"SIGNING TO NICKI [MINAJ] WAS SOMETHING I DIDN'T NEED TO THINK TWICE ABOUT"

Reports: Sohh

Signing to Nicki [Minaj] was something I didn't need to think twice about, she flew me down to Atlanta while she was on tour and when we met she was as cool as they come. I'd met quite a few different teams that were interested in taking on my project, TyTy(Roc Nation) showed interest in me while I was working onRihanna's single "What Now."

I get on really well and I see him as big brother but he had already started his roster and I need 100 percent attention on my project. I genuinely felt like TyTy and Nicki were the only people that really understood what I represent and being an island girl raised in the city, Nicki's got an understanding of my culture and what I'm about.That's the most important thing to me. I have been blessed enough to have a godfather like Quincy Jones who tells me to think about music production from a global perspective.

Honestly besides her craft itself, it is Nicki's efficiency, her work rate, her drive [that impresses me]. I've spent the past five years as a producer working with various artists and honestly Nicki's hunger is unparalleled. I turned down a lot of other opportunities because wherever I went I wanted to have their full attention and that was the only risk of signing to a household name or major, with Nicki that isn't an issue.

Despite the current pace of the music industry I've never wanted to rush my project and I'm a strong believer that if you take your time when creating music its more likely to captivate people.

I've been with Nicki for just over a year now and she's given me the space and time I need to make material I really believe in, music that is the perfect representation of my life and also enough time to juggle my commitments as a producer. What more could I ask for?