I think that my upbringing just fuels the story – I’m telling my story, that’s what really fuels most of my lyrics. As far as the music for me, I think I have a certain ear for music I guess, like I love beats and specific people and I reach out to them and most of the time we connect, but I don’t think my upbringing had a big influence on my style because I have many different styles…
F:
I started writing at 12, when I heard this song called “Trilogy” by this artist named Corrupt. And that like was the first song I like memorized, it was an average song but it was a lyrical destroyer, just…chaos. It was one of the first songs I learned and I wanted to write my own type of stuff like that, so I started at 12 and I haven’t stopped ever since.
Being only 22, it’s amazing what you’ve accomplished already. Your album is produced by Exile, a big name rapper/producer, you’ve been acknowledged by HipHopDX and XXL, and you have a number of big name collaborators on your album Boy Meets World. How did you manage to progress in the industry so quickly?
F:
I think its all the years of preparation of being outside the industry. Just studying the industry, like ‘yo what am I gonna do when I make it,’ like this is me at like 13 being like ‘how am I gonna make my introduction’… just being concerned about how I would get people to pay attention to me, and care about me. But I guess when I dropped my album with Terry Urban, I think people started opening their eyes, and ever since then I’ve been dropping material and the responses have been great. I wouldn’t call it quick though from my eyes, a lot of people only heard me a couple months ago or like a year ago, but I been doing it awhile now so I wouldn’t say it was quick.
There have been articles written about how some of the greatest MC’s of all time have been giving you respect and recognition. How does it feel to have the support of such amazing artists?
F:
It feels surreal, it’s a surreal feeling, its real gratifying feeling. I’m a big fan of these guys and I don’t want to make them seem old, but I grew up on that reflection eternal, Black Star, the sound bombing era, in that respect, people like Talib, Dilated. It means a lot to me, that price or recognition, you can’t pay for that.
Why did you name the album Boy Meets World?
F:
Because I knew this would be my introduction, now is the time for me to meet the world. Now, this is my time, you know now, the time is now, just need to bring them into my world, that’s why I called it that – it’s my world.
What have you been up to the past few months? What has life been like since your album dropped?
F:
Oh man, well I’ve been on tour, when my album dropped I was in San Francisco, and life’s been crazy. I was just touring and doing a lot of work, shows shows shows, shit man just promoting, doing certain projects. I’m used to being inside the studio but I guess this is the other half of the process. A lot of promo’s and tours, meeting a lot of my fans all over the world…its only been 2 months in America, meeting people out here.
Who are your biggest influences and who do you think the best MC’s in the game are right now, mainstream or underground?
F:
I would say that my biggest influences are people who stand for something, people like Pac, or Bob Marley Janis Joplin, real people that will be remembered forever, Jimi Hendrix, those are the type of people that influence me… as far as the game right now, I like this kid name J. Cole, I think he’s pretty dope, just signed with Roc Nation. This cat named (ec see), Lupe is dope, I like what he does, Nas, Jay-Z, all the greats, I like Snoop’s new record, listen to that in the morning…Blu, you know, everyone from my crew, we ill, you know so.
What are your plans for a second album? Are you touring right now?
F:
Just got off tour with Ghostface and I’m going back on the road Dec. 2nd, with the Grouch and Mr. Fab. Right now I’m trying to figure out, like evaluate what people like about me and my style of music, what I’m presenting, see what they like so I could give them more of that on the second project. I’m still debating if I should continue working with Exile, or if I should call on my people and the relationships I’ve gained this year, like the Alchemist. I’m wondering if I should do an album with like supreme production like all my favorite producers, but its hard cause I’ve gained a strong relationship with Ex that is really unmatched, but it’s something I’m still pondering I think.
Who is someone you hope to collaborate with in the future?
F:
I would like to work with Just Blaze, I think his beats are really versatile, any style he does from like “Song Cry” to “Never Been in Love Before,” everything, he does it all, I’d like to work with him, he’s someone I would want the chance to get to know.
People are saying that you’re the future of the game, where do you see hip-hop going?
F:
I see hip-hop just progressing and evolving, we need fresh acts, bringing freshness to the table, that’s the only way to bring a lot of new life, that’s the only way it’ll go forward, what its evolving to right now, its different cause you know you got your mainstream rap and your quote-on-quote underground rap. So technically nothing’s changing in underground rap cause we abide by the basic elements of hip-hop, the culture, so as long as we respect the foundations and the architects, as long as we know where its been, we should know where it’s going.