Quotes from Brent Faiyaz

I got a toy keyboard when I was around like five or six.

When you're initially making music, you're kind of just shooting at the air.

My music is often written from the perspective of an extroverted introvert.

I think it was 'The Diary of Alicia Keys'. That was the first time album I ever bought with my own money. I had a little Discman.

Being old didn't seem like an accomplishment. Everyone I knew who was old was like sick or broke. It just didn't look appealing until I moved to L.A. and started interacting with people who were 50+ and still kicking it, having money, living large.

Sonder is the realization that every individual passerby has their own life just as vivid and complex as yours.

I think if you're an interesting person, you don't have to cloud yourself in mystery for people to want to know more about you.

I think it's good that YouTube decided that they really want to showcase Black talent.

We're products of this world we were born into. We all battle our own demons. Everyone is troubled in the dark, but, please just stop & think about the babies. They're gonna be here long after we leave.

I know when it comes to the actual narrative of my solo music, it's its own thing. That's why I went out of my way after 'Crew' to not do a bunch of collaborations.

I could always sing just playing around, but I ain't want to be no singer. I thought that was lame.

I feel like any way you can get the message to resonate, I'm all for it.

If I'm being honest, I was messing up on every other level in my life growing up - whether it was in school or in my jobs. I was always distracted by my love for music.

If you can look in the mirror and say I love myself, that's going to affect your interactions with people who look like you.

I want to put my soul into the music and still be who I am when it comes to an actual conversation.

If I have a collection of songs for an EP or mixtape, I create the narrative afterwards; but usually with an album, I have a concept and the name first.

An outside party don't ever stay outside.

Music is my one opportunity to let out how I'm feeling when I'm not talking to a chick or my mom, you know what I mean? It's just venting.

You work on something for so long that you become numb to it. Like, you don't even know how to listen to it because you listened to it so many times.

I really just wanted to make something special for women. There aren't enough records uplifting them out there.

There's the hype stuff that people love for five minutes and then there's the stuff that changes cultures and shifts how you look at music. And then there's that rare point where that hype stuff changes the game.

I'd prefer for people to know that they're going to get some substance when they listen to my music versus hearing the same 'Oooh baby, I love you.'

I don't really feel the loyalty to any particular genre. To be completely honest, I'm an R&B singer because I'm black and I sing.