21 Savage
Interview

21 Savage On 'Issa Album,' Jay-Z, & Business

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The "Bank Account" rapper talks about his debut full-length, lists his favorite ATL rappers and drops his hip-hop philosophy
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 12, 2017 - 11:18 am

At this point in the rich history of rap music, it's abundantly clear that there are many styles of the art form, with many more yet to be explored. The through-line is that successful rappers seem most confident at being one thing: themselves.

Enter 21 Savage. The Atlanta-based chartbuster with two No. 1 singles already, and a style — and swagger — all his own has been the man in-demand this year. Basically, if you haven't heard "Bank Account," or any one of Savage's collab hits with Drake, Post Malone or Future, you haven't been listening.

His debut full-length, Issa Album, just dropped in July, and it's all Savage — no features, no guests. But the rapper downplays this bold statement of standing on his own. "The way I look at it, it's just new music," Savage said of his latest release during a recent visit to the Recording Academy headquarters.

Issa Album also had the distinct pleasure — or perhaps challenge — of dropping the same day as Jay-Z's 4:44. Going toe-to-toe with Hova like that could not have been easy, but certain high-profile fans such as Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball gave 21 the edge. Ball said, "21 Savage's [album] is bumping more" than Jay's, causing quite the storm of reactions from the hip-hop and sports worlds. Savage's reaction to Ball's bold claim? Simple.

"That's how he feels, that's what it is. He likes it, that's his opinion."

But make no mistake, the young rapper has plenty of respect for Jay-Z.

"He grows, his music grows with him," Savage says of Jay-Z's ability to stay relevant. "He ain't just rapping about the same thing he was rapping about when he first came out, so that's what keeps it interesting, because as he grows as a man and does more stuff business-wise, he applies that to the music, so that's why I think he's been able to grow like that and stay around."

The album's first hit is also 21 Savage's biggest to date, "Bank Account." According to him, the process in the studio was a straightforward one.

"[Producer] Metro [Boomin] helped me make the beat and then he pulled it up and I started recording."

Savage and Metro have come up together, and both have become highly sought-after collaborators. Forbes recently even went as far as to suggest Metro might be "the next big star in hip-hop."

The raw bravado and fierce individuality behind 21 Savage's music has also helped him out on the business side. The deal he leveraged is remarkable, as he was able to stay independent with his label Slaughter Gang while landing distribution with Epic Records and keeping 100 percent ownership of his masters.

"I just go in with my best interest at heart," Savage says of the unprecedented terms he secured. "We went back and forth until we could get it to where I was comfortable. That's just the way it goes."

A native of Atlanta, Savage is quick to name his top five ATL rappers in the game right now: Future, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, Migos, and Young Nudy. But Savage's style stands out, reinforcing his philosophy.

"I feel like the game just don't respect us like they're supposed to. Y'all want everyone in the rap game to rap like each other," Savage told Genius. "Respect all the music the same, just because a n***** is not lyrical, that doesn't mean that it's not a good song, or it's not good music. If everybody was lyrical, everybody's songs would sound the same."

This philosophy on hip-hop opens the door for 21 Savage to go anywhere he wants from here. His next move takes him on a 22-city U.S. tour that starts Nov. 16 in Austin, Texas, and includes an appearance at the first ever Rolling Loud Festival in San Bernardino, Calif. alongside Future, Lil Uzi Vert, and Rae Sremmurd.

While Savage’s lasting impact on rap remains in the balance, his infectious shot of success this year is undeniable.

The War On Drugs
News

The War On Drugs: Adam Granduciel On New Album, Guitar & Tom Petty

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The low-key frontman talks shop on recording his band's latest release, 'A Deeper Understanding,' guitar candy and traveling the world
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 13, 2017 - 5:08 pm

Music is inextricably tied to location. From the Bakersfield sound and Seattle grunge to New York hardcore punk and West Coast rap, a city and its culture can shape a scene. For psychedelic-rock band The War On Drugs, the soulful and experimental musical mecca of Philadelphia has been home since their formation in 2005.

So when it came time for frontman Adam Granduciel to start creating what would become the band's fourth studio album, A Deeper Understanding, the choice to record in Los Angeles was truly a musical one. Rock albums by Granduciel's heroes, including Neil Young and Warren Zevon, captured a different sentiment that drew him in and ultimately helped shape the band's most inventive album to date, which Rolling Stone described as "an abstract-expressionist mural of synth-pop and heartland rock colored by bruised optimism and some of [Granduciel's] most generous, incandescent guitar ever."

