Eminem is one of the greatest rappers of all time.
Tupac, Biggie, Jay. Your usual suspects. These were the people that was played in my household.
I got a chance to work with Mystikal and Mannie Fresh and Juvenile and all these people as I was growing up, and so that really influenced everything I do.
I always wanted to do a record called, 'The Three J's,' because you got me, Jay Rock, you got J. Cole, and you got Jay Z. I thought that it would be dope. I said, if I couldn't get Jay Z, we'll get Jay Electronica.
Over the years, a lot of rappers - Lil' Wayne, Ice Cube - have used my name in their songs. I'm a real touchstone of history.
As far as rap goes, I grew up in Hollis, Queens, so early influences were people like Run DMC and LL Cool J.
The song, 'Life is Better,' is about hip-hop. It's about my love for hip-hop. And, you know, I go through all the artists from the beginning to the end, you know. And, well, not to the end, but since the beginning to now, you know.
Jadakiss is not no walk in no park. Nas is not no walk in no park. These are dudes that could have ended my career.
I grew up on a wide range of stuff. OutKast, they been around for over 20 years, and some of the L.A. cats like Defari, Dilated Peoples and Likwit Crew. I was always going to these shows and catching the KRS-One tennis ball, as he would throw those out, EPMD. I could go on and on.
I love to get on tracks with brothers like Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, the GZA. The whole crew is golden, man. When you think of us, you gotta say, 'Yo, these are the Jacksons of hip-hop.'
I wanna thank Biggie Smalls, Redman, Jadakiss, Tupac and Michael Jackson for being my theme music throughout my career.
My standout moment I would have to say was when 'Black Rose' dropped and getting the co-sign from Nas and The LOX. I would say all those moments together were crazy for me.
Jay Z and Nas is probably my favorite rap beef because Nas was kinda quiet for a while.
I come from the golden age of hip hop when all the greats came on the scene.
Hands down, Rick Ross is a genius. Hands down, Diddy is a genius. Hands down, Kanye is a genius. All of them.
Drake has always been a huge inspiration of mine, and same with Lil Wayne.
My influences, going back through the history of rap, talk about Doug E. Fresh, Kool Moe D, Eric B. & Rakim, Public Enemy.
When I listen to hip-hop, I listen to Just Ice, Boogie Down Productions, Ultramagnetic MCs. I grew up in that age, and it was memorable. But I'm down with all of it. Chuck D or Danny Brown? I feel comfortable with all of them. Word up, kid! Word up, man!
The first rappers I ever got into were Wu-Tang, Mobb Deep, and Nas. Those are the guys. Those are the dudes that flipped my wig.
Pete Rock, CL Smooth, all this East Coast stuff - that's kind of, like, the rappers I first admired. I wanna rap just like them because I just thought they were so hard. I thought their delivery was so crazy.
I'm not really a comparison dude. Even when people say 'Big or Pac?,' because they're two totally different types of lyricists.
I feel like me and YG are the closest to Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg that people are gonna get.
I got into hip hop from my uncle; he was always playing us Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane. He was a bad boy, and my mum was not really happy that I was hanging out with him.
What I actually do put much more weight on, in all honesty, is not being critically acclaimed - it's being respected by my OGs. When I talk to E-40 on the phone, every time I talk to him, I'm like, you know, if he tells me I'm doing good, I'm doing good.
The people we grew up watching and listening to - Outkast, Gucci Mane, Hot Boys, Lil Wayne, Master P - all that type of stuff, we took those styles and made it our own.
