A common sense of humour and a love of music is really important, as I love all types of music. You name me any genre, and I can give you a list of artists I adore.
I didn't realize how much harm I was doing back then and I think a lot of rap artists probably don't realize it now. I said a lot of stuff fooling around back then, and I saw it do a lot of harm.
The way I write my songs is that I have to believe what I'm writing about, and that's why they always end up being so personal - because the kind of artists I like, they convince me, they totally win me over straight away in that thing. Like, 'Oh my God, this song is totally about me.'
I have enjoyed all the artists I've worked with.
The most impactful comics that I've read are the ones where the artists swung for the bleachers and tried to immerse you in their world.
I think that artists, at a certain point, can either become defiant and say that the audience is wrong, readers don't get them, and they're going to keep doing it their own way, or they can listen to the criticism - and not necessarily blindly follow the audience's requests and advice.
Autism doesn't have to define a person. Artists with autism are like anyone else: They define themselves through hard work and individuality.
I think that Tupac was the trendsetter, the high mark. What we hope his music will continue to do is to at least encourage people away from mediocrity, because he was not a mediocre artist. When he was alive, people competed. There was a lot of competition, and a lot of the artists were better for it.
Most artists - painters or writers - I think create out of stress or negative situations. Look at rock music. It's about getting things off of your chest, and it's a means of venting in many ways. That's what my work is about.
I have been inspired by countless artists over the years, but there's also times when you just gotta make your own inspiration.