We sat down with Granduciel recently at Recording Academy headquarters to talk about L.A.'s influence on A Deeper Understanding, how he likes to see the world on tour, what he'd ask Jimmy Iovine, and his parting thoughts on the loss of Tom Petty.

A Deeper Understanding's sonic layers are lush and mesmerizing but the songs they're built on are crafty, beautiful and dark. What was the biggest difference in the songwriting process between this album and 2013's Lost In The Dream?
I just wanted to be more prepared on my end so that if I was writing more and demoing stuff more, I could present [ideas] to the band and the spontaneity in the recording could be of a different sort.

I rented out my own studio in Los Angeles and tried to go every day, whether it [was] writing on the piano or guitar or work on demos. I started eight months before [while] on the road. I just ended up having more songs than I ever had in the past.

There's so much guitar candy on this record. What were the specific guitar influences for this album?
We did this benefit where Neil Young played as well. He was playing his classic Gretsch White Falcon guitar with the Bigsby [tremolo]. We were watching the dress rehearsal from the side stage. I was actually sitting on his amp rig and watching him rehearse. He was just going off with [the] bar. I was like, "Oh, it's so expressive." I have the same guitar but mine didn't have the bar. After that show, I put the Bigsby on that Gretsch of mine. Then, two nights later, we recorded three songs that are on the record. A lot of the inspiration [came] from that expressive quality of that Bigsby but I was [also] just thinking about all my favorite players, whether it was Neil or Mike Campbell — guys that use that bar and just try to find another way to connect with the guitar.

Speaking of Neil Young, in a Pitchfork interview you name-checked him and Warren Zevon for making "L.A. records." What effect do you think recording in L.A. had on A Deeper Understanding?
Well, I think a few things. First, I would always think of an L.A. record as "sunny" or something, but then I started thinking, "Well, my favorite records that were made here are dark and sad and lonely." I never really lived here before, so I didn't really think I understood. I think from an East Coast point of view, you'd be like, "Oh, a California record's a sunny record." It's like you spend three hours in the studio because the rest of the time you must be at the beach.

[But] the cool thing was that, unlike any other city, there [are] all these places in L.A. There are so many resources for a recording musician, like studios of all levels, you know? [There are] so many world-class studios, but I would never have been able to have rented the place that I rented out anywhere else. It was just this mid-level studio that is pretty much a stand-alone building on the East side with a really great mic collection, Pro Tools and two rooms. It wasn't fancy, but it was perfect for what I needed. I was able to bring my own stuff in. The ability to work every day was a big part of L.A.'s effect on my process and the band coming out from Philly once a month.

You have a fan in Jimmy Iovine. Have you met the man before? What would you ask him if you could?
Actually, I have, but in the moment I wasn't prepared to ask him anything. I guess I'm just a huge fan of all the records he made in the 70's. … Now, he's [a] larger-than-life figure but back then he was just like a kid who loved music and was probably just like all of us — trying to find out how to make a record. There's no formula for it. I guess I [would ask him about working with] Bruce [Springsteen] making Darkness [On The Edge Of Town].

You're on the road now, going across the U.S. and then heading to Europe. When you get to a town, what do you like to do to get a sense of the culture?
I like going out to find a local coffee shop. It's embarrassing to admit that I have an app called Beanhunter, which tells me the closest single-origin coffee I can get. Last tour, I really got into the whole sub-culture. I had the hand grinder and the single origin — then the Aeropress [coffee maker] and the scale.

I also love trying to find an awesome guitar shop because I just like to go in and play guitar for an hour or two. [And] record stores. Now, we actually have a backstage record player we tour with in its own case, so it makes buying records on the road a little easier because you actually can be like, "Oh, I want something to pump me up for tonight's show," or "tomorrow when we load in, I want to chill out to this."

One last question: We lost the great Tom Petty recently. How important was he to you as a songwriter and as an artist?
[He's] one of my favorites. ... He had a catalog of hits before I was of age. Then, when I was in my teens, Wildflowers came out [in 1994] — maybe to some it was like a new kind of Tom Petty, but it hit me so intensely when that record came out. It was like a reintroduction to a lot of different kinds of music for me. His band was so important to him. The Heartbreakers were what you imagine being in a band would be like — best buddies and great players and guys who took it all really seriously.

As he grew older, his material was just as relevant and just as exciting and the band's just as killer. … It seems surreal that there's no more Tom Petty, in person. It's true that the music lives on because [with] a guy like that, [there are] centuries of information there.

