Who is feeding you all of this music?
My dad is. His name is Michael Carter, and he is a huge part of my musical interest. I remember for my 8th birthday he bought me my very first stereo. It was the best gift I ever received at the time. I would go and steal my mom’s CDs and just go through them. It didn’t matter what the CDs were. My mom had the Waiting to Exhale CD, and that was the favorite CD I would listen to.
How did it feel when Missy Elliott shared your video on social media?
I was leaving my mom’s house and I got a notification as I was walking out the front door. When I looked, I said, “Is this real?” I thought my phone was [not working properly], so I exited out [of] the app and went back into the app. Then I was like, oh s—, this is Missy Elliott! I was so excited that I went home, made a playlist of all my favorite Missy joints and had a dance party at the crib.
What inspired As I Am?
Scud One produced a good amount of the songs. I would say he set the foundation for the project. I basically chose my instrumentals around what he sent me. I pick my instrumental first, and I pick the mood that I’m going for. I let them play while I’m in the crib or driving and that is how I come up with the different songs. Everything just kind of aligned and flowed in the same vein.
Take a listen to As I Am below.
https://tidal.com/browse/album/158498911
