The city is always influential in the work, though I've had that temptation to leave, but only recently. It's difficult because whenever I start working someplace else, I'm like, Man, this would have been better if I had my subwoofer.

I just like to be dangerous with what I try to do.

I just understand that Im supposed to be one of those people that disrupts the flavor a little bit.

I can't work without a Good L.A. weed. That's the thing you miss the most.

I don't want to do one of those records where it's like a compilation of a bunch of all sorts of rappers on my beats. I don't find those to be focused albums. I'd like to sit and work a whole record with a certain person, to come up with a concept and see it through that way.

Here's the thing: if I want to do something, I just have to do it - for real! I'm not gonna pussy out in the moment. I don't want no holding back!

I feel some responsibility to shine light on things that I love.

I'm not the kind of person who's always out at the club if I don't have to be. I like chilling. I think that comes across in my music.

Artists are all giving so much of ourselves to the work and the people and the press and the media and Twitter and all that now. For me, being able to create from a genuine place is really difficult lately because there's so much going on all the time, but when all that stuff gets quiet, you can explore your ideas without any ego or mental chatter.

More than ever, I had to analyze my mental state over the past couple of years because of all the things that happened since the last album came out. Just being surrounded by lots of noise - good and bad - and still being able to try to hold onto some kind of identity for myself.