Lyrical Delivery Quotes

When we were doing 'Live at Benaroya,' the song 'I Will' was hard to get through. I've always get a big lump in my throat when I sing that song. And also 'Before It Breaks.' So I'm just a different songwriter now. And the older I get, the more difficult it becomes to deliver those songs casually.

The biggest thing is to just keep your voice in shape so that when the emotion hits, it's there to have the colors to paint those pictures with the lyrics as well as the sound.

When you're rapping, you do have to perform to a certain degree, but not every rapper is necessarily a gifted actor.

My music is airy; it's spacious. It requires you to be able to rap and articulate your message over it. That's what the beat demands of you. Not a lot of people try to rap over my beats because it's a bit of a task.

To the extreme I rock a mike like a vandal.

The way Ben Gibbard paints a picture, you feel like, 'I was there that day with him.' You really feel the way he paints pictures and speaks and talks. It's almost like talk-singing. Paul Simon does that very well as well. He's a huge influence of mine.

I probably spent more time listening to albums than writing songs. But I think that gave me all the tricks in terms of wordplay, from how I pronounced my words to the actual delivery.

When I hear my first album today I hear myself reading my rhymes but I'm my worst critic.

When I started coming on my music the way I was coming on freestyles - just relentless, at your neck, as soon as the beat starts, that's when everything really clicked.

I work hard at it [delivery of lyrics], just like I worked hard at getting my masters degree. It's not just something I sit down and do. You have to learn and keep learning.

When you're dealing with a constant rhythm, no matter how great your lyrics are, if you don't switch it up, people's heads are going to start bobbing. And they're going to stop listening to what you're saying, so consistently keep the ear fresh and keep the audience surprised.

When I'm in the studio, I just let it rip. That's my process. I get in the booth, and whatever is on my mind at the time, I just go off and say it.

Juicy J was always one of my favorites. For one, he was a producer and I just used to love how he came on his verses every time.

Nobody can deliver a line better than Jadakiss. That's where I learned my technique. He can deliver punchlines so perfectly wrapped up for you to enjoy. If I had a different favorite rapper, I wouldn't be able to make some of the music I do.