I like rock music because it's always sonically fascinating. There's never a method to what it needs to sound like. It's just however that instrument comes out that day, whatever the humidity level was in the air, what studio you were at. All that makes that tone that you can't re-create, so each song is like a person.
B.o.B
I don't think you can mix classical music and reggae. It's not possible. But some producer in, like, Norway is going to put it together.
I met will.i.am in the studio and played him a couple of songs and he liked them. We're similar but there's nobody in my lane doing what I'm doing.
I can tell you who I'd like to work with as far as rock legends. Definitely Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters. Of course Linkin Park. Actually, I already worked with Travis Barker on a couple of things. Gotta let the drummer get some. Possibly Paramore, Hayley Williams.
Sometimes for a lot of new artists, they don't have a vision, really, or know what they want to say; it's kind of drawn out for them. But me, because I'm such a transcendental thinker, it's always like a journey and an adventure with each project. It's like going through a different doorway each time.
In kindergarten I had to draw a picture of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I drew a rapper. I didn't really know what a rapper was or what they did - I just wanted to do it.
'Nothin' on You' changed my life: I finally feel that I reached the point where I wanna be at. At times I questioned whether it was worth the sacrifice, but now I see it was.
All through my life, I was hated on. When I was in middle school, they used to write in my rhyme book, 'You suck' or 'This sucks.'
You have to feel good in what you're wearing; if you don't feel good it's not going to look good. You ever see someone wear something that's crazy and say, 'That's so crazy!' But they look good in it, because they feel good in it - you can just tell.
My music, I feel, has always been experimental, but it had got to a point where I felt disconnected from it completely. I didn't want to be a Clark Kent/Superman: I couldn't really say, 'Well, B.o.B's the old me, and Bobby Ray's the new me.' I had to just make a point.
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.
When you have a watch on, it just sets everything off. It's the icing on the cake when it comes to your entire look.
A lot of artists go in the studio and say, 'OK, whaddaya want me to do? Is it gonna be a hit? I'll do it. Is it gonna get played on the radio? I'll do it.' So they start makin' these songs, and they fall in the same tempo, same category, same this, same that, and it'll just all sound the same.
I think Gotye is really dope. The music that I enjoy listening to isn't as intense as my music is.
I love Coldplay. The lights, and the sound quality They really play their instruments. Sometimes, during the show, they'll make a mistake and stop. I think they do it intentionally just to show you they're really playing it live.
I need a stylist to help me pull together a wardrobe. I just don't have a lot of time to go shopping. So I have a stylist that knows what I want to wear, what cut of clothing I like, someone that really thinks and understands what my style and how I want to feel in the clothes.
To me, 'Underground Luxury' is kinda like a contrasting title, and the reason for that is because on this album I plan on introducing to people and reintroducing to people the side of me that they didn't see on the first album.
The diverse sound of my music makes it a good fit for that demographic.
Rap is something you can just throw on the skillet and fry up real quick. That's how it comes to me, my train of thought. It's like getting dressed - I don't have to sit down and stare at clothes, I just pick what I like and put it on. But rock, you gotta put it in the oven and let it bake.
Man, 2013, I would expect an album from B.o.B and a Rock EP as well. My Rock EP is like... I take pride in my work and I'm not going to do something just to say that I can do it if I ain't really passionate about doing it. I'm very passionate about my music. Sometimes I take it too seriously.
I'm a fan of all these genres of music, everything from Mumford & Sons to Beach Boys to doo-wop music to reggae.
I'm the Chris Martin of hip-hop.
I do what I want. It's because I got booed and picked on that I really don't care anymore.
I've got a transcendental way of thinking about things. I've got a galactic self.
I'd like to work with Bjork if I could get in the studio with her. We could probably travel to a different planet, you know what I'm saying?
If you break up with your partner, go straight to the studio. You're going to make great music.
I want to produce a country album for a country singer.
