Musician

You have to write about what's inside you. If I have to get something out, I'll do it.

I don't really engage much in the creative community. I just kind of keep to myself and do my work.

The people I feel inspired around draw pictures, they make paintings.

MCs are authors, and rock musicians who write lyrics are authors, to a degree.

Ultimately, I really like to rap, and seeing what I can do to keep it fresh for myself has lent itself to tailoring over time.

I always find my emotions all over the map, not so much a single thing overriding the rest.

I think I learned very quickly after I started putting out music... you just learn that people are going to take what they want and make it fit their agenda or make it fit their interpretation. And you make peace with that or you suffer forever.

I know so many people that were really able to lead 'perfect' lives. They meet the right person, they make the babies, they get the jobs, they get the house and it's essentially a smooth ride. That really didn't happen for me.

I don't want to hit a point where I feel there is nothing to improve upon - there always is.

I went to college in '94 and started freestyling a lot more and hearing how others did it, hearing styles from other regions, all of it. Met Blockhead there.

I don't want to be the next face of America.

The neighbors prefer I don't do vocals at night. It gets a little iffy when I'm screaming.

I know a lot of people who make records, and when you meet them, it's not their personality or they're not what you're expecting. But El-P is exactly what you'd expect.

People will put me in whatever box they feel the most comfortable having me in, and nothing I can do will change that.

My brothers each reacted differently to 'Blood Sandwich.' It's a very specific type of odd feeling when there's a song written about you. People react to it differently.

People's opinions outside of my direct group of friends means next to nothing.

I'm not interested in hearing yet another rapper tell me why he's the best. Why not tell a story set in a specific time and place? Create some characters, add a little bit of action and you're good to go.

I love 'Black Mirror.'

Mark my words, even if I sell out a club of 15,000 with all girls, I'm not taking my shirt off. I'm sorry. I know y'all are waiting to see the pasty stomach and everything.

I don't see any of my records as any more or less conceptual than the others, and I don't really plan some overall idea in advance. The songs all get written under the umbrella of a certain time in your life, and it's natural to find themes that repeat within these periods.