Fall Out Boy
Interview

Fall Out Boy Fall In On 'MANIA,' Kids Music & 'Star Wars'

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The GRAMMY-nominated quartet talk touring, new album, why Kanye West is the new Axl Rose, and making a difference through their #FOBChampion campaign
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 10, 2017 - 4:42 pm

Fall Out Boy have covered a lot of ground since their 2005 GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist. These darlings of modern pop/rock have blown up stages, charts and radio airwaves with hits like "Uma Thurman," "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" and "Centuries," survived a three-year hiatus and triumphantly returned stronger than ever.

Now in their 17th year as a band, Fall Out Boy are preparing for their world tour in support of their seventh studio album, MANIA, due out Jan. 19, 2018. Three of the four members are fathers, and being on the road is as much about maintaining connection with family as it is about connecting with audiences. With three singles from the new album already released — and a brand new philanthropic project, #FOBChampion, underway — Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Joe Trohman, and Andy Hurley, have plenty on their collective plate.

Fall Out Boy paid a visit to the Recording Academy headquarters in Santa Monica to perform an acoustic set and for a sit-down to discuss everything from their new album and tour to the music their kids can't resist, baseball and their favorite Star Wars character.

The MANIA tour begins in less than a month. What are the things that help you keep your sanity on the road?
Wentz: It's probably different for everybody. I know for sure like [the] phone and anything that can FaceTime home is good.

Stump: I don't know that I am particularly sane on the road, so I think this tour I'm making somewhat of an effort to maintain that. So I have a little day planner and I'm going to try to stick to that. That's like a big thing.

The new album arrives in January, but fans have already heard three of the songs. A recent Twitter poll showed "The Last Of The Real Ones" as the overall fan favorite. Which one is your favorite so far, and why?
Trohman: I'm gonna agree with the fans on this one. Fan favorite.

Stump: I feel like, in a lot of ways, our songs don't really become what they are until you play them live, and that was an amazing one. The first time we played it live it was like, "Oh, yeah, this one is special," because there's just something really natural about the way we play it. It's just fun and exciting for us.

What influence did producer Jesse Shatkin (Katy Perry, Sia) have on the sound of this album?
Wentz: Jesse's awesome. I think that it's a fine line finding somebody who understands pop music and pop radio but at the same time is super creative. Whatever direction you're headed in, he's like, "Let's steer that way." Especially being in a band, because there's obviously four distinct personalities and different instruments and he's really good at navigating that. You can definitely hear it in "Champion" for sure.

The VMA-nominated video for "Young And Menace" juxtaposes these odd monsters with a very real struggle of a broken family. Can you tell us where this concept came from?
Wentz: The first inception of it is like that moment in Elf where he's like, "Wait, I'm like not an elf," you know? What is the darker version of what that is? But I think that it's feeling like an outsider where you're supposed to feel at home, and you can apply it to our culture or the world or yourself.

That video was really important and then we just had these monster suits so now we're just kind of like, "Let's skateboard with these things" (laughs). These ideas have been less thoughtful.

The philanthropic work you're doing with #FOBChampion: How do you hope the campaign will spread a little light during dark times?
Wentz: We've always tried in different ways, but I think that we live in a culture where it's really easy to complain. And it's really easy to say thoughts and prayers about everything that happens, which I think is important, and I think it's important to motivate people, but it's also important to execute, you know? That's what we're trying to do with our fund, and especially [by] going locally and to individual markets on the tour where there's kids trying to do good and seeing their empathy. I think that's important to encourage.

You guys led "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" during the 7th-inning stretch at a Cubs game in September. Who's the best baseball player in the band? And the worst?
Wentz: I might be the biggest nut. I wouldn't say that I'm a total nut, but I grew up playing and stuff.

Stump: And I would be the worst at baseball. I think I would be an easy answer.

Hurley: Joe's surprisingly got a really accurate arm.

Trohman: Yes, I have good hand-eye coordination. I'm also good at any time I have an itch on my body — I know exactly how to scratch it immediately without missing and hitting a different part of my body (laughs).

Now that's a secret talent — impressive.
Trohman: Now it's publicly known.

What's the last great "new" song you heard by any artist?
Stump: I feel like this is one of the hardest questions to answer because when you're working on a record, I feel like you can't listen to anything else. There's so many mixes and things that you're going over, exchanging notes, "Oh, we're going to change this and change this … the new Fall Out Boy record (laughs)." I've listened to it a lot.

Trohman: That and we're probably all listening to like a different child's movie soundtrack on repeat.

