Aesop Rock

“I don't really engage much in the creative community. I just kind of keep to myself and do my work.”

“It's really rare in life that a situation is as black and white as we tend to paint it.”

“I would love for my existence as an artist to be completely about my art - not about my social media, or what I do vs what's cool right now, or even whether or not I sound okay in an interview.”

“When I record in a studio. I know that on Tuesday at 3 o'clock I've got to go be creative.”

“I really like 'Game of Thrones.”

“Drawing and visual arts was kinda my first passion going all the way back to when I was a kid. I always felt like it was what I was supposed to do - but in reality I don't know that I ever had the skill to make it a profession.”

“If a song or group hits you at the right time in your life, it's everything. It's bigger than school or family or anything else.”

“I love the playfulness and braggadocio that accompanies a ton of rap music - that's basically what makes up the foundation for most rappers. But there is nothing 'weirder' to me than someone who has never doubted themselves.”

“MCs are authors, and rock musicians who write lyrics are authors, to a degree.”

“Inserting my personal brand of humor is something I have at times had trouble doing - but I feel like I've been learning about it a little more, how to do it, and how it helps my songs.”

“I always find my emotions all over the map, not so much a single thing overriding the rest.”

“My brothers each reacted differently to 'Blood Sandwich.' It's a very specific type of odd feeling when there's a song written about you. People react to it differently.”

“Every record I do does a little better than the last, which in turn makes me more stressed out.”

“Most artists - painters or writers - I think create out of stress or negative situations. Look at rock music. It's about getting things off of your chest, and it's a means of venting in many ways. That's what my work is about.”

“I love a cool cellphone as much as the next guy, but, god, I hate when it rings.”

“It's a strange position to be in. Not only the fact that I'm trying to live off work that is personal, but how you get the money for that is racing around the country and smiling for people and selling the record, you know what I mean?”

“I remember thinking that 'Earthworms' wasn't really an 'album' to me, only because it felt like a weird collection of songs more than an actual project.”

“I don't see any of my records as any more or less conceptual than the others, and I don't really plan some overall idea in advance. The songs all get written under the umbrella of a certain time in your life, and it's natural to find themes that repeat within these periods.”

“Mark my words, even if I sell out a club of 15,000 with all girls, I'm not taking my shirt off. I'm sorry. I know y'all are waiting to see the pasty stomach and everything.”

“I'd love it if one of my songs became a hit.”