Hip-hop has done so much for racial relations, and I don’t think it’s given the proper credit. It has changed America immensely. I’m going to make a very bold statement: Hip-hop has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations.
As a hip-hop artist who likes fashion, who can’t help but notice people like Kanye West, Tiger, Big Sean and definitely T.I.P. These guys really understand how to be progressive and fashion forward.
For a long time I wasn’t actually listening to pop. But when I got back into electronic and hip-hop stuff, I rediscovered my passion for pop music.
The whole history of music has turned out to be something perfect. It’s all come around. The music we did with Funkadelic and Parliament was the DNA for hip-hop.
We used to play a lot of Fela Kuti in the early days of hip-hop. In my DJ sets I’ll jump off into rock, salsa, African. I like to play some crazy stuff and see the vibrations of the people.
Hip-hop was created out of necessity. We needed to create some digitized things to help us understand what we were feeling.
Hip-hop definitely taught me a lot. Having to create your own identity and become known and respected in a male-dominated field – it requires some guts. There are times you have to be strong, and times when you have to stand alone for what you believe in.
I got into DJing and making beats when I was about 17. I was always fascinated by the four elements of hip-hop: you know, writing, rhyming, breakdancing and graffiti.
Honestly, what ‘Luke Cage’ is – it’s a hip-hop Western. And you have Luke Cage as the sheriff of Harlem.
I think ‘Country Girl’ is one song that can veer into country or hip-hop or rap. You can listen to it and enjoy the humor and the fun in it.
Hip-hop is an instant gratification, winners and losers circle, and often those who are losing give up after three or four, five years.
