That's why I like to read a lot. That's why I try to keep up on current events, what's going on in the world with the elections and the politicians and business people, because I feel like it's my duty to spread that. I feel like it's my duty to speak on that even if I'm never asked, because I'm representing the people. I don't want to be in a position where I have no knowledge.

Honestly, I'm on the road so much that I never really get a chance to go to baseball games.

I guess now music is so saturated and so microwaved. It's, like, 15 minutes in the microwave and boom, you've got something. Nobody's putting passion or any thought behind it anymore.

In middle school, I had an '87 Regal. That was unheard of.

A lot of things come with fame, whether it's losing friends or losing family. You still gotta stand up and be that guy even when you ain't having great things. Because you've gotta be the spokesperson for your people.

Sometimes when people get success they forget about the people that pointed them there or championed them into this position. I pride myself on really understanding. I wouldn't even call it keeping it real. I just call it keeping it me. When they tell me, "You're doing what you're supposed to do," it makes me go ten times even harder, because I know that there are people on the sidelines and they're watching me. They're cheering for me. I want to be the best me I could possibly be when it comes to them.

It wasn't necessary to speak on the recession, you know what I mean, but I just though it made a lot of sense. I was like, "okay, cool," I'm going to go with this approach for the name of the album [ The Recession].