What’s the west coast scene like these days?
It's clearly the best scene popping, again. Drake is from Toronto and he is the man right now, but he got a big-ass house out here, he knows what's up. In all seriousness though, it was looking bad for us when Biggie got killed on our turf. Then I would say Game was one of the first ones to bring the attention back when he dropped that Documentary album. Ten years later we got Kendrick who I feel is right up there with Drake, the rest of TDE, Odd Future. Even the most popular sound on the radio is all DJ Mustard-influenced, if he didn't do the beat himself. The game is ours again.
Can you explain the library metaphor in “Librarian Girl” for us?
Yeah, it's really simple. I think the intensity of the video throws people off a bit, but it's really just about messing with a girl and being low-key about it. Shit like that happens all the time these days. You never know who's messing around with who. "She told me don't be too loud" is the first bar on the song. They also tell you that in public libraries.
What do you feel sets you apart from the new wave of west coast rappers coming out right now?
Me just being myself sets me apart from everyone and everything. I believe everyone on this earth has some kind of a God-given gift and it's up to each person to find it. My music is just me telling my stories in the most creative way possible. That's why I'm not super-eager to sign a record deal if any amount of my creative control is the price of it because my creativity is what makes me me. Labels usually just want artists to make songs that generate money quickly. Hop on a Mustard beat, get some iTunes sales, radio and club spins, and three to five months later nobody wants to hear that song again. It's all about money and making it fast. That type of business is equivalent to the fast-food industry, which is known to make you unhealthy and kill you. I'm trying to make quality music that stand the test of time.
Who’s your favorite rapper of all time and why?
I suck at "favorite" questions but I'm going to go with Kanye. There are other rappers out there who are probably more lyrically skilled than Ye, but I feel like he is arguably the most influential artist that we've seen since Michael Jackson. I don't feel his 808s & Heartbreaks album gets enough credit, which I feel shifted hip-hop to the state it is in today. It's literally a singing rap album, which is all we see today. Rappers singing. Singers rapping. Thank Kanye for that.
What’s your favorite lyric you’ve ever written and why?
This answer will probably change by the time this interview is published, but right now it's definitely from the song "Beautiful", the sixth track off my upcoming EP Missing Assignments. "Been really tryna build hope my friends know / shit getting real looking out my window". It's not my most lyrical pair of bars but it speaks of everything I'm going through right now. There are a lot of my family and friends that sometimes make me feel like I forgot about them or stopped caring about them, which couldn't be further than the truth. I'm just on a mission. I'm not getting any younger and as a result of that my obsession for my craft increased, but a big part of that is all for them.
