How did you come up with the visual concept for “Young”?
I always wanted to shoot a "one take" music video. I was first inspired by 2 Chainz to do it and further encouraged by the movie "Birdman." I wanted it to be cinematic, dark, mysterious, and interesting. I also wanted to introduce it in an abstract story, by personifying the emotions, instead of just filming a story. I wanted my audience to focus on the fine details and catch the various symbolism throughout. Chad Leto really helped me bring the concept to life, with his extraordinary camera work and his true understanding of my vision.
What do you think surprises listeners the most about you?
I think what surprises most listeners about me is my versatility. I notice that some may take one look at me and think they have the essence of iLL Nicky figured out, but I hit them with another level. They hear one song and say "oh he can rap" and then another and say "oh he can sing" and on another they will love the production. Then people will see how together my brand is as an independent artist. They see me rock large shows, and they see our merchandise and they hear me on other people’s records, and they see the creative music videos. So yeah, I think most people are surprised by my versatility and the many different levels to my brand.
You refer in the song to your dad owning a restaurant, alluding to a stigma you may have faced as a result. How has that affected your life?
It’s a beautiful thing. I never meant it as a complaint. I just wanted to address the fact, that my life could have had a different, easier plan. As a young Italian kid from Boston, most of my family is in the Italian restaurant business. My father moved us from Boston to The Bay to pursue an opportunity at the Italian restaurant, Il Fornaio. My brothers and I worked various positions there, since we were young kids. It was amazing, I had the privilege to take my friends to eat, for free. So people would see the nice Italian meals, and think life was a cake walk for me. I never had any interest in the restaurant business though. I wanted to be an entertainer my whole life, and when people would hold that against me, it would frustrate me. Like "oh I'm sorry you expect me to be something else." My mother and father have always been the ones to cook for everyone and clean up after everyone and I began to take on that role for the people in my life. Hospitality is in my blood, it's just the way I am, and the way I will always be. But I ain't never had any type of connection or help in this music industry, I've worked my ass off to get myself to where I am, and I will have to get myself to where I want to go. But let me know, I'll take y'all for a T-Bone any time, it's all good.
Who’s your favorite rapper ever and why?
I think my favorite rapper must be my boy Mikey Ceaser. I grew with him, and I know the insides and outs of his creative process. I've learned from him and been inspired by his abilities. He comes from the same place as me, struggling to be heard and believes in incredible work ethic with your craft, just like me. He's also a natural born entertainer, and I love watching him grow every day. We been thru hell and back together. And he always reminds me who I am, keeps me focused and motivates me to keep pushing forward. Shout out to my friend man.
Do you think there’s a noticeable difference in rap style between San Diego and the rest of California? Can you describe it?
There is definitely a difference in rap style between San Diego and other places in Cali. A couple reasons. For one, San Diego is a melting pot of artists. Many of us come from other cities but decided to settle here. So there is an incredible variety of flows, sounds, and styles. Those from here, harbor an impressive variety. There's always been dope Gangsta rap being put out in Southeast, but there's rap fused with Reggae in Ocean Beach, and there's smooth old school boom bap hip hop in North County, and there's Cholo Goth like PRAYERS and there's trap and EDM inspired productions all over the city. And secondly, artists here in the 619 are very hungry. We've been working for years and mainstream rap has never given us our recognition that we deserve. So the content is never saturated. Most artists discuss very real and raw subject matter.