There's something in the German language that makes you feel like you're getting a hug and a backstab at the same time. El-P More Quotes by El-P More Quotes From El-P I couldn't really be a part of high school, because I have a terrible time doing things that I don't want to do. I'm not good at it. It's not even like, I'm a rebel. I'm just bad at it, you know? El-P rebel want school I would feel pretty embarrassed if I was doing what I do and I wasn't at least attempting the eloquent translation of the human experience in some way. El-P attempting embarrassed way I hope that people take away hope, maybe not in an obvious sense, but in the form of hearing somebody who's genuinely fighting to stay above water. And in that fight, there's hope. In that fight, maybe there's positivity. El-P positivity fighting people At a young age, I really wanted to make music and make my own sort of thing. I'm sure if it wasn't music, it would have been writing, or it would have been maybe painting. I just always had the drive to try and make something with my hands and to just pull something out of myself and shape it and see it in front of me, if that makes any sense. El-P age writing hands No doubt, there are times when I'm like "We have all gotten really used to saying whatever the f - k we want to say," and it's something that I really take seriously, whatever that may be. El-P doubt want may If you ask me what people want from me, they would probably just want me to be true to what I'm doing. El-P being-true want people Maybe my great struggle, and it's probably not anything different from too many other people, but it certainly is what drives the music, is a hugely internal one. El-P different struggle people My father was a musician, and I've always loved writing. I grew up in New York City during a time when hip hop music was surrounding you with the hip hop culture, and it felt natural. I was a really huge fan of the music. El-P new-york writing father I always wanted to do a deal with Russell Simmons, and now I've got my signature on a piece of paper with his. El-P signatures pieces paper There's nothing worse than being shackled by some miniscule sort of technology you have onstage, and I think your mettle is going to get tested in those moments. El-P technology moments thinking The worst part is that if you become part of a major - all these independent labels become farm teams for your corporate parent. Basically, you do all the work for years, blowing up an artist - you discover them, blow them up, you build their fan base. And then that artist is like, "Okay, now I'm here. Now I want more. I want to be bigger." And you're either going to be able to accommodate them, you're going to be able to figure out how to take that step with them, or you're going to lose them. El-P independent team blow I've always believed that if you cannot do it, then you should not do it.Only when it comes to the point where you've literally dug yourself into a hole, where it's sink or swim, is that viable to me. El-P holes should swim I'm a pretty intense person. And I don't know if intense is fun. I put myself through the wringer. That's just how I work. El-P intense persons fun The emergence of the independent hip-hop scene has replaced what we called the "underground scene". It's what the underground scene has evolved into: actual businesses. El-P hips hip-hop independent There is a difference these days between who's making the music and buying the music, in terms of the way that they think, grew up, and their perspective. It's become much more diverse. El-P perspective differences thinking I'm not trying to change the face of hip-hop music. I'm trying to make my records and always take the next step for me. El-P next-steps hip-hop trying I don't think hip-hop is a dying art form. I think it's impossible for hip-hop to be a dying art form. El-P hip-hop art thinking That dark humor has always been a part of what I've done. It's always been somewhat tongue-in-cheek. El-P tongue done dark The crews that are going to be self-produced are going to make the great albums, as opposed to making these mix-tapes, these compilations - "Me over this guy" It sounds good individually, but the art of the record is something that is lost. It gets to the point where it's just vocalists and producers coming in and piecing things together. El-P guy self art I've never had a huge collection of records; I've never been a beat digga. El-P collections beats records
