I'm very protective of my energy. You have to protect your energy around outside sources because your positive energy can be canceled out by someone's dark energy.
Cordae
If you're thinking about your brand over your people, you've lost yourself.
YBN is family. Everybody in YBN is family. Nahmir and Jay, those are really my brothers.
The artists with lyrical content and who say something seem to outlast the fad rappers - I always noticed that.
The first time I ever visited L.A., I wanted to move here. It's the land of opportunity.
If you think about it, hip-hop came out of nothing. It was a response to oppression.
Hopefully, somebody who's hearing my music, it's relatable to them, and it strikes a cord with them.
Sometimes as friends, you grow apart and you have different visions for what you wanna do and that's OK, there's no love lost.
Cordae is like my government name. I was like, just be myself. What's a better name than the name my mom gave me, or my pops gave me?
Fashion is definitely important. It's like peanut butter and jelly with hiphop music, you know what I'm saying? So, it's a part of you, a part of yourself as a person.
My grandmother was a sharecropper. That wasn't even that long ago! My grandma was a sharecropper.
Words are powerful. The tongue is powerful. And when you write it down, and record it, and press it up, it's 100 million times more powerful. It's important to utilize our tongue to help people.
I'm politically incorrect. I don't get into politics like that. I speak about what I know and what effects me personally, and effects my folks.
I just always wear Pumas. I like the work they do in local communities, worldwide.
My creativeness stems from my love of music. Music is pure emotion. Music is the infinity sign. Music is self-expression in its purest form - it's how I express my anger, my self-doubt, my love. I think my music is very vulnerable and very expressive, very transparent.
When I used to work at Friday's, in a restaurant, that endless appetizer, that was my worst enemy as a server. Oh my god.
Having a dope mindset and good energy is rare, and you just putting a little bit of your light into someone else can change their whole perspective on life just doing that.
We all take life for granted, one way or another.
I liked Big L's wordplay with the multi-syllable rhymes he hit so clean.
I always say I am myself unapologetically.
I don't know, I really try not to pay attention to comparisons, 'cause I'm my own artist. I try to build my own sound.
I can rippity rap, lyrical miracle all day, but if you don't have a message behind it and you not saying nothing, it doesn't make sense.
If you can do something that's authentic to yourself, how you feel as a person, then it's gonna be different than everybody else because everybody's different.
XXL is the embodiment of hip-hop... Eminem even shouted it out in a song.
There are a lot of dope people in the DMV: WillThaRapper, Big Flock, GoldLink, Logic, IDK, Rico Nasty, Goonew and Q Da Fool. Seeing them get national attention motivated me to do my thing.
I want to impact the world and the culture in a positive way, spread super dope messages and help people through my music.
I want the biggest artist of 2030, 2027 or even 2025 to say, 'I was inspired by Cordae. Cordae is the reason I make music.'
I'm an introvert, but I disguise my introversion by being an extrovert. If I don't have to be around people, I'm not. If I'm around people, I'm gonna do my thing. But I'm not really with the fake kickin' it - everything's organic, everything's natural.
You gotta be crazy to want beef with Eminem and MGK is that.
I don't even really try to do something different. I just do what's authentic to me.
We're just unapologetically ourselves in the DMV.
I bought an audio technician mic and Pro Tools SE, the demo version and was recording in the basement.
I've been through college, and I lived in a trailer park for five years. I've lived in the trenches of Maryland, and I've lived in the suburbs. I've seen all aspects of American life.
Nahmir is just an idiot. He just glorifies street life. He idolizes it.
I'm really grateful for my mom. And my mom always raised me being a single mother. Being a single mother, a lot of stress comes with that. You gotta work, you gotta come home and do everything.
People compare me to Kendrick. I've seen comparisons with Jay-Z, with Nas, with Chance The Rapper. I get a lot of Eminem comparisons.
When you're not authentic to yourself, you're lying. You're going to get found out and you're going to slip up.
For a lot of artists in the entertainment industry, we can't become too jaded with what's going on with our personal lives and still not be connected with our people.
I don't try to portray some lifestyle that I'm not living.
I always wanted to be a Freshman because XXL is really important in the history of hip-hop. It embodies the culture.
I got a cool car but I live fairly regular.
I keep a composition book with me at all times to write rhymes, to write down ideas, write down my thoughts, you know just so I don't forget any ideas.
I just want to use my voice and my platform to help people. Whether it be political or therapeutic.
Nas, Big L, Rakim, Jay-Z, Eminem, those was all my influences, but I didn't start recording until I was 16.
I always keep a hoodie on me at all times 'cause you never know when it's gonna rain, you never know when it's gonna get a little cold at night. So, you always got to keep a hoodie. And I always keep like a earth tone hoodie 'cause it always goes with your outfit no matter what you have on.
Nas was a huge influence. That's probably my favorite rapper of all time.
Competition is the best form of motivation.
I don't wanna marginalize myself. I don't wanna be the overly woke rapper, and I don't wanna be the turned-up rapper.
My mom is the best. She's the dopest. She just loves everything that's going on. She's very supportive.
I freestyled the hook to 'Target.' I got into cadence and then it sparked the idea.
