Amine

Being depressed in black culture is not a thing. I just decided not to tell nobody, not even my friends.

As an artist in this day and age with social media, you feel more like an object than you do a human.

I really like Shake Shack burgers... I like In-N-Out a lot, but Shake Shack is just divine.

What keeps me going or keeps me wanting to do more music is just knowing that I can provide for my family.

I know that when it comes to your friends, especially in the music industry, we work so much and do so much that we don't even really keep track of our days, or keep track of our health, or keep track of our mental health. Sometimes we just go astray.

That's just me as an artist. I say what needs to be said.

I don't know Prince's music like the back of my hand, but I was always a fan of him as an artist - just the way he was a person who did not care about what people thought and did his own thing and I thought that was so cool.

Def Jam commented on one of my Instagram photos once, and all my friends me hit me up, like 'Yoooooo, you signed to Def Jam?'

My music is colorful. The intention for it is to be good for whoever's listening to it, and my style is good for me.

I didn't want to release a song like 'Spice Girl' right after 'Caroline' because I didn't want another 'hit' kind of song.

When Prince and James Brown were doing live sessions... recording a band is not easy. It's all delicate, important stuff you want to make sure you're doing the right way.

My parents are immigrants to this country. They came to this country for a better opportunity just like everyone else.

It's a dog-eat-dog world when it comes to music and how people perceive it.

I was just a huge fan of music, so that's how I learned how to rap.

If you don't believe in yourself, I don't think people will believe in you.

I don't really think much of any songs I put out like I know... I think they're good, that's why I'm putting them out. But like I don't ever try to expect anything, so even with 'Caroline' or 'Red Mercedes,' I just put them out and hope for the best and people kind of gravitate towards them and I guess that's pretty cool and that's a blessing.

I felt like an outsider in middle school. Horrible.

I think I have the same hair as him. If a movie comes about, I have to be Static Shock.

I'm a big believer in everything meant to be. If it didn't work out then, it's fine.

I don't really care how people see me in my natural state, in a comfortable state.

I just like wearing what I like and I can't tone it down.

I hate conforming to what people expect me to do.

F.U.B.U.' is one of my favorite songs ever. It just like touches me - I almost like cry when I heard that song.

I loved growing up in Portland because I'm not from L.A. or New York or Chicago or some cool city... It was a very regular suburban life.

Caroline' represents the handful of women I've met in my life that I would put genuine effort in.