The time he devoted to making a classic record is paid off as his 'Oxymoron' debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
- Mar 17, 2014
AceShowbiz - ScHoolBoy Q might have felt pressured to make a classic record, but now he may be thankful that he did it. After the hard work and time he spent working on his third studio album, his "Oxymoron" entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 1 in February. One of the most anticipated rap albums this year, the record didn't disappoint music lovers.
Indeed, the Germany-born rapper wanted to give the best for his devotees. "If you look at my album it's #1 in hip-hop right now and it hasn't even dropped yet," he said in an interview with Vibe, "That says a lot. My fans are there and the energy is good. Everything I do is for my fans. I ain't s**t without them."
It's by far ScHoolBoy's best achievement commercially. His "Setbacks" (2011) only peaked at No. 100 on the U.S. albums chart and "Habits & Contradictions" (2012) was a bit downward as it landed at No. 111.
Interestingly, ScHoolBoy didn't promote "Oxymoron" by making many TV appearances. "Yeah, I let my music do the talking. Ain't no TV show gonna help me," he reasoned. The 27-year-old initially even planned "on not having one single on the album. Like, not one. I just wanted to put it out."
"Ain't no hit single gon help me sell no records," he explained. "How many artists done came with a hit record and nobody cared for nothing else? Don't get me wrong, I would definitely want a hit record, but I still want the success to be around the album."
Of being snubbed at the recent Grammy Awards, ScHoolBoy said, "You be mad for a minute-we're human-but after that, its like I'm straight. Still accomplished so much. It's ni***s that ain't never been nominated. People saying that you been robbed is almost better than winning a Grammy. It's so much more talk. S**t, I'm grateful for everything, every obstacle that come my way. That's how he feel too. We just made a joke out of it. Now it's funny, like 'N***a, you lost!' "
ScHoolBoy also spoke about his competition with Kendrick Lamar, claiming that "it's s a healthy competition." He added, "[I don't] wanna see a nigga fail. I'm going to be just as happy if he does better than me."
The "Collard Greens" MC is now hitting the road for a tour in North America and Europe that began in March 31 and continues until June 1. It is featuring American rappers Isaiah Rashad and Vince Staples as supporting acts.
