I try to make music that's really real. I've always liked music that makes me feel something. I'm not a brain first, music second person.

All the pressure I have is from myself. I have a lot of pressure inside me. I wanna be great. I don't wanna be average.

I would just like to see hip-hop journalism in general take a step up and match the artistry. There have been great writers in music who are the caliber of artist as a writer as the people that they're covering.

Strategies are great, business models are great, but the reality is your music has to mean something to people.

If you don't believe inside yourself that you can learn a lot, nobody's ever going to do that for you. Nobody's ever gonna give you self drive. Nobody's ever gonna give you self esteem. Nobody's ever gonna give you your self worth. You have to set it for yourself.

I've always loved independent music stores because the staff is usually there because of a genuine love and appreciation for music. They're more in-tune with the customers and I'm willing to pay the extra dollar or two for the service they provide. Some of my greatest music discoveries have come from picking up an album at an indy store and the cat behind the register saying "You like this man? Have you heard of so-and-so?" I prefer to shop where people understand me and the music- the music i like.

The key is always the actual art itself, the actual music. There are all these myths out here that like, if you do this little trick, if you use this little strategy, it'll do it for you.