Say an A&R person wants me to do this type of song because they feel it is going to work on the radio, I guarantee you that unless the song is real, there is nothing wrong with having success and I want to be successful. That is why I am, but I do it my own way.

A lot of artists are scared to do that, they are scared to step out on their own. What am I the super villain of western Canada is that what I am? Is Classified the clean cut, staying true to his roots, hip hop guy from the East coast that stays in his lane and he made it big staying true to what he did and didn't make corny music? Then that is what he is and I am proud of him for that.

You have to understand for my whole life I have been romanticized by this other side of the fence. This whole darker, egotistically, sort of mean world. I fully embraced that world and three or four years ago I completely walked away from that world, literally.

I am responsible for what happened to me but if I was to stay there it is kind of a constant reminder and it is very easy.... You know the new song is called Mental.... I am not trying to hide from people that I have OCD, and I don't think that I am a completely normal person.

I promised myself as a kid that I would not become that guy. So I have my finger on the pulse of what is going on and I love relevant music today. We are talking about artists like Kendrick Lamar, School Boy Q, Absoul, that whole crew. Of course Evidence and Alchemist, those guys are my brothers and I love those guys, they have been lifelong friends but I have always sort of looked up to them artistically.

My music is very edgy and the energy is very raw, but I am also getting out this positive message without being a teacher. I don't want to hear anybody preach or teach things to me, especially when I was a kid. But there are messages that people are grabbing onto without me even realizing that they are messages.

I walked away from everybody I knew. I locked myself in a loft that I rented, like I told you, where I was rolling quarters for cigarettes. I was having to borrow money off of the rent guy... the real estate agent that was renting me the loft.