I smile too much to be in a gang. I don't got that 'hit somebody' vibe.
Masego
I do old man things by default, just stay in the hotel room, eat oatmeal, and drink tea.
I'm on the Internet heavy. I'm on YouTube like it's nobody's business. That's where I discovered a cat like Reggie Watts. By learning that music, I became the black sheep in the group, like 'Here comes Masego with all that weird music.'
Anyone I have musical chemistry with, I recruit, and we do shows and create drum kits together and make tunes for the SoundCloud.
'Black Love' made my mama cry, so this is one of those song songs. When I hear it, it makes my heart do some things.
I feel like it's my responsibility to contribute to a good vibe in the world and to do what I can, when I can.
I'm black so I've been getting eyed by cops my whole life.
I'm used to not staying anywhere for too long. I've always had it in my DNA to go to different places.
When I don't know all the rules, I just break them all. And it becomes like a higher level of music because of that.
You can't really choose what influences you. You can't choose what sparks something inside you.
To be able to be at the level that I perform onstage, I have to embody everything I've made my music about. Which is me.
The moment you're not worried about adult problems and you get to just make music, then I've made it to some extent.
I like how hip-hop is just shocking and fun.
Something I do naturally is I just involve women in my professional work. I hire them, I pay them, I put them in the workplace I'm involved in.
Virginia is a place that's so boring, you find friends and do cool things.
I started playing sax when I was fourteen because I'm like a real competitive person when it comes to winning girls attention. And there was this girl that I really wanted the attention of and I found out she really liked jazz.
I don't want to create music or do a partnership because of the money. I don't want to be money-influenced.
When things line up, the music just flows.
I like to produce music and put it out and hopefully it can help people through whatever crisis they have.
There's not a lot of thinking in my music. I freestyle a lot of things and organize it later, and then it becomes a song.
'Melanin Man' was inspired by the words of an Uber driver in L.A. Before I got out of the car he said, 'They're scared of you young man. You're a king and they all know it. They want your culture, your soulful element and your style. You're Melanin Man, a super hero. Be safe out here.' Then I got out the car and took that all in.
I just do very old man, adult things.
If you're really chosen for music, it just comes to you and you just let it pass through. That's how I create.
I feel like anything with my music can be traced back to a woman.
I've always loved fashion, but when you're broke, you're wearing whatever your dad gave you.
I thought I was cool until I left the country. I went to Tokyo, and I was like, man, why am I wearing these jorts?
I'm a textbook Gemini. I just need variety and I'm random.
From a shallow standpoint, I like nice things.
I was joked by a lot of older musicians because I was playing saxophone over trap beats or future bounce beats, and it just wasn't what you do. They were just like play some John Coltrane and get in the corner. But that's just not how I work.
Women who care about your health is such a cool thing. Your homies won't remind you to not eat gluten.
Everything that I'm doing, it's like a future jazz, future trap house movement.
Seeing Ed Sheeran make a beat from scratch when I was in college changed my life.
Every time I have a conversation with a woman, I gleam something from it.
I started on the drums when I was eight.
I learn things myself. I call it YouTube University; YouTube has taught me more than anything. I learned how to tie a tie, all my pick-up lines come from YouTube reruns of 'Fresh Prince.'
I remember I was a freshman in high school the first time I heard OutKast.
With 'Pink Polo,' I wanted something I could listen to when I was doing different activities during the summer and also bring a message in it.
Everyone communicates with music in a different way. With some people, if there's not sheet music, they're not playing it.
There's something special about the influence a woman has on me.
I was about to leave L.A. because I didn't find enough soul in the musicians. Back in Virginia, it was just leaking soul everywhere.
With 'Lady Lady' I wanted to tell a story bluntly, and that's what happened. The goal is to get Erykah Badu-ish with it because she super bares her soul and she's so blunt.
I listened to gospel music because that was just our culture, you know? My parents are pastors.
Full circle: 2014 I go from playing on the street to getting invited to play on stage, now 2016 I'm headlining.
When I was about 15 years old, I used to have a lot of jam sessions at my house. And all the kids would kind of come over, and I would kind of deejay some music that I discovered that month.
My father's from Jamaica.
My mother had this huge binder of CDs from everyone she loved, like progressive gospel artists. You know, she loved like how Yolanda Adams was kind of R&B, but it was, like, still gospel.
I didn't get to have a girlfriend, bring her over to the house. I'm a lot slower understanding some of those things, but I never see it as a disadvantage.
I write about love so I can keep focused on the true goal: to be with my lady, lady and travel with her and have my li'l family unit.
Gospel influences your soul. If you've had church in your background... it's just a part of your musical DNA.
Jazzy Jeff is somebody who taught me what I really wanted to do for other people. He has the big ol' house where musicians can come there, stay for a while, create music, eat, reset.
