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When I want to get inspired, I'll put a Pixar movie on silent and listen to Nas.
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When you get a song placed with two of the top stars in the world, like Rihanna and Eminem, especially as a new writer, they're gonna take a huge chunk of your publishing. That's just the way the business is. I'm not complaining.
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I'm just a product of the '90s, to be honest.
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People can relate more to being honest about your problems, your insecurities, and the things that you find wrong with yourself. Because that's how we really are.
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I was sick of waiting for people to jump on hooks for songs I produced. So I tried singing myself, and I haven't looked back.
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I'm fascinated by Jesus and pray to him every day.
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I grew up on Dilla, Timbaland, Pharrell, all these drums that are super pocketed, so all those influences come out on a song like 'Ungrateful Eyes,' with all the crazy drum swing.
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My brother is 10 years older than me, so whatever he listened to is what I listened to, and it was all rap.
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I came to the realization that I'm a child of God, and that's my identity. If this all goes tomorrow, I don't have the proverbial rug under me that can be pulled out. I'm taken care of, and there's someone who loves me.
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If I can show people how vulnerable and how flawed I am, maybe others will relate.
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I think some of the best music throughout the actual history of music itself came from cultures where they're not really looking for outside themes. It's developed from their hometowns - it's what they love and what they love to do.
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I used to work at a catering hall in Hauppauge. Anybody who works as a server in a catering hall, more power to you, but I wanted to make music.
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As long as I don't have to go back to the catering hall and wait tables anymore, I'm very happy.
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I think honest lyrics help somebody say, 'I was struggling with this, but if Jon goes through that, too, and if Jon's telling me that his life isn't as good as it seems on his Instagram,' that helps somebody in their day to day.
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I wrote 'Monster' and thought that it would solve a lot of my problems, that I'd have money in the bank, but I felt no different. I was still searching for something.
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'Translations Through Speakers' was literally, I'm translating very spottily what my aspirations are.
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I wanna make music; that's all I wanna do.
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Sometimes I feel drawn to writing about my shortcomings because I'm chock full of them.
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A lot of the album 'The Definition' was made from two things: Pixar movies and J. Dilla.
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I always want to approach records from where it feels very graspable. You know what the song's about, but it's presented to you in a way that's like, 'I never heard something like this before,' but it doesn't push you away.
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I don't view any of the hits I've ever written as the climax of my career. They're just minor stepping stones.
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I'm not afraid to have my music digestible by different ages.
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We're not as happy as our Instagrams and Twitters make us out to be.
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I have a fan base eager for more stuff. That makes me more than happy. I know I have an army behind me.