The Dream “If A Man Asks You To Marry Him It’s Okay To Say No. That was the problem w/ Christina & I.”

33 year old, Terius (yep, that’s his real name) Nash, whom we know as The Dream, took the time to give VIBE one of the deepest interviews we’ve read in a while. The super song-writer and singer got personal and discussed everything from copying “Watch The Throne”, to his break up with Christina Milian, as well as his suicidal thoughts. Here’s what he had to say.

On being accused of copying the “Watch The Throne” album cover:

“That was like ‘What are you talking about? They’re my niggas!’ Number one you can’t copy something that’s original. Lorenzo Ghiberti did that sculpture in the 1400s. I’m sorry it’s the same color, but all of us are in a clique. It’s like your friends, y’all are probably going to have the same likings. And it kinda helped actually because anyone who didn’t know how the ‘Watch The Throne’ cover looked or whoever didn’t see my ‘1977’ cover can see it now. If it was a commercial release it probably wouldn’t have been that cover, but it’s not a thought if it’s a cover for a small thing I’m doing. I saw that bronze sculpture maybe ten years ago and said ‘I’m going to use that for something I just don’t know what.’ It also enlightens people to who Lorenzo is in case they didn’t know. But of course there’s going to be hate.”

Here’s a picture of his cover

On not being credited for his songwriting (including all the writing he does for Beyonce):

“I think what makes me great as a songwriter is there’s still an artist behind it. It’s one thing to just be a writer with one style or a niche, but if you can go into a variety of lanes, that’s a fucking artist. So not only that, but when people don’t know what I do, it’s a calculation of not understanding music. To take away from me, you’re just taking away from music.”

On the new Rock group he’s starting:

“I’m really excited about it. I’m putting myself in it, but I want a girl to be the lead singer. No one talks about politics anymore. It’s ‘I swag this, I swag that.’ When did we not become witty enough to say something real? I think what music is doing now is rocking people to sleep, thinking we’re not in some bullshit. But we’re in so much trouble in so many ways. We don’t know about our finances or what’s going on in different parts of the world. It’s not about being depressed, but being aware. So I want to make a group that does just that. This is going to be the best Coldplay–Jay-Z mashup sounding songs you could ever imagine. I make metaphors about sex because it just so happens I sing R&B, but that’s not the only thing in my mind. At the same time, I’m not going to be doing something so far left that Dream fans won’t understand it. [To find the lead girl] we’re going to do a national search. It won’t be a television show, but everyone will know we’re looking.”

On influencing other artists:

“Frank [Ocean], The Weeknd, Miguel… they’re very good at what they do. I doubt if you asked if I influenced them, they’d be like ‘Nah.’ I’d be like ‘Really?!’… It’s sad that I have to come and say I’m the dopest motherfucker alive. It used to not be that way because once you worked your ass off, your counterparts were calling you up to say so. Our egos aren’t at a state where you can give compliments away that easily. Like I don’t think I’ll ever have R. Kelly’s throne until he gives it to me.”

On his break up with Christina Milian:

“It’s just allowed me to be more real. I’d rather be the bad guy than anybody else be the bad girl because I can handle it. It’s a bad thing that two people can break up, but the truth of the matter is that it happens all the time for different reasons. But what’s wrong with a public breakup is that they never really know the truth. And I won’t be the person who says it. I’m not going to be that type. If something breaks, it’s not something to celebrate… What I would tell all girls is if a man asks you to marry them, it’s okay to say no. It may fuck with his ego for the time right there, but if you’re being honest and you’re just not ready, then both of y’all are just not ready. That’s what the common problem was [between me and Christina]. We weren’t ready for that—for a whole bunch of reasons I’ll never name. We just weren’t. Sometimes you have to meet people during the right time.”

On contemplating suicide:

“I think it was just how my mind works. You have so many things rushing through your mind and I was trying to figure out how to make it stop. It’s easy to look at someone and say there’s 80,000 different ways for you to deal with it. No. Maybe for you, but me having to one, be in control of every aspect of my life and two, loving people how I do and being so thoughtful… when certain things are out of control, if it’s the type of personality that I have, you start to lean towards the best way to make it end. Like what stops this for not only me, but everyone? Of course that’s not the smartest thing to do, which is evidently why I’m still here. But it’s just one of those things that creeps into your mind when you’re not even paying attention.”

On retiring:

“Anytime a musician says they’re going to retire they’re lying. I didn’t want to lie. There’s two parts of you, there’s one that says ‘I don’t need to keep recording what’s the big deal,’ but then another person is like ‘What are you talking about?’ I didn’t go into it with the intentions of lying, but creating music is like crack for me. It’s not even a want. I just can’t stop.”

Peep the full interview here.