Stump: Yes, that too.

Trohman: I think that's part of the problem because like three-quarters of us have little kids. So it's a demand always. It's a fight.

Stump: The soundtrack to "Super Why!" is great.

Trohman: I love the Moana soundtrack but that didn't come out recently, but it's great, and I listen to it at least 17 times an hour.

Stump: The weirdest thing is that my kids also [listen to] "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire. That we get all the time.

You've talked about how "genre is dead" and how rock and roll has become constricting. What is the most rock and roll thing left in our culture?
Wentz: I don't know if I'm the right person to answer the question, but I think that true rock and roll is this changing, evolving thing. So when I listen to Kanye West and see this guy's got a floating stage, I'm like, "That is pretty rock and roll."

Stump: I feel the stuff Kanye does on stage is very Axl Rose. … Everywhere we go people are always asking us about rock and roll as if it's this ancient thing that's not around anymore. We're like, "Nah, it's pretty alive. It just looks and sounds different and acts different, but it's very much the same stuff."

Wentz: I'm starting to think that they might consider us the rock and roll oracle. They come to us, and they're like, "what is rock and roll?" (laughs)

Lastly, toss-up question here: Who is your favorite Star Wars character of all time?
Stump: Oh wow … that's a really tough one. I'm just going to say Yoda. I really loved Yoda before I saw him fight. I mean, it was still cool. I don't hate the prequels as much as you're supposed to, but Yoda in [The] Empire [Strikes Back] is one of the best things ever.

Jay Z performs at Austin City Limits 2017
News

Jay Z Takes On A World Tour At Austin City Limits 2017

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Dropping hit tracks from a career stretching all that way back to 1996, the legendary lyricist reminded a packed Austin, Texas, crowd why he is one of the most honored rappers in GRAMMY history
Ogden Payne
GRAMMYs
Oct 8, 2017 - 10:57 am

For Jay Z, timing is everything. Throughout his two-decade-long career, his affinity for punctuality has trickled down to his fans, largely due to the extensive timepiece collection he often references, and the titling of his latest album.

Privy to this detail, festivalgoers at Austin City Limits 2017 sprinted across Zilker Park to ensure they did not miss the opening notes of his set, scheduled for 8:15 p.m. But as the official call time passed, it was apparent that for Jay Z fans, patience is a virtue.

At 8:27, the black veil covering the American Express stage dropped, revealing an oversized black balloon animal, shaped like a dog, sculpted by artist Jeff Koons. Shoulders swaying, Jay Z leisurely strolled to center stage, clad in a white T-shirt, black jeans, high-top Nikes, and his signature Roc Nation hat. As he scanned the crowd, a faint smirk appeared.

Jay Z at ACL 2017, Sculpture by Jeff Koons

As the quacking claps of his GRAMMY-winning song "Run This Town" underscored the deafening praise from the crowd, an unspoken pact was made: For the next hour and a half, Shawn "Jay Z" Carter called the shots.

While Shawn Carter may be a man of punctuality, Jay Z lives by his own rules. The two personas battle one another in an internal paradox that plays itself out in the rapper’s latest effort, 4:44, and oozed into his ACL performance.

The Brooklyn, N.Y., native used his set list to take Austinites on a round-trip flight across the world, beginning by lyrically listing his illicit activities in Marcy Projects to boasting about his aristocratic experiences in Paris. Songs of remorse and vulnerability were sprinkled in between his most popular cuts, including the GRAMMY-winning collaboration with Alicia Keys, "Empire State Of Mind."

At Jay’s behest, attendees across the park raised their arms and put their index fingers and thumbs together to form the immortal Roc-A-Fella diamond. Though the dynasty he built with former business partner Dame Dash is no more, Jay Z’s effortless mix of music and business permeated across cultures and prompted fans, some half his age, to commit his lyrics to memory. 

"His music grows with him," 21 Savage told GRAMMY.com of Jay Z's ability to stay relevant. "He ain't just rapping about the same thing he was rapping about when he first came out, so that’s what keeps it interesting, because as he grows as a man and does more stuff business-wise, he applies that to the music, so that's why I think he’s been able to grow like that and stay around."

"I told you [in] ‘96 that I came to take this s***, and I did!” Jay emphatically declared during his live rendition of "Heart Of The City."

