Future's not everybody. The people who are taking my style are like my babies. I've got a tribe of kids that want to be like me... But I understand why people want to imitate the things I do. They're dope. It comes naturally to me. My fans can expect greatness. If I wasn't me, I would want to be me.
I want that longevity in the career, so if you don't know how to get it, you trying to chase that high, you trying to continue to chase your dreams and conquer things you never thought you could get. And you just want to get there too soon, so you taking the wrong moves to try and compensate what's not happening.
I like all types of women. I accept them as they are when they come into my life... But I'm not a romantic. I'm just up-front. I like to be a part of something real, not make-believe. I tell women to tell me the truth, to just lay it out. Let me be the judge and decide if I want you around or not. Let me have my choice.
I'm putting everything on the line in being able to express myself in a different way than rappers normally do. They might say, 'It's rap' or 'It's R&B,' but I'm stepping outside the box and making music for me and making music for the fans to understand me. I'm going the extra distance to be able to come across different.
I was probably 15 when I started going to the studio with the older cats in my neighborhood. They heard me rap outside one time; I was just freestyling. And they invited me to the studio. It's good when you're accepted, no matter what crowd. That's the first step of believing you can do whatever you feel like putting your mind to.
I was drawn to love songs, but I was just drawn to great music - no matter if it's hip-hop, pop, R&B or whether it's rock n' roll or country. It could be a Garth Brooks song, and if it's a smash, then I'll love the different wordplay and different melodies. That's what I'm a fan of - great music.
I want to have bosses around me, 'cause at the end of the day, 10 years from now, 20 years from now, you want to make relationships to keep 'em, you know what I'm saying. So I make my relationships to keep 'em - all my relationships - not try to burn bridges that you may need to cross over one day.
That's that Dungeon Family ethos: being able to reinvent yourself, stand out and stand alone. Having your own character and having your own image, no matter what they say about you. I want to show my versatility and how diverse I am, how I approach the track, my rhythm, my melodies. It's something different.
The hardest part of fame and success is adapting to the people around you that's changing. It changes the way people look at you from how they used to look at you. They listen to you on the radio, they look at you on TV and when people speak on you in a good light, you have a couple people who hold grudges.