A Quote by Valee

My goal for the rap game is just to make a lot of really dope music. That's really where I keep my mindset at: Just being obsessed over making something crazy and new every day.
I just write songs, I make music, and I have several times over reinvented my life in order to keep making music and just make music all day. I don't know. It's just what I have to do.
If you're stuck in a rut doing the same thing over and over again, what are you actually, really achieving? I'm someone who strives for success, for self-growth and new experiences, and to make a record that pushes me out of my comfort zone is something that's really exciting. It means you're making new decisions, you're making bold decisions, you're being scared, and you're getting through that - hopefully making something you're proud of, or being in a better position that makes you feel stronger as a human being.
I'm not the 'rappity-rapper' type dude. All my music is really true. I can't just rap about nothing, just metaphors and putting words together. I can't just smash out material like other guys. I just want my albums to be crazy every time I drop one.
I've never been a rap guy, I don't really know that much about rap music, to be honest. I like it, but I think what really happened was just my music seems to work so well with rap music.
I don't really think of these as projects. I think of them as bands. I have tried to not just convene a group of musicians and make one record or make one gig and just drop it. Each of them develop over time. I have been really fortunate to keep a band like the Sextet together over three very different albums. Each time, the goal got more deep for me in terms of how I wanted to write for those people. So it is really about trying to develop ideas and trying to have a consistent focus on a way to come up with new ideas in music that I want to do.
I'm not turning my back on music anytime soon, but it's just a blessing to have options open. A lot of artists just have rap, and that's it. But once rap stops, it's hard to get into that Hollywood circle; it really is. It's a whole 'nother beast that people think they're ready for, but they're really not.
Coming into this, making music, I knew that was something that was going to be held over my head. Okay we get it, you're openly gay, but do you know how to rap? Can you really rap and deliver? And I feel like I have that pressure put on me that other artists don't. A lot of people don't have to focus on being so lyrical and actually putting on shows. Before anyone was gonna tell me I was bad, I was gonna prove that I was good.
I think it went really well. There was part of me that really wanted to go with the rabbit. But, honestly one thing that I struggle with a lot is really just competing...being in a pack, running with a lot of bodies. I'm 17 and I'm still not really used to it, so the goal today was to just race.
People thought I was a really raw rapper that hated everything - a really sour person - but really I'm just a good, all-around music-making kid and I'm really happy. That really, I feel, painted my image to a lot of people. My music now, some people get sour over it because it's really happy, it's poppy, but I'm just telling them that that image from way back then was me feeling uncomfortable and now I'm comfortable.
I think the problem with people, as they start to mature, they say, 'Rap is a young man's game,' and they keep trying to make young songs. But you don't know the slang - it changes every day, and you're just visiting. So you're trying to be something you're not, and the audience doesn't buy into that.
[Being in the States] is almost like being on a holiday. It's kind of annoying because everyone's like "Oh, you're so obsessed with America," but it's not really that. I just really enjoy being here - I'm not the first British artist to make music here and be inspired by the country.
Being a player that plays multiple positions, that's my mindset every single day because I don't have the luxury of just being really good at one thing.
To be honest, I was unaware of the huge frat-rap scene that was taking over the blogosphere until I found myself right in the middle of it. But there are really a ton of talented dudes out there doing this, and I'm just having a great time making music and being a part of it all.
I don't call my music 'gangsta rap.' I call my music reality, something that really happened, something that has really happened, something that will really happen, something that could really happen. It ain't nothing that I'm making up; I think that's why people listen to it.
Every day, I learn something new. I think one of the most exciting things for a writer is to work on a TV show. It's like a novel. You have a really long time to develop and learn about the characters, and you can just really keep digging in deeper, every week.
We're still making Hot Chip records whilst doing these other things, so why not just try and make music you enjoy making rather than being tied down by things? It would just be crazy to not allow people to make music.
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