I just read a Kardinal Offishall interview. This same quote applies to people like 40 and Snoop.
But you have to think of some of the greats and the things I admire about people like Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie, or anybody successful. They were able to represent some of the harder s**t and at the same time they’re able to take the hood to the club, and that’s called versatility and creativity. I know it’s lacking in Hip-Hop right now, so it’s kind of taking people off guard cause they’re not used to thinking outside the box.