My job was to entertain. I've always seen myself in the entertainment realm.
— Desiigner
None of my dudes I chill with are rappers. I don't put us as rappers. We're all artists.
I can't step outside my house now - everybody knows my face.
At school, I'd be the dude singing to the girls, always up in the auditorium, in the lunch room singing Christmas carols, in the halls between class. I was always singing, and same thing with my grandfather. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree; you know how that goes.
I love to, you know, just inspire people however they wanna take it.
Before 'Panda,' I had a buzz already.
I'm my own favorite artist, but I love everybody's music.
I went from selling everything to saying, 'I ain't gonna sell that. Can't do it.' It wasn't working for me, so I was just like, 'Yo, I'm going to sell my talent.'
My grandfather is a blues musician.
I was the singing boy in school.
I'm real connected with Australia, you heard? I gotta come up there, man.
I'm definitely happy and appreciate all the love everyone's given to me.
I don't put nothing out if it's not ready.
The minute they gave me number one, I went to the studio. I was ready to give y'all something else. I was going 120 miles an hour.
I never had a job. I never saw myself working for corporate business.
I want to do a big donation to the pandas for all the panda lovers out there.
When people are like, 'Why are these white people walking around this black hood?' I'm like, 'Why aren't they?' If it ain't bothering nobody, they can do whatever they want! They're in the hood to make it better.
Everybody in my family sings. We were either in a choir, or there was something going on at home where we were singing.
I'm here to actually deliver art and deliver the creation, you know, wherever the music brings somebody.
I came from a supportive home with a mommy and a daddy, and they had everything I wanted.
My sister listened to reggae, and my homies listened to trap music.
Meeting Kanye West was a blessing.
I played the sax at school. I was in marching band.
You can catch me in whatever's funky, whatever's got that swag. If it's got that swag, I'm putting it on.
Me and Kanye work awesome together. He's a creative man, I'm a creative man, we put our ideas together, it's like the perfect formula.
The biggest challenge for me is just knowing how to calm down.
'XXL,' they call me a freshman, but I'm a pro. So, this a platform to let people know I'm out here.
In the G.O.O.D. Music camp, we all come around, and we show ourselves and present ourselves as artists only.
I got to be more careful and more focused with my surroundings, because everybody wants to reach out to me, and I don't know if it's good or bad.
Music always lived with me, like a family tradition.
Actually, if you listen to the vocals on my grandfather's records, you will hear we sound similar. We both sound kind of dry. We have a dry voice, and we both love harmony - he was a man of harmony, I'm a man of harmony. I think it just runs in our blood.
Big ups to him, big ups to Future. I actually like Future's music. I like his music, you feel me. I'm not a hater or a critic on him, you know, I do me. God bless him, God bless me.
I was always on my swag since I was younger.
Even the diss tracks was enhancing 'Panda.'
You'd be surprised what you'd catch on my playlist.
My dad worked on ambulances for a while; my mother had a lot of different jobs with the city.
The work ethic behind everything Kanye does is crazy. It's greatness. He told me, 'We're not just rappers, we're artists.'
Choirs, auditions, talent shows, I was doing it all.
I don't like to rush my music.
I came from the projects. So there were times I'd wake up at night, and my palms would be itching to get out. But no matter where I was, I always looked at the stars, because there's nothing ugly about the sky. That was my escape.
