G-Eazy Quotations

In the past, my process would start with a sample of another song, and I'd chop it up and use that as the basis of the song that I was making.

What's weird is the Hot Boys and the whole New Orleans Cash Money thing had a really big impact on the Bay when that was popping off. I don't all the way understand it. I mean, I know that they were big everywhere and had a lot of commercial success in the mid to late '90s, but they were really, really felt in the Bay Area.

You have this ability in hip hop to be invincibly cool, and that is a part of G-Eazy.

Something I stand for is being brave enough to invest in creative ideas that I firmly believe in and bringing those to life.

Word of mouth is the most valuable form of marketing, but you can't buy it. You can only deliver it. And you have to really deliver.

I read the Steve Jobs book, and that kind of changed everything. I've been, like, an Apple geek my whole life and have always seen him as a hero. But reading the book, and learning about how he built the company, and maintaining that corporate culture and all that, I think that influenced me a lot.

When you're around somebody like E-40, all you can do is watch and learn, and soak up game.

Keeping in touch with the people that matter is important.

I think when you're telling a story from inside of you that's genuine, people connect with it.

I always thought that one day I would be somebody. I would be successful in music, and I would have fans that cared about my music. At the same time, I really feel like an ordinary guy; I have been an ordinary guy forever.

I don't know if most people know it or not, but I produce, like, 95% of my own stuff.

My whole career has been from scratch, so I never took it for granted that people care and support what I do.

Just wearing all black comes from Johnny Cash. I'm on the road so much that if I wear all black my clothes never get dirty. You can't tell if I've worn the same shirt twice.

I had a job since I was old enough to work - since I was, like, 14.

I try to find 15 minutes a day to just be alone without any distractions just for headspace to meditate and get my Zen on. I think that helps me get through the hecticness of the day on tour with the interviews, the sound check, the meet and greets, the show and the post-show meet and greets.

I was slicking my hair back when I was in sixth grade.

It was inspiring to see local legends like E-40 and Keak da Sneak break out with 'Tell Me When to Go.'

I didn't grow up around all white people; I never wanted to gentrify hip-hop, I've never wanted to speak to an all-white audience.

I grew up in Oakland and Berkeley, California.

Music isn't selling like it used to, but the one thing you can't steal or download is a live show experience or a T-shirt.

I see myself as a hip-hop artist, but I never wanted to make music for a specifically white audience. Thats not what I grew up around.

I think, back in the day, when I was first starting to make music, all I wanted to do was to get a record deal.

I've dreamed of being on the road, traveling and touring, for as long as I've been into doing music. It's what I live for. I just wanna be Willie Nelson.

'Runaround Sue' was a big record for me, as well as the music video for it.

I think it's natural for a creative to be sensitive. If I'm in the studio and I write something, I think it's the greatest thing in the world; it's like my baby. I just made something out of thin air that exists now in a tangible form. It's the biggest thrill in my life.

When you sample something, you're using the crutch of borrowing chords and melodies from a song that's already great, that's already stood the test of time, that's already special. When you're trying to do it all from scratch, you're writing something brand new that has to stand on its own.

I was fortunate to have teachers that were flexible with allowing me to miss more class than I was supposed to be able to, for the sake of being able to tour.

My mom would always play me a lot of late-'50s, late-'60s rock.

London, from the architecture to the culture to the fashion to the accents, feels like it's a special place.

I think if you're constantly reinvesting into your content and giving the fans stuff, then you can continue to tour. You can continue to sell the merch and monetize the popularity of the brand.

When I first decided I wanted to make beats and write songs and stuff like that, it wasn't like I sat down and the first thing I wrote was even halfway legit. It took a while to find my way through it.

Touring is starting to feel more like home than home does.

You have an entire generation of kids who grew up with the idea that music is something that you can download for free.

When I started making music, I was so heavy into the hyphy movement. That's something you only know so much about if you were right there living in it, submerged in the culture.

I've gone on in front of a crowd of 10 people and 7,000 people.

I'm not on the radio all day long. I'm not on TV.

I know what it feels like to walk out in front of a sold-out crowd of a thousand people that are there for you, and how good that feels, but as an opener, you just have to train yourself to think that it's going to be harder.

In my opinion, creative control means a lot, I feel like I'm really in touch with who my fans are and what they like about my music, and I'm able to communicate directly with them.

