I'm from New York and I love New York and I'm always repping New York, but what I represent is something deeper than just being a New York rapper.

I've been into fashion since birth. I grew up in the 'hood, and everybody in the 'hood wants to compensate for being in poverty, so they want to look good to keep themselves up.

I was ashamed to let anyone know that I was living in a shelter. I remember one time coming home and some kids saw me and were like, "What you doing here? This is a shelter!" But I was like, "My mom's working there." It was pretty embarrassing.

For me, growing up in Harlem and then migrating down to SoHo and the Lower East Side and chillin' down there and making that my stomping ground... That was a big thing, because I'm from Harlem, and downtown is more artsy and also more open-minded. So I got the best of both worlds.

I was thinking about naming my child Kanye.

Everybody should be able to enjoy their life, because you only live once. So I just want to get it all out there and be the best role model that I can be, if people want to put me in that kind of predicament. I mean, I didn't ask to be a role model, because I'm not perfect.

When I started, I was 23 years old directing my own music videos; I'm co-producing on my album; I'm hands-on with everything. I'm more than just a pretty boy: I'm an artist. I'm not saying I'm a hip-hop music artist, I'm an artiste.