One time, I was interviewing this rapper named Lil’ Keke and he was talking about how he loved trying to figure out new ways to say stuff. He said it was his favorite part of writing.

When I asked him for an example of what he meant, he pulled out a notebook where he’d written 100-200 different ways to say that a car was a convertible. It was just page after page after page. (Stuff like “The brains been blown out” and “It’s topless like a stripper” and “Ridin’ in something God can see me in.”)

He had notebooks like that for all kinds of different stuff. I remember being in awe as I flipped through them. It was so cool to me to learn that he worked so hard at that kind of thing. It was very inspirational. I hope he’s having a nice evening tonight.