How do you keep your positivity after all the things you’ve seen and been through?

I’m not gonna front. My mom said that shit to me a long time ago. My mom said some deep shit to me, she was like “you know what, I love you. You keep compassion.” I don’t know. I just feel like, I’m not gonna give up. I’m black, man, look at me. I’m a King - that’s in my blood. I can’t give up. And me getting cold is giving up. I can’t never give up. Everybody’s not built to be strong and stand-up. I wanna be like Mandela if some shit come at me. I ain’t gonna front, I have my moments; I have my scars, too, psychologically. When I have to go be by myself because I have been away in places like that. And I gotta chill, be still. The other day I had to do it, and I ain’t ashamed of it cause it keeps me level. I had to go get a room just to be by myself. I just laid back and chilled. I didn’t turn the TV on, I turned my phone off, and I stayed in that room all day and night just lying there thinking, ‘cause I needed to be in my temple in myself. Shit gets too crazy, people all around me, “you should do this,” “you know what you should do?” Nah, yo. Nah. Some of y’all love me, some of y’all don’t. And y’all are not me. I gotta drive this, if you’re riding, come on let’s go. If not, fall back, get out my ear. As a matter fact, I’m gonna holla at you later, I’m gonna get you out of my ear.

Tell me about your album, Thug Matrix.

I basically want to put out hot singles, and I want to put out the music I’ve been known for and the music I love. I want people to appreciate it, and just follow me. Follow my history; follow what I’m doing and where I’m going. We just finished shooting a movie. Poet’s in the movie.

What’s the movie about?

It’s called Tragedy: A QB Story. It’s about my life story.

It’s important to talk about plans outside of just making music.

Market yourself. Market real hip-hop. There’s a way you can make money off of real hip-hop too. There’s a forum, there’s an outlet, there’s a demand. You could do it. See that’s the thing, people have the wrong image and perception of shit. If you a big fat guy, you ain’t jogging ten miles a day. It’s hard enough for you to get out of the bed. If you a skinny guy, you in shape, you do shit like that. It’s like you gotta get-in where you fit-in. You ain’t gonna be. Stop going at this shit right here, prime time shit. Go underground, be the best underground dude. Go to the hoods. You can’t be selling real hip-hop in the underground if you don’t really touch the street like that. It’s not gonna work for you. You gotta get out there. That’s the only way it’s going to work for anybody. If you got the thirst to do this shit, you’re gonna find your fucking way… Travel, man, travel. That’s the best thing I could’ve done. You meet all different types of people, doing all different types of things. They could put you on to some shit.