As a 1st generation Muslim American growing up in America, Freeway was one of those dudes who I looked at thinking, “I can actually be a part of Hip Hop culture and maintain my faith.” I remember watching State Property 2, when Beans got locked up, he met Free in his cell while he was reading Qur’an. That imagery got me hyped. Free is one of those dudes who has always represented Islam to the best of his ability, and for that, me and him were brothers before we ever met each other. I had to get him on this monster of a beat Curtiss made…As for the cover art, this wasn’t the original cover. I cooked up some artwork I thought was cool and shot it over to @BlameTheLabel. This dude basically hit me back and told me it was wack, so I went to Home Depot and bought a Bush Daisy, repotted it in a Pyrex, set up a white backdrop, snapped a pic with my 5s, and went into some editing. While channeling my inner artist, I believe I created a juxtaposition which matches the song perfect. Freeway brings that street shit in the record. My upbringing was a little brighter, so that’s what I bring to the table. Hence, “Deep Gritty.”