At the time he originally recorded the track in 2001, the statement might not have been more than bravado. Now, his 21-year-long résumé confirms his spot atop hip-hop's throne. Since the release of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996, Jay has garnered 21 GRAMMY wins alongside fourteen No. 1 albums, selling more than 36 million units worldwide. Just days before his highly anticipated album 4:44 was due, he received the title as the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Who Are The Top GRAMMY Winners Of All Time?

"I remember when rap was said to be a fad," he wrote on Twitter. "We are now alongside some of the greatest writers in history."

Jay Z's point of view often came from that of a have-not, "from the school of the hard knocks." However, his rock-influenced production of “99 Problems” and emotional tribute to friend and collaborator Chester Bennington proved that his vast catalog resonates with people from all walks of life.

Jay Z at Austin City Limits 2017

As hundreds of thousands of fans piled out of Zilker Park, phrases of awe pervaded conversations. In years to come, many will study the Jay Z blueprint in the hopes to replicate his savvy and success, while pondering what the key ingredient has been to his 20-plus-year career in the music business.

As he once told Forbes, "The genius thing that we did was we didn't give up."

See All Of Our Coverage Of Austin City Limits 2017

CyHi The Prynce
News

CyHi The Prynce On Kanye Brainstorms, Lil Wayne Tour, 'Nu Africa'

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The Atlanta rapper speaks on the music biz, owing his discovery to Beyoncé, empowering Kanye, and how his new album will change lives
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 6, 2017 - 2:35 pm

CyHi The Prynce is not new to the game. The Stone Mountain, Ga., rapper's prolific decade-long career has yielded a steady flow of lyrical mixtapes, high-profile collaborations, and praise from the likes of Beyoncé and Kanye West. But with a bold, conceptual full-length debut album on the way, in a way Prynce is just getting started.

If his latest singles, "Movin' Around" featuring ScHoolBoy Q and "Nu Africa," are any indication, CyHi The Prynce's upcoming album will be impossible to ignore. While an exact release date for No Dope On Sundays is TBA, Prynce's concept of community in action is very clear. The five-time GRAMMY nominee — all five as a credited songwriter for Best Rap Song — plans to bring his Midas touch from behind-the-scenes to the main stage on his long awaited full-length debut.

In this exclusive interview with CyHi The Prynce, he speaks the truth behind the Atlanta rap industry, how he empowered West to speak his mind on hits like "New Slaves" and "I Am A God," recalls life on tour with Lil Wayne, and proclaims his love for some rather unexpected musical inspirations.

Your new album No Dope On Sundays seems like it's going to explode. Why do you feel it's going to change people's lives?
I think No Dope On Sundays is a great topic that's not just me rapping. I really wanted to be able to touch people in certain ways and touch my community in a certain way where we work on ourselves through our music. I think a lot of times when people listen to me, it's a very intimate moment. They might not have a lot of friends around or whatnot, but I wanted this concept to also be able to teach something and be able to learn something, and be able to learn from it, but also it'd be something where everybody can listen to it at once. So I put a bunch of different vibes … it's gonna reach every genre and every human being from every race, so I'm glad. I'm happy.

"Nu Africa" is bold, imaginative and fun. If you had to pick, which one of the hypotheticals in the lyrics is your favorite?
The first line: "Imagine if all the actors and athletes would go back and talk to all the ambassadors." You know what I'm sayin' … it's a lane that I feel like hasn't been tapped into and its potential hasn't been tapped into. I think there's a lot of things that me and my people are concerned about here, but there you could expedite it other places. Say in Africa where it's free [and] there's land. You could go back and tell them, 'Hey, this is what we're trying to do, we're gonna donate money, we wanna bring these resources,' and I think they'd be very inclined to it.

But I also wanted to do it in a fun way where it wasn't too heavy-handed, but also just giving them their imagination. … It's not like it's an exodus or something. It's something you can create in your own community. I feel like the Jewish community has a dope community like that, you might go to New York and they have Chinatown, you know what I mean? Just create that culture where if anyone wants to come get some culture from hip-hop or anything, you come to us and we can give you the inside scoop on it. So I think that's what the main reason for that song, and the main direction I was thinking when I made it.

Yeah, it's a real thought-starter …
I always say, "You can't tell nobody to cut their grass unless you cut your own." So a lot of times we have to also understand after we do express our differences and our concerns, how do we go back to the table and rectify them and just not just voice our opinion. That's what I like to do. I say I'm the Navy Seal of my community. The Army is those that march or those that speak out, but I'm the one who really goes and gets the job done.

