As you were introduced to the music industry and coming into your own, what's the best professional advice that your father ever gave you?
He pushed me away from music, actually. He taught me how to play the percussion because I loved percussion and I would love to watch him perform. When I was younger, he would always say, 'If you can help it, find your Plan B. Let music be your Plan C. Plan A is to get your education. That way, you can do whatever it is you want to do in the world.' That was always what he preached to me.
Well, you certainly found your Plan B. When you moved to New Jersey, when did you first discover hip-hop?
Well, I grew into it like everybody else. It all started back in those little parks in New York and before you know it, it branched out to become this huge way of expression. At that time, the reason hip-hop was so intriguing to me was because of the fact that it was drum-driven. Everything starts out with just drum beats, you know what I'm saying? I'm a percussionist, so naturally I was going to be attracted to it. I got caught up by the fact that it was a drum-driven genre. Before you know it, I was making drum beats on the drum machine and mixing it up with live African percussion. At the time, I was producing, not even knowing what it meant to be a producer. I just dove into the music and it started evolving into this big old thing. It started off as a hobby for me.
It is rare for an individual to fall into a profession that they feel is a genuine extension of themselves. And your experience is really cool, simply because it was a natural progression.
Yeah, exactly.
As the hip-hop genre evolved, a lot of hip-hop artists have been used as scapegoats in the mainstream media. What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about you?
The biggest misconception is probably the fact that — me coming out of the situation I was in and being locked up and so on — I was no different from any other gangsta rapper. It became easy for them to point their finger and label me. They labeled me as a rapper, but I'm more of an R&B soul singer wrapped up with 'street,' you know what I'm saying? I guess it's only natural to compare me with other rappers but, if you were going to compare me, you should compare the attitude. My attitude is completely different. I am more mature and I have business sense. Much of my success has come from the fact that I have learned from the mistakes of others. When people know your background, though, they tend to focus on it and put you in a stereotypical box that's less than what you consider yourself to be.
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