I can’t. I have no idea what he was doing before The Blueprint dropped. It’s not that literal. People keep asking me about Jay’s The Blueprint and they think I’m doing something like that. I made reference to The Blueprint because Jay is the biggest rapper of our time. The name of the album was inspired by Jay but not the body of work. I do think that it’s going to create new rules, though, in [the way] that [The Blueprint did].
The only thing I ever cared about was people questioning [my rapping], because I know that I’m as authentic as they come when it comes to being a freaking MC. My first year in the game, I actually lost sleep over rumors, and then I realized, “What? This is entertainment.” These people will write anything about you to get attention and when you’re successful and famous, they know that when they say your name, people are going to click on the story. Now, to be completely honest, I don’t care. Sometimes if I hear something completely outrageous I’ll laugh, but no, the only thing I care about is my peace of mind, my well-being, my home, my family, the people I love, and the fact that I’m continuing to be successful in my industry. Everything else comes with the territory. You just have to get in on the joke, that’s what I realized.