I just kept telling myself that ultimately, the money that my grandparents had put away to go into my college fund, that they were investing for me to go to school and get this education, it had to be worth something.

Music meant more to me than a social life and just hangin out. haha just being tired of repacking my suit case every couple of days, and anytime i wanted to cop some new clothes i would have to throw away something I had to make room in the suitcase.

In a sense, touring is crazy. You go city to city playing the show over and over again. But there's something magic about being in front of people, so it's not like going through the motions every night. It's a different experience.

I'm on this raised-platform-stage and I'm put on display, but at the same time I'm just a human. I'm just a regular person at the end of the day and, you know, I just want them to know that I do appreciate every single one of them.

I think the special stuff [music] still finds a way to be heard, as long as you pair it with a good release strategy.

When you're choosing the track list and the sequencing, it's important to make sure that there's some strong concepts on there and that it matters and it says something... that it sticks with people.

I didnt grow up around all white people; I never wanted to gentrify hip-hop, Ive never wanted to speak to an all-white audience.

I am involved in every step of the process [musicmaking]. Whether it is the production or the mixing or the visuals and music videos. I'm involved in every step of the way as far as the creative, directing and merchandise . Just making sure everything that falls in line with my brand is portrayed a certain type of way. It all about quality control and attention to detail, and making sure anything you put your name on is on point.

If I didn't make a single song in two months, I'm slippin'. You can't just party every night.

I've matured as a person and so has the music... It's gotten more sophisticated and interesting I think.

Whenever I perform I try to connect with the crowd and give off energy so when they walk away from the show its remarkable and its something they talk about it, like 'damn I cant wait to come back to my show.'

The biggest thing for me is the new music. I'm playing a lot of new music that is not released yet on my tours. Seeing the reaction to that is super inspiring.

Sometimes when you meet stars, on one hand you're like, "You're who I'm inspired by, you're who I look up to." On the other hand you're like, "I wanna be in the same kind of shoes that you're in." That's how I've always seen myself. Some of me is star-struck, some of me feels like I'm looking at a peer. They're another person who sees the world the same way I do, who already did it. It's inspiring.

A song or an album is never really done. You can work on it forever, but knowing when to call it a day and knowing when to walk away from it is extremely important.

I think it's important to say something. If you're making music it's kinda' like, oh, cool, so is everyone else.

I'm a Gemini, so there's two people in me. Straight up. There's the nerd who is totally zoned out in the studio, EQ-ing this kick drum, raising this snare one decibel, or swapping this high hat out for another. Then there's the other side who's a performer. I have to go out on stage and be electric, a fire cracker, just run around the stage and give a show.

Success is just being able to do what I love for a living, spend all my time doing it, connect with fans, and continue that for a long f - king time.

I was 14 years old when I started rapping and I was terrible. I fell in love with it though and when that happens with me I become super passionate and go all the way with it.

I always think I'm going to record a lot on tour but it's always hard to fit it in the schedule, and there's a whole lotta' other extra curricular activities that happen on the road.

I dunno, there were always people believing in me, but you just gotta be confident in whatever you wanna do.

I think my style revolves around the philosophy that less is more, that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. That goes for my taste in design and in clothes, and even affects the way I approach music. I'm all about keeping things simple, and minimal, but being able to convey something powerful through that approach.

Life is good. I've got a apartment that is paid for with rap money. It's good. It's amazing. It's a blessing. I wake up every day and appreciate how much of a blessing this is getting to do this. But it is important to always stay humble, grounded, focused, and maintain that same ambition you had when you had nothing.

What inspires me is the desire to be on. The desire to be successful. The desire to reach people through my music and make a living off it and never have to do anything else. Being able to do music full time and travel the world and share this music with everybody. That's the dream.

In anything I do I try to stay true to myself because I think that's what matters most, and then the challenge is getting all these different sides of my personality to fit together in one box. It isn't an easy task. But that's basically what the end result represents.

If you push yourself to stay hungry, you're always working towards at least taking steps forward. If you're taking steps forward, then you're making progress.

I've put myself in this position where I haven't set myself up with a Plan B. I don't have a safety net; it's all in.

I think it's important to evolve and grow and take risks creatively, instead of repeating yourself and doing the same thing over and over.

Less is more. Simplicity is awesome. That's all you need in life. Its just my personal philosophy.