coast, but, man, i've been everything, a little bit of everything. >> do you think that's left a mark on you? >> i think it's left a good mark on me. i know what to expect when i bump into different types of people, especially different races and the different cultures. i kind of know how like to entertain them and what to expect from them and their crowd because everybody communicates on a different level. like music brings everyone together, but you have to real be able to identify with those certain people, too, for them to, you know, gravitate towards your stuff. >> so much of what happens to a lot of artists, hip-hop artists, roots are a big part of it and it's really important to represent where you're from. but a guy who didn't have roots for a very long time, you have a very different relationship with that. >> yeah. i just take it more as the most that i've learned from my life has been from pittsburgh, you know, and anybody who can identify me with anything, it would be pittsburgh. i know the ins and outs of the street.