ScHoolboy Q recently sat down with TV personality and former Everyday Struggle host Nadeska Alexis to discuss his creative process on his latest LP, Blue Lips. The album, released on March 1st, 2024, is the first project Q has dropped since 2019's CrasH Talk. ScHoolboy Q curated the interview, even explaining that he sought Nadeska for the discussion due to her unproblematic reputation in hip-hop journalism. Q uploaded the hour-long conversation to his verified YouTube channel, establishing a direct line of communication between the artist and his fans. During the discussion, Q went deep regarding his personal life, his creative process, and his plans for the future, providing fans with a great deal of insight. Here are 5 key takeaways from the ScHoolboy Q interview.
5. Q Had Tons Of Creative Control Over Blue Lips
ScHoolboy Q has made it no secret that he was disappointed by the final mix of CrasH Talk when it was released in 2019. Though the album certainly has some high watermarks, some fans felt that it lacked the experimental flair expected from the TDE rapper. While discussing the creation of Blue Lips with Nadeska, Q explained that he personally handled nearly every aspect of the new project to ensure its quality was fully up to his standards. Each detail in the Blue Lips rollout was handled by ScHoolboy personally, including hand-writing signs used to promote the project, and choosing location shoots for music videos.
One such shoot took place on a former slave plantation, which the rapper chose specifically to create a thematic through-line highlighting the exploitation of Black Americans throughout history. ScHoolboy Q also remarked during the interview that, at one point, he threatened to leave the label or drop the album under a pseudonym on YouTube if music executives attempted to interfere with his creative process at all, showing just how much pull the music industry veteran has at Top Dawg Entertainment these days.
4. The Album Has Been In Production Since 2019
Another surprising piece of information revealed by ScHoolboy Q during the recent interview is the sheer amount of work that went into Blue Lips from a production standpoint. According to the Black Hippy alumnus, the project has been in development since 2019. Q explained that he first began writing and recording songs for Blue Lips on the tour bus shortly after releasing CrasH Talk.
Later in the interview, ScHoolboy Q commented that he fully wrote and recorded most of the lyrics on the album by 2021. He added that he spent the last two years tweaking production to the most minimal detail. In a shocking twist, Q explained to Nadeska that he effectively views himself as more of a producer than a rapper at this point in his career, since he spends significantly more time tweaking the technical elements of his music than he does writing or laying down raps.
Read More: ScHoolboy Q "Blue Lips" Review
3. ScHoolboy Q's Sobriety Has Changed His Life
During the interview, Nadeska remarked that ScHoolboy Q looked healthy, well-dressed, and well-groomed in his recent appearances, a stark contrast to the scraggly hippie look he rocked during the early points of his career. While many fans have fond memories of the bucket hat and dashiki era Q, the 37-year-old rapper explained that his old trademark look was mostly due to his drug use at the time. Since first becoming sober in 2019, ScHoolboy has continued to grow up and take more of a vested interest in his appearance, leading to his new-and-improved aesthetic.
Beyond just his looks, Q says his sobriety greatly impacted his behavior. Specifically, the rapper claims that he looks back in embarrassment at many of his on-camera moments from his drug abuse days, calling his actions corny. Looking back with sober eyes, ScHoolboy Q expressed during the interview that many of his on-camera antics were performative to drive eyes and ears toward his music, instead of relying on his art to do the heavy lifting.
2. Some Of The Most Personal Tracks Were Left Off The Finished Album
On the track "Germany 86'," ScHoolboy Q explains that his mother served in the United States Army, leading to Q being born on foreign soil during her deployment. Once her tenure as a soldier concluded, Q's mother was unceremoniously cut loose with no support system, causing her to move back to South Central Los Angeles where the rapper was raised. The Blue Lips virtuoso largely credits his single mother for raising him right, despite some of the poor choices he made in his youth.
"Germany 86'" ends after only one brief verse, which he explained was a deliberate choice. The artist reportedly crafted a song titled "Cry Too Much" for the album, delving deeper into his mother's trauma, but ultimately, chose to cut it before releasing Blue Lips. Q claimed that the song exposed too much of his mother's trauma for the public to hear, making him feel like he was exploiting her suffering if the record ever saw the light of day.
1. ScHoolboy Claims He Will Never Retire From Making Music
Once ScHoolboy Q and Nadeska finished discussing the past and present of Q's creative process, they dove into the future, allowing the rapper to make his boldest and most exciting declaration yet. According to ScHoolboy, he plans to continue making music well into his eighties, and never retire from tinkering with unique sounds. While the TDE signee explained that he'll likely stop releasing full albums in his old age, he likens his ideal elderly self to a retired Stevie Wonder, still crafting experimental melodies at home without a wider audience. Q specifically referenced older hip-hop pioneers such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Nas as inspirations for his upcoming work, and stated confidently that he has 18 full-length LPs left in him before he's ready to give rapping a rest.
[Via]