. I grew up in a single family home in a middle-class suburb. That doesn't mean I didn't experience hardship, but to me it's not about that, it's about the future and where we are trying to take it.
I'm a goofball and a comedian.
I like Louis Vuitton accessories, but I'd never wear their clothes. No offense, it's just not my steeze.
My mom missed meals on several occasions because there was only enough food to feed all of us. My mom didn't have a bed until I was 15 years old. She slept on a couch... I remember laying with her, like I used to sleep with my mom until I was like 12. I was a big baby; I'm a momma's boy. But my mom is my best friend, and never let me down, ever.
My fans will tell you all day that I can rap. That's all I need.
Ive always been ahead of the curve when it came to trying new stuff in the underground scene.
In America, we're kind of lazy. But in New York, it's one of those places where you see the majority of people hustling. If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.
I started doing cocaine to get through interviews, 'cause people wanted to know a lot about my personal life and I wasn't prepared for a 60 Minutes interview every time. Doing bumps I was able to get through the day, but then I would smoke weed to calm me down - it was the only way I could get through the day without people noticing I was doing it.
I went out of my way to make 'Immortal' sound perfect. 'Immortal,' 'Just What I Am,' and 'King Wizard,' those are perfect beats. Not a lot of people can perform on them. I say that meaning they're tailor-made for me.
I like being a consumer. I'll do collabs with brands I like, only because I would like something free to wear. But I don't want people to dress like me, which is what you're asking when you create a brand. The fashion industry's just a super-duper headache.
Emotion is what hip-hop thrives on. Don't you want your music to have emotion in it? People like to always throw some negative cloud over it. Doesn't even make sense.
And I try to piece the puzzle of the universe, Split an eight of shrooms just so I could see the universe !
I'm a dude who likes to create music with good feeling. I live like a chameleon through music. It all depends on what the beat tells me to do; that's why you're always gonna get passionate hooks, because I'm feeling the beats and the emotion behind the drums and melodies.
