ScHoolboy Q recently admitted he came away from his last album Crash Talk feeling empty.
During his interview with Back On Figg, Q said he considers Crash Talk to be his "least introspective album." "It performed so well though," Q says at around the one hour and seven minute mark. "But it still left me empty cause it was me, but I was in a space of transitioning to where I was at. I was super drug free, super daddy, but I didn't know how to get rid of the gangster image."
Later in the conversation, Q spoke about feeling comfortable doing his previous sound, making a point that "if you do a lot of things that's comfortable, you're not that nasty so I'm nasty." He also says on his next album he's "very uncomfortable."
Q, who was not released a new album since 2019's Crash Talk, explained why he does not feel compelled to put out music every year like some of his peers. "As an artist, if I don't bring nothing to the table that comes from my life, I don't feel I should put it out," he said.
The 36-year-old seems poised to ignore pressure from those who demand new music on a more consistent basis, and instead, deliver a thoughtful project that lives up to his own standards.
"I try my best to keep it in my art," he said. "It has to be in my art because God gave me this gift to express myself. It's almost like a therapist. You have to be truthful. You have to be vulnerable for people who are scared to do that."
The good news is that the wait may be nearly over. Q seemingly hinted at the arrival of new music last week while responding to hiphop.talk's Instagram account, writing, "WatcH How I come tHis year."
ScHoolboy Q also revealed in his interview that he last worked with Kendrick Lamar while making Crash Talk. The rapper maintained he and Kendrick are still best friends and understands that everyone, Top Dawg Entertainment included, are dealing with their own situations.
Despite the hiatus, Q has nothing but kind things to say about his former labelmate. "Dot gave me so much confidence. Dot made me a rapper. Dot saved my life. I owe a lot to Dot,” he said. “Kendrick and Ali, pulled me to the side [and said] you slipping, you ain’t on your game. [We’re] really about music around here."
