“The truth can be depressing, I got muses to get through it.” That lyric, deriving from “Prodigies,” the first track on “The Prodigal Tape” EP, is of the essential variety in when thinking about Q Prodigal as an artist. Q has always been about muses and influences. It’s as palpable in his tracks as the emotion with which they are tinged. Having spent a majority of his adolescent years in Upstate New York, you wouldn’t necessarily be right to call him dislocated. Just call him different; he’s of a different variety, a different mind, a different line of thinking that creates a genre of music that serves as a concoction of rap, gospel, and motivational. He began writing songs as a late teen, then splitting time between Rochester and New York City, particularly as a mode of expressive thought and therapy. He’d focus on class, race, religion, love, and passion, all things his family and friends would consider salient in his personality and heart.   His muses, as mentioned, are an immense factor, too. He mirrors the rhyme savvy and extensive command over language of Earl Sweatshirt. He has the rich timber and rhythmic flow of Tyler, the Creator. He maintains the unique style and lyrical backdrop that A Tribe Called Quest offered in the 90s. And he utilizes the electric youth that MIKE has brought on the scene of late. He’s no copycat, though. Q Prodigal is his own breed.