Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
There were a lot of songs that I still wanted to put on the album but it worked out. I can only fit 18 [tracks] on the album, I would put 30 if I could.
If I'm gonna put a message out there, I want to make sure I stay consistent. I'm up on my game, because I said it. People take your words and they live by them.
To be honest, I think about the clubs when I write. But I should probably start thinking about stadiums, because the songs sound even better there - and bigger.
Anybody that I ever dealt with knows that I'm a very focused individual, and when it comes to my work and what I do, you might have to play the back burner to that.
I love the streets, and the streets love me back. And when things ain't going the way they should go, they let you know... and when they happy, you gotta keep 'em happy.
When you a ghetto star, when you a hood star, you gonna take care of your grandmother, your mother. When you on that next level, you gotta take care of the city, the streets.
I guess now music is so saturated and so microwaved. It's, like, 15 minutes in the microwave and boom, you've got something. Nobody's putting passion or any thought behind it anymore.
I created my lane. No one can ever run my lane because it's mine. I'm the Michael Jackson of my lane. And you know, nobody was as great as Michael. I love Prince, but he's not Michael.
When money was plentiful, I was the first one who told you to stack it. Live your life with it. Now that money slowed up, I'ma be the one telling you to save it like they ain't gon' make it no more.
You've got to be happy with yourself. You can't sell yourself if you're out here and you ain't good. Because you're giving people messages, and if your message is wrong, then it's like the blind leading the blind.
It wasn't necessary to speak on the recession, you know what I mean, but I just though it made a lot of sense. I was like, "okay, cool," I'm going to go with this approach for the name of the album [ The Recession].
A lot of things come with fame, whether it's losing friends or losing family. You still gotta stand up and be that guy even when you ain't having great things. Because you've gotta be the spokesperson for your people.
I don't think nobody should compare me to anyone, 'cause, at the end of the day, you've got a 'Pac, you've got Snoop, you got Tip, you got Wayne - there's only one Jeezy, man. Ain't nobody walked in these shoes but me.
Every time I'm out and somebody tells me they love what I do, that's what I do it for. That's like my vice. That's like my high. When people understand that this is who I really am, and to be appreciated for your craft .
I don't just do music for the clubs, I do music for the struggle. I do music for everyday niggas, the kids who ain't got no sense of direction. I'm trying to restore some of the morals back into the game, as far as the street.
I just think a hustler's ambition is that I never stop. I start off hustling and said I'll never stop hustling. An ambitious hustler is the one to hustle the hustlers. When I grew up, my heroes were hustlers. Now I'm their hero.
When I hear people tell me they love what I do, no matter what the climate is, it makes me want to go harder, because that's what I'm out here fighting for - to get that love. You just want to be appreciated for being you and being the best you.
On the real though, just being so young, then coming out of the hood and making it is just crazy to see. Just picking up a microphone and coming from the block, then being able to go around the world and really staying yourself and staying true to who you are.
I think everybody knows my sound because I'm me, you know? But, on your fourth album, I think you've definitely gotta show growth because I definitely don't plan on being one of those cats that fade off. It's always about growing with me; I grew up over the years.
When you're trying to bring the streets into rap to prove a point, then you already lost. You separate the two, and that ain't to be played with. You've got people that lost their lives and people that are doing real time. If we gon' make music, let's just make music.
I, and others like me - trap stars - we always considered ourselves Robin Hoods: we go out and get the money. Just think, if you was in the village and you a hunter, you take pride in going out to hunt the prey and bring it back for the village to eat. In our situation, we took pride in getting money so that the hood could eat.
I felt it was necessary. I never ever paid attention to any election. Not really [into] politics or anything like that. It never benefited us. This time around, it's not a black-or-white thing — you got somebody in there for us that's well-spoken and gonna handle their business. I just wanted to do my part and let them know we need change, we need help, it's rough out there.
That's why I like to read a lot. That's why I try to keep up on current events, what's going on in the world with the elections and the politicians and business people, because I feel like it's my duty to spread that. I feel like it's my duty to speak on that even if I'm never asked, because I'm representing the people. I don't want to be in a position where I have no knowledge.
My music is more like ghetto gospel; there's a message in my words, so people listen. Sometimes you might here different things; it depends on how you feel. You might feel down, and I might be the cat in the same sentence saying, "You need to get up and do your thing." And then I could be the same cat, when you at the top of your game, telling you, "It feel good, don't it?" but with the same words.
I can't speak for everybody, but sometimes, people get in this showbiz game and they get the money, but then they forget why they got in the game in the first place. I don't even look at it as fame, I just look at it as me being me, and me going out here everyday and being productive, because I am the product, and I'm selling myself. I'm selling my ambition and my integrity and my adversity, and I'd just like to be that.
Sometimes when people get success they forget about the people that pointed them there or championed them into this position. I pride myself on really understanding. I wouldn't even call it keeping it real. I just call it keeping it me. When they tell me, "You're doing what you're supposed to do," it makes me go ten times even harder, because I know that there are people on the sidelines and they're watching me. They're cheering for me. I want to be the best me I could possibly be when it comes to them.