Madlib

People only know me for what they've heard, but that only represents about 10 percent of what I've done.

I've always done music with so-called thug- or gangster-type lyricists. I've always been associated with that because I'm from the West Coast.

My pops had me at the studio since I was born. That's why I got into music. He would let me go up on the controls and mess with stuff.

I don't talk in front of people.

Basically my whole life is music, that's all I do 24-7.

I'll take two months off just to listen to records and not do any music so I can absorb all that and then when I go do my music. It's all in me. I'll listen to a different genre every two days or something, study it, 24 hours straight.

I search for records that I've found on YouTube. If I can't get the record it doesn't matter to me, I'll bump the YouTube rip.

I've got about three or four rooms of records, and two rooms of instruments.

If I'm really hyped to do something, I can do most of an album in a day.

I'm a laid back dude, I don't really get excited.

I think a lot of guys are influenced by 'Pinata.' I fathered a lot of styles off that album.

I'm constantly buying records.

Dudes I work with have to be like-minded to where I just hand them a beat that has a chorus and they can do with them what they gotta do. If they can't do that, I usually don't work with 'em.

You have to work how you work.

I'm usually bored with both gangsta rappers and underground ones, too.

Interviews are my least favorite thing to do.

Prince Paul's one of my teachers. He's always been one of my main inspirations as far as interludes go and getting a little quirky at times.

I don't like drama in my life, but I like reading about it.

I'll always work with Stones Throw, but I'm trying to start my own label to release my old material and sign new artists. I want to do everything from rock, to jazz, to electronic, to noise records and movie sound tracks. Both sampled and original music.

I like white wine, Riesling.

I used to drink straight Hennessy, but I started drinking wine and champagne. It's easier to tour like that.

As long as I'm living decent, then I'm cool.

I didn't want to put out 'The Unseen' because I thought I would be criticized. I thought everyone would think the sped-up vocals were a gimmick. I had to be convinced to put it out.

There were a certain amount of people that were down with me, and we would just sit in the room and make music.

I'm a jokester, man.

I don't have beef with anybody.

I'm a positive dude.

My whole thing is that I make music regardless. Regardless of everything around me, I'll always make music.

At one point, I took a year off just to listen to music and really digest it. I listened to everything you could imagine.

Embryo is one of my favorite groups ever.

I made an electronic record in the vein of Cluster. I was programming synthesizers and drum machines and that sort of thing.

Dizzy Gillespie would come by, eating gumbo. It was crazy. My grandparents were friends with all of them. Dee Dee Bridgewater, all of them, they'd come through.

I like my space.

The iPad is the greatest thing as far as kids.

I don't do selfies.

I do it for myself and for like-minded people. Half the time I don't know why I make what I do. I'd do this if no one was listening. I'm stuck. I've got the curse.

I studied jazz at home with my grandparents. They always had jazz dudes at the house, but I didn't study formally. I just hung around a lot of musicians.

I'm a man of few words.

Past, present, and future is where I'm at.

As far as hip hop, I ain't even gonna front, it was 'Rapper's Delight.' That was the first thing I heard where I was like, 'Whoa.' You take that beat and do something over it. I started collecting records after that, old records.

I love zebras.

My family brainwashed me, like I'm brainwashing my children. They brainwashed me with good taste.

I get bored with music so I try to listen to things in different types of genre to see what's possible.

I don't worry about collaborating. Whatever happens, happens.

I listen to a lot of different things. I'll be listening to prog rock, then the next couple of hours - Indian.

Not anyone can rap to my beats.

The equipment doesn't matter, it's the vibe you put into it. If the music sounds good, music sounds good.

I try to challenge my ears. I get bored easily.

I do a few shows every year, but I'm mostly at home, making music. Day and night.

I used to memorize music when I was real young. Schoolwork, not so much. But music I could remember.