I got archives of records. I have records from when I was 17 that I still think are pretty dope.
Chicago, we always had it. People just shied away because it's nothing businesswise from the industry. Everybody from Chi will go to N.Y.C. or L.A. - R. Kelly to Kanye to even Twista. Everybody is great from there, but it's nothing downtown.
I grew up in a household in which they'd always play old skool classic R&B love songs - Al Green, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye... And my mom has even said that, when I was in her womb, she'd put the headphones to her stomach and play those songs to me!
I got my first set of drums when I was around 3. I went from band to marching band to Latin jazz band - it's like riding a bike.
Nothing against Nicki Minaj - I think she's a dope lyricist, and her body is perfect, along with a dope personality. But I'm more into a woman who's not so much into the spotlight.
I'm an owl; I'm up. I probably go to sleep during the time when most people wake up. The first half of the day, you might not catch me.
'Down on Me' can't showcase my true talent. 'Birthday Sex' was robotic. When I perform it, I can't give you this church feeling I know I can give.
If it came down to it, I wish people heard different records from me that I know give you a soul R&B sound of music that I know is really my gift, gift. But the ones that usually go are the records that radio, the fans and the clubs really love the most.
It messes me up sometimes when I go on stage and people say my name wrong. Say my name wrong with all these different syllables. I've heard everything. My name is easy as 1-2-3. Jer-eh-mih, syllable-wise.