On falling in love with his now wife at nine-years-old…
It’s funny, my story, I don’t think a lot of people know this, but when I was a kid I danced, that was my thing. I would say I was a dancer before I was a singer or a rapper or a poet or anything. The first time I saw my wife she was dancing at a party when we were nine-years-old. So dance has always been a big part of who I am beyond just me, within my family in all kinds of ways. Sometimes I feel like the writing part is separate from the dancing part. Like there’s the duality in certain songs of like, “Yeah, I’m just, I’m rapping. I’m saying what I’m saying.” It’s well written. It’s clever, it’s real. It’s deep. But then other moments where it’s like, I really wanted to work as a producer and build these tracks up to be stuff that can get played on your wedding day, can get played on the day when you bring your kid home for the first time or at a soccer game or at, you know, just skateboarding or whatever you want to do. To give them the music that makes you feel like movement. You know? Nine years old. For me it was [love at first sight], she didn’t see me or notice me. I knew what was going on. She just had to catch up.
On the union of marriage being important to him…
I think I’m the type of dude, who always thought I was going to get married. My parents have been married my whole life. Just being honest, like I didn’t, even though I was with my wife for a long time, I didn’t know for sure I got a second chance. That’s really what it was, was like, I think I always knew that I would marry my wife, and I think I was interested in how much time I had and trying not to make the wrong decision and stuff like that. But I was, I was extended grace and was able to get back with her and not ruin my life…My wedding was the best wedding of all time. They need to make a movie about it. When you’re in that moment, and it’s your day, the way that you dance, is usually the best dancing, I would say, that you’ll do in your life. And the type of music that was playing was very, very similar to what’s on the album and very, very inspirational to the music that’s on this album.
On fame, his proposal photos going public and how they inspired his album cover…
The first photos that came out of me proposing to my wife were posted by friends of mine and I don’t think that they knew that it was impersonal. It didn’t upset me. Like there was no TMZ at my Grandmother’s house so like but there is a level of fandom of capitalism of just like people selling, buying, buying and selling music and use it at any different capacity at the jump off. So there’s people that follow my friends that aren’t in the industry at all, wait for things like that to happen and then they repost and repost until it makes it to The Shade Room and things like that. I wasn’t upset with them because it wasn’t their fault. Sometimes things just can’t be how you want them to be. But I think it was also cool because then the pictures that my friends took in the backyard ended up being the model from my album cover. My issue isn’t at all with fame. I understand what it is and I think I’ve understood what it was for a long time. So I have a great relationship with fame. I can manipulate it when I want. I can, the issue is when it manipulates me.
On why an album and not a mixtape…
I would write a completely different Colouring Book right now if I could. It would have a lot more information on it. And the same thing for Acid Rap. I know a lot more about everything than I knew when I was 19 or 20 or 23. Like just music is everywhere. So now, it’s like literally just in the air. Like I wanted to give people something that they could have, that they could move around with, that they could take with them for the rest of their lives.
On remaining independent…
I just believe that artists should own what they create, I don’t need to be the testament to it. Like I’m cool with just working. I don’t think people really feel like they have a choice for one, which they do. There’s a lot of film and TV that comes out that depicts people going from writing raps on the bus and rapping at the shelter and you know. Just like getting discovered. That’s the idea, is you get discovered or put on, and then you’re in the game. And a lot of people just don’t recognise that they’re already in the game now. I don’t have an issue with any specific labels or like anybody that’s had the labels. It’s just the business model of it is a little whack.
On faith…
Faith is what let me get married. Faith is what got me to being able to make an album. I’ve had a crazy life. I’m only 26, but a lot of crazy shit has happened in my life.
On Kanye West…
That’s like Ye’s number one thing that he tells me, is he talks about being a light of the world. He talks about being somebody that can just openly be me. I can’t pinpoint a moment when it was like Ye had his … I don’t even know how to describe it.His meeting with God, his revelation. He does often reference me when he talks about it, and I think that’s important. I think fellowship is the most important thing, period. And if we can’t talk about faith, it’s like why are we talking. You know?
On the album’s theme…
You can’t have a greatest album of all time without a shit ton of love songs. All the best albums have love songs. It’s not all about me and my journey and how fast I can rap and shit like that. It’s about love. And most of all, you have to be able to dance to it. The best album of all time for me is not something that I need to listen to with reading glasses.
On President Obama and US politics…
I always, since I was a little kid, had a super big, just admiration for President Obama because he’s a black dude that hired my dad, that became the senator of Illinois, and the only black senator in Congress at one point. And then went on to be president and brought my dad with him even though I was kinda salty at the time because my dad to go away. I just always had a huge respect for him overall. What could end up happening, and this is my bright, bright, bright side of things looking at it. I could foresee a lot of fringe party things happening until it’s a reduction that becomes an overall more just flat out-The new norm and I think the next president is very likely that that person would be an independent or fringe party politician.
