My mom had me at a young age, like 20, and she was the oldest child. All her brothers were seven and 10, so I was like a younger brother more so than the oldest child. I was the younger brother to all my uncles, so they were going through their childhood and their teenage years, and I was right there.

My core thing is gangster rap, but a lot of my music is melodic and carries a message of survival.

Lil Wayne makes good music. He's one of the best rappers.

I've been known not to bite my tongue.

I'm cool with doing shows with 2,000 people. I don't have to rap in a stadium. As long as I can provide for my family and my art and live comfortably and live well, then I'm good.

I'd be a liar if I didn't say I learned things from Jeezy. Hell yeah, I took some things, some pluses and some minuses, do's and don'ts.

I don't really know what a debut album is no more. As long as you got music on the streets, you've debuted.

My TV stays locked at 'SportsCenter.' That and 'Pardon the Interruption.'

There's some dudes that did Gangsta Grillz tapes who probably weren't worthy of it - their label just put up the bread, or they did a favor.

My father took me to a lot of sports events as a child, and our TV stayed on ESPN.

'Pinata' is a great rap record for jazz fans.

I love Lil Wayne. I grew up on the Hot Boyz.

Sports is one of the keys to my life. It definitely kept me out of a lot of trouble and gave me a lot of discipline.

I just have to go against the grain. I mean, I can be objective and do what I need to do, handle my everyday living, follow directions, etc. But there's something that's always been attracted to that taboo. It's been like that since I was a child.

Just give me a mic, and I'll rock it.

Scarface is my favorite rapper.

I'm not a big video game dude though, but I like 'Madden.'

Eminem heard my music, and he didn't wanna take a meeting with me.

Every project might only sell like 30 to 50,000, but I mean, I'm getting seven, eight dollars every CD. I make more money per record than an artist on a major label - I can definitely say that.

I went to a Bulls game when it was still in Chicago Stadium before they built the United Center.

Nobody else was saying what he said on air, and sometimes he pushed the envelope when he said the newest Jay Z line with a Michael Jordan highlight. But Stuart Scott was an artist.

I'm from Gary, Indiana, and everybody's damn near at the poverty level. It's a rough city to grow up in, and it's a modern-day ghost town.

You've got a lot of Tupac clones, but I don't think I'm one of them. I just think I give people a little piece of the feeling he gave them.

When everybody goes left, I'm gonna go right most of the time.

Probably dancing to Cassie's 'Me & U' - That's my guilty pleasure.

I've been interested in basketball since I was a little kid - like, 3. The Bulls were my team. If you grew up in Gary, the Bulls were everybody's team.

'Kind of Blue' is one of the best records of all time. Miles' use of space is something rap fans can definitely appreciate. Sometimes you have to let the track breathe and throw a melody in here and there. He never did too much on 'Kind of Blue.' It's the perfect vibe.

Madlib isn't a beatmaker, he's a producer.

A lot of improvisation and freedom went into 'Pinata.'

Ninety percent of the general public aren't gangstas, so all of the rappers aren't going to be gangstas.

I study my competition for at least an hour a day. I get on the Internet, I look at what they doing, and then I look at ways to defeat them. I know their mixtapes track-by-track. I know some of their lyrics.

I wasn't fully aware of the things that Madlib did musically, but my manager put me up on game. I'm not gonna act like I was a Madlib head when I wasn't. I didn't understand a lot of it at first. But it opened my mind to some things, and it's me bringing that gangster element to things that he does. It's like a perfect marriage.

I tried to watch 'Inception,' but I fell asleep.

He's been my number one influence. If you say Tupac didn't influence you, then you don't really need to be rapping because nobody evokes that kind of emotion on a track like Tupac does.

I like A$AP Rocky and his stuff - Kendrick too.

I played wide receiver in high school; then I went to college at Ball State and played safety.

I always knew that I would be some type of public figure, but I never knew that it would be rapping, 'cause my dad sang: I saw him deal with the ills of the music industry, just on the outside looking in.

I'm a loyal dude.

The neck is not something you should have surgery on that much.

The Bears need to let me be GM.

I still bump 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' I used to listen to it before all my football games.

Drake makes some dope songs.

I don't like rap that doesn't have a story behind it.

When you go to places like Gary and Detroit, you see the economic problem in this country and who it's really affecting.

I ain't never detached myself from Gary.

I've always played that role in my family: the breadwinner.

We have good, neighborly people in Gary.

Ain't nothin' changed with me. I'm Eastside Gary til I die.

When I first came in the game, I had a bunch of homies that rapped that was hanging around me just because I was getting the rap attention, and they felt they could feed off of that.

I don't mind travelling. I'm independent, so I gotta get on the grind.