There are situations where I'm uncomfortable saying, "I'm a hip-hop artist." In some circles, the response is like, "Oh, OK, so... you have whores and your ties are shiny?"

You feel pressured to do what you think the public wants, when in actuality the sales aren't reflecting what the radio is doing. Not in the least bit!

I mostly write to music, even though I know I sound free-form a lot. Then there are times when I'll have a concept and hold on to it until I come across the right music that makes a marriage.

Radio makes it appear like you can get some sounds in a laptop and be the next dude. Those careers don't really last.

When new artists come out and they're not being cosigned or some company doesn't have a stake in it, or someone's not getting paid under the table to produce the whole record or bring it to video, the artist really suffers.

There are situations where I'm uncomfortable saying, "I'm a hip-hop artist." In some circles, the response is like, "Oh, OK, so... you have whores and your ties are shiny?"

The battle thing is very important in hip-hop, but at the same time, I want to sit down and have a beer and listen to Rakim.