I don't hate any sort of music but I just think that the lyricism needs to be in the forefront.
Joell OrtizIf you can perfect the booth, the stage and just your persona, like maybe in interviews and when people talk to you, then you're a full well-rounded emcee in my opinion.
Joell OrtizI'm really, really, really, really conservative with money. I got to give myself a lot of excuses to spend money, because I come from nothin'.
Joell OrtizWhat inspired me as a child is the same thing that inspires me now: being nice. I always try to one up everybody with verses and be lyrical and just stand for the art.
Joell OrtizHip-hop definitely saved my life. Being able to write about the things I was doing, the things I was seein' and all that stuff, putting that on paper and coming into my own as Joell Ortiz. That's why I don't have a stage name, because I chose to talk about everything under the sun that happened to me or next to me in my music.
Joell Ortiz