I just kept it real and had the freedom to do what I want. It's not designed for any age group. It's not made for radio. There are no edits. The whole album contains explicit lyrics but that's because you need it.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I realized in the early days I just didn't edit at all. But I think you become a little more cagey with your lyrics when you know more people are going to hear them and make assumptions about you as a person. Realizing that, you want to be a little more opaque.
There's a guy at the record company who's 30, and he says, I would not listen to these songs except in this context. Somehow the recording process, the arrangements, make it more accessible.
You can rebel against everything adults say. When I want to find out what the new music is, I find out what parents hate.
I try to write lyrics so that they won't age, which sort of leaves you with the big subjects like death and love and sex and violence.
I can't just make a song people can dance in a club to... it still has to be real.
I resent the fact that a parental warning sticker has to be included on an album as cover art. To me that's censorship.
I don't live in the past or focus on making new songs sound like my old stuff; it would be stupid, and I don't think anyone would like it.
You're playing serious music, and you want to be taken seriously. When they get my age wrong on the program, I wish they'd make me older.
I've never wanted to use my age as a gimmick, as something that would get me ahead of other people. I've wanted the music to do that.
I didn't put out this album because I wanted everybody to know I was grown up. I'm 21 and that's not grown up.