I mean, there's plenty of artists who are making R&B music, but because of their ethnicity, it's considered something else.

I think in a world where everyone wants to categorize and compartmentalize and rationalize, it's OK to be different.

What is missing in a lot of urban music is perspective. You hear a lot of regurgitated perspective. It's a lot of: out at the club. Had drinks. Patrón. Big booties. It's this regurgitated idea of living in this, I don't know, one-night-stand moment that always starts at the club and Patrón. And so perspective, perspective, perspective is what I'm an advocate of.

I'm a big advocate of music being an honest representation of who you are as a person and your perspective.

I think my style as far as vocal delivery and even down to the pronunciation of certain words is so deliberate.

I feel that as artists - whatever your medium is - I feel that we're watching what goes on around us and we take what we don't see, or we don't hear, or we don't feel and we do something that speaks of it; more about it, for it, or against it - whatever our perspective is - that's what our job is.

Historically, black music has influenced other cultures and other genres and created other genres.