Everything is important to me... Forgetting the small details is not wise when you care so much about your music and band. So, I try to put effort and focus into the artwork as well, so it best represents the music that I've put my heart and soul into.
The more I started going through my own things in life, my faith got put to the test, and I had to believe that God is real in my heart, my lord and savior Jesus Christ, and I can't run from that. I'll always put that in my music or it just wouldn't be right. People can take it or leave it, I really don't care, because it's for me to put it on records. And I will continue to put more of a spiritual nature in my music.
It's like soul music, isn't it all soul music? Otherwise what is it, non-soul music? I-have-no-soul music? Soulless music? People need to put a name on something to identify it, and I understand it.
Some people who make music are instantly very savvy about how they can get their music to communicate in a larger way. For me, the music was always first, and I put a lot of time and effort and thought into making the recordings. But everything else around it, all the things that were necessary to have a career in pop music, I was completely ill equipped to handle.
The Wyclef Jean music is eclectic music. Wyclef represents music -eclectic music. I've been doing this music since I was a child, and I said I will refuse for anyone to put me into a box.
What I try to impart to a musician is to really try to practice the instrument in a really sincere way. Learn as much about music as you possibly can. Learn composition. Study to try to create compositions of your own and put your own personal touch on your music.
One thing I know about Willie Hutch: my homie, [Big] Jerm, listens to nothing but Soul music, so he put me on to all this Soul music back in the day.
Since music is so important to me, I don't need to put in any extra effort to do this; it just flows for me. It's as simple as drinking water and having food, so definitely, music is one of the main purposes of my life.
I just try to do the best job I possibly can - put the blinders on, go to work and be the best you can possibly be. Once you have done everything that you possibly can - you've put forth your greatest effort - then I can live with whatever's next.
Because obviously when we write our music, we pour our heart and soul into it. I put everything into my music... I just feel like, I want people to actually hear what I have to say.
We did so much music together, before he got locked up, it's just, Gucci, he don't hold on to music. He like, Man, let's put this out, let's put that out, let's put this out. That's what he do. He like to put out a lot of music.
Well the first record is something that you just put so much into. And the second record, people always talk about the sophomore jinx and everything, but I was still able to get through it and still focus on what I needed to do and make timeless music.
I think to be successful at anything you have to put in a hell of a lot of effort. Pick your battles. I picked music, put in a lot of effort, and it's worked.
Music, it's an emotion; if you're just a puppet, how can you put your soul in what you do? For my part, I believe that I put my soul to it, so I get angry when people think that what I do is plastic.
I started writing rhymes first and then put it to the music. I figured out I could lock it to the beat better if I heard the music first. I like to get a lot of tracks, put the track up and let the music talk to me about what it's about.
The head sculptor, who became a mentor to me, said that the most important thing he'd ever learned was that you have to figure out what your number-one passion is and throw everything into that. And that if you didn't do that, then you're not really serving your purpose in the world, because you're not going to put that extra effort in. And I knew I loved music, so I just quit and decided to pursue it.
The elements of a good story are most definitely details, little bitty details. That does it, especially when you're describing, when you're setting the scene and everything. It's like you're painting a picture, so details are very important. Also, the music gotta be right. The music can really set the tone for the story and let you know what the story is gonna be about, but definitely, it's the vibe in the place where you at and the detail.