Hoodie Allen Quotes

I'm a Jewish kid who grew up loving hip hop in NY.

I really embrace things that I think people who like music can relate to, they grew up with the same stuff and know the same references so when they hear it being used as a metaphor to something else they'll be like that's unique, or funny or something that's relatable to me.

I am really obsessed with finding melodies that just hypnotize you and sink you into a song.

I like to write from my life and the relationships that make it up. I think its important to use music to change people's moods. I try to write my story in a way that people can take for themselves and their own life.

It's always really cool when you get to play with someone who you like and they go out of their way to be nice to you; it's not just a 'oh I played with them but I didn't meet them' sort of situation, so shout out to those guys for being awesome.

My eclectic taste allows me to do something unique and not box myself in.

I've kind of shut myself off to a lot of new music because I don't want to be influenced by it.

All songs have those X factors. I couldn't even explain or describe what will grab me about them but it's all music that I'm usually listening to. I'm always looking there to hear new music and see what's going on so that's usually when I'll hear something and be like "Wow, that melody is really crazy.

I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through my friends and fell in love with it.

I never want a fan to come and hear what they hear on their iPod, its about creating a unqiue and awesome experience.

Rap is my most used medium but I don't think I approach music like a rapper would.

I am very lucky to have people who care about me and care about my music. I think it would be irresponsible to not show them as much love back as they show me.

I guess this is cliche, but I'd love to work with Kanye West, Mark Ronson, Diplo.

I love having fans of all ages but it's especially cool for me to have young fans. I hope to be a role model for kids who want to follow their dreams.

My biggest regret is probably that it took me so long to find out what I want to do.

In terms of everything, I'm happy and stand behind my video. If you can't tell we had a lot of fun doing it and you want to nitpick - I don't know. That's why you exist on the internet and not anywhere else.

I'll say this: Google is the best 9-5 anyone could ever get. Awesome environment, I loved my time there, but I grew up with my dream to pursue music full time.

I am a musician, a songwriter, music fan. I live in New York City and I love my job.

I feel like I have a very unique perspective especially for someone in the hip-hop genre. I'm not afraid to explore it, and how my upbringing then shapes my music and being a New York kid and all of that stuff...that's really the most unique thing I can offer to the music in general.

I get to focus on something I love to do 24-hours a day rather than trying to squeeze it in between midterms, or even during my normal workday. When I was at Google it was like you wake up at 7 and then you get home by 7 and you start your second job of music. So now I get to focus all my efforts on music, travel and play shows and do all of this stuff. That's the difference - That's all my life is, all day.

Treat every person you interact with, with the same sort of attention and respect which you hope they will give to you.

I've been writing songs and making music since I was probably ten years old...so my inspirations back then, I don't know - I guess it was something that was innate. I was really shaped to make hip-hop music and love hip hop.

Its important to follow your dreams whatever that may be.

I think experimentation with other stuff is great. My real focus has been more-so trying to create a sound that I can build upon and get really comfortable with. I think almost everything is experimentation 'til you find what it is that your sound is.

My fans are the only people who will be with me forever, all else comes and goes.

The cool thing about college tours is you make friends with a lot of other artists because the schools come in and they're looking to make a diverse grouping together and then it works out for everyone.

I've basically been able to do everything, I basically run my own career and the decisions I make - whether it's how I'm gonna roll out music, how I'm gonna play on tours, different strategies for releasing and marketing things - and that comes from being college educated and someone who's interested in that side of the business rather than only the music. If anything I think that's where the biggest direct influence comes from.

Hoodie was just a nickname I had growing up and I just wanted to have a name that would stick in peoples' minds and be a little bit funny and representative of who I am.

Bloggers are people too you rappers!

I think my music is born out of the music that I personally like to listen to. I love amazing singer-songwriters and diverse artists but it's important to know your strengths.

The blogosphere gives me my life, I am fortunate to have developed relationships with great websites who allow me to reach a whole ton of new people everyday.

I try not to listen to a lot of music when I'm starting the recording process, because it can be so subtly influential.

People don't realize that there's no label and everything is self-financed and we make do and do our own thing. I was just happy to do my first video, I thought it was a fun experience.

I do all of marketing and promotion - it's the most exhaustive and rewarding part of the process and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The artist should be the person representing their brand because theyre the best person to do so.

Money isnt what drives me, getting fans who truly understand what I'm about and want to see me live is where my head is at.

It's unfair of me to tell anyone what to think. I make myself for myself to get out my own desire to create and make sense of things in life. Hopefully, it does the same for others.

I think the craziest thing I've seen is probably a fan sleeping overnight for two nights before a show, which was probably a bit excessive - they still probably could have been first either way! But I guess it turned into a really exciting, sort of, camping-out trip for them so it was cool.

I'm only concerned with making music that I love and that my fans will respond to. I am happy to see other really good young artists able to flourish and pursue their careers.

It's easy to choose doing what you love when there are people out there supporting you.

I'm treating every day as a special one and trying to live in the moment.

There're always some notorious people in the crew who are doing crazy things, but I try to keep it a little more low-key. My crazy thing is always just the show and putting all my energy into it.