Where does Atlanta sit as one of rap's capital cities now, compared to when you entered the game almost a decade ago?
Well, I think Atlanta has so much culture and you know I would like to say this — it's very touchy but I want to say it. ... You know, we don't have as many black executives or executives in Atlanta. It's just the executives are probably in New York and California and they'll fly there. So a lot of times we have to make our own executives. A lot of times that takes a lot of hard work and it takes a lot of, I would say from my culture, "penitentiary chances" — you know, where guys are doing anything to come up with this money to be able to fund their studio, to be able to market their project, to be able to do all these things. So a lot of times, people want to know why our city is flourishing because we have the hustle of doing it all ourself. So when you do it all yourself and you have different individuals you're rubbing shoulders with, and we're all into that, I think it builds up a platform that we can showcase our artists, and then other labels come down and, you know, joint venture deals and different things.

So I think in a nutshell, its just that environment of swag and talking crap and coming up with these songs and having fun. ... It's just very country but also soulful. I think that's how we keep it all together with all those different things around it that keeps the culture vibing.

So, Kanye told you that you owe your career to Beyoncé for telling him to sign you, but what do you feel you owe Kanye for the influence he's had on your career?
My life. I just think him just being able to teach me how to even communicate with the producers and the engineers [was so important]. Like I didn't know what reverb meant and 808s and 909s and toms ... it's just all these things that he knows and I thought most rappers don't know. But to be able to show me everything, how to put this album together, how to put these songs together and being able to communicate with the writers and the artists and the producers and the engineers, I just think that education is invaluable, like I can't put a price tag on that. I just learned so much and I'm still learning every day, so I think he's the greatest.

With the five GRAMMY nominations as a writer for Kanye songs, what do you feel he's learned from you?
At the end of the day, I think I'm a very out-of-the-box thinker. A lot of people don't know, if you listen to my mixtapes and you listen to his albums, you can tell there's a conversation going on in the studio, and that's what he likes. He likes to come in the room with different people from different walks of life and brainstorm, and that's mostly the album. Eighty percent of his albums are brainstorm. There's only 20 percent of us actually doing something. Most of it's like, the thoughts, the thoughts, the thoughts. The easy part is executing them, but the hard part is really coming up with what he wants to do.

What I like to do is challenge him, like, "Naw, you can't say new slaves. Yeah you can say I'm a God." "What you mean, you can't say that?" "Oh, you, what you wanna say, I'm a gangster?" When he said that, that was a real conversation. "What you a criminal? What, you a n*****? Like, what is it? Oh, you want to think of yourself to be the highest being, you shoot for the moon and fall among the stars." That is what we were talking about … people were in the room who were Christian and who were other different religions that were rubbed the wrong way and we had to have those conversations, so that is what I think that he got me in there for — to really cut that ice, you know what I mean, to actually get to the meat of the song and the root of the songs. I think Yeezus was the first time you probably heard that influence. ...

What hobbies do you have outside of music?
Outside of music, I'm very regular. I'm very go to the movies. I like to fish. I water my plants, I kiss my girl on the forehead, and I write. I write because I told myself if they write another bible, I want to be in it. If they write a Last Testament, my name has to come across one of them books, so that's why I'm here to write. I don’t have any other hobbies but to destroy rappers, that's my biggest hobby.

You toured with Lil Wayne earlier this summer. Any crazy memories from that tour?
We were on different schedules, and I had so much promo to do in between the dates we didn't really get to hang out like we should. But what I learned from him is he performs like it's his first show every show. I've never seen anybody do that. You're Lil Wayne, you can go in there and just swag out, he's in there like, "Wayne, it's not that serious. You're Lil Wayne. The tickets already sold here."

But it doesn't matter if it's a small venue of 20 people to a million people, he gives a show, man. I was impressed … and his voice still sounds immaculate. Like man, this guy's incredible. He doesn't get old. That's what I learned from him, the professionalism. He comes onstage and gives it every night.

You played football growing up. Who's your NFL team, and what is your pick for Super Bowl LII?
You gotta go with Tom [Brady and the New England Patriots], unfortunately. But my favorite team is … I'm from Atlanta, I like the Falcons, but I played park ball for a team called the Central Dekalb Cardinals, so I love the Arizona Cardinals.

What are three things you're inspired by right now?
I love Valerie June, I don't know if you guys ever heard of her, she's a country singer. She probably thinks I'm obsessed with her because I mention her every time somebody asks me, I just love her music.

I've been listening to a lot of '60s music, I've been trying to go into that lane.

And I love Fela Kuti. I could just listen to his music all day and just work and write raps. Those are my three inspirations right now.