My brother really shaped my musical taste when I was younger. He turned me on to classic rock like Led Zeppelin, and then he got me into R.E.M. and U2.
Salsa, classic rock, soul music, jazz... all of that was a part of my education in making hip-hop music.
I was enamored with music at a very young age. Everything started with kundiman, then evolved to Carpenters, Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow, and eventually classic rock music.
I'm into classic rock, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel.
I don't like putting a name on my music. It's not just country and rap; it's got Southern rock, classic rock.
To see classic rock, you had to go to an arena. But punk was happening everywhere, even in little towns in the middle of nowhere in Maryland. I'd drive out to places I'd never been, just to go and see it.
I really like all music, but mostly Country, older R&B, and the good classic rock.
I usually listen to classic rock and roll.
I always wanted to tell the story of how Pearl Jam is the story of lightning striking twice. As well as being the flipside of the classic rock tale where great promise ends in tragedy. This is where tragedy begins great promise.
The most important thing is I am trying to bring classic rock into pop culture, so I don't think anything is going to look like vintage or old-school.
