Do you think you have a perfect album in you? What do you think it’s going to take to get the perfect album out of you?
The talent, the experience; I don’t know honestly. I feel like I have to live more. See more things. More people, more cultures to compare to my own. At the end of the day I feel like I make great-ass music, and with the right mind state and production, anything is possible.
What do you think is the biggest obstacle facing young black teenagers today and why?
The violence, the black on black crime; we kill each other every day but turn around blame others for the way things turn out. The system’s already halfway designed for us to fail anyways, and we are not helping shit out by killing each other over almost nothing. I’m not into telling people what they should or shouldn’t do or how to act or anything like that. I just don’t like the senseless violence that plagues almost every black neighborhood.
Name three artists you’d collaborate with on your dream album and why?
Nas, because he’s one of my all-time favorite rappers and the records he puts out are timeless. Damn near every record, in my eyes, is a classic. Foreign Exchange, because Phonte is my probably my favorite rapper of all time and the music him and Nicolay create is amazing to say the least. I feel like the vibes would hella dope, marijuana or not. Peanut Butter Wolf. I’m a big Stones Throw fan. That was all I used to listen to growing up. He’s one of those great producers who never really gets the credit he deserves. There would not be a lot of West Coast artists today doing their thing on an indie level had it not been for PBW opening the gate. And Marsha Floetry gets an honorable mention. I love Floetry – both though, not just Marsha.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Put out more music, do more shows out of state. Really make that push for a wider audience to start hearing my music. I want to go on tour. Even if I got to set it up myself. 30-40 heads a show, I don’t care. I feel like the experience would make everything well worth it. The main thing I want to continue to do is stay out of trouble though honestly. I’ve had a few slip-ups but nothing major in a while and I’m damn proud of myself. That’s pretty much it. Put out solid-ass music while staying out of trouble.