Photography By: Lucas Farrar (@MrFarFetched)

Backstage at Riff Raff’s Neon Icon Tour stop at Irving Plaza in New York City, the self-proclaimed “Rap Game Bon Jovi” is 30 minutes away from his performance. With a crowd at near-capacity chanting his name, Riff looks relaxed while passing a joint among his crew that includes his stylist and his brother, pro snowboarder Viktor Simco. As DJ Grandtheft warms up the crowd with select electronic cuts, Riff moves to the next room for pictures with his puppy, Jody Husky. With his bright banana-themed outfit and matching LeBrons, Riff and The Neon Puppy took some great photos, many of them featuring Riff’s specialized shark tooth grill and the large Mad Decent chain he’s been rocking lately. Cold as ice.

Seated near the stage entrance, Jody Highroller is more calm and collected than his usual self as he preps for showtime. Generally, the always-entertaining Riff Raff is outlandish and often comedic—just watch him recounting his date with Katy Perry while squeezing another chick’s booty—but this time he’s saving his energy. Maybe it’s for the ruckus of the crowd that awaits him, or maybe he’s just tired from getting pigeonholed into always having to turn it on and turn things up. Whatever the case, Riff’s known to not let things bring him down. In fact, he's been telling people for about a year now that his Mad Decent debut, Neon Icon, tentatively due out next month, will show and prove that he’s an EDM/hip-hop artist that should be taken seriously. A few selected tracks are expected to premiere this evening: “Tip Toe In My Jordans,” “Castle Around My Heart” featuring Wiz Khalifa and a new Action Bronson collaboration.

Just 10 minutes before Riff entered the stage, XXL spoke with him about touring across the country, why he deserves to be a 2014 XXL Freshman, his new album and much more. Jody Husky approved. —Eric Diep

XXL: How's the tour going right now?

Riff Raff: Aw man, just day by day. I don’t want stay I get burned out, but I just zone out and I just go day-by-day and I don’t even look back anymore. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

What's burning you out?

Just back-to-back doing shit. Just shows and everything. I’m not going to say it gets old, but once I lose interest in something. If it come too easy … I don’t fucking know. I don’t even look in the past. I just keep looking forward. I don’t know what I’ll be doing tomorrow.

You are in a bigger venue this time. You’ve upgraded.

Thank you. Of course, I don’t get nervous and shit. I do arenas and baseball stadiums, whatever. The bigger, the better. I get bored fast.

Your campaign for the Freshman cover has been epic.

I mean, shit. If somebody don’t think I am one of the next top ten people that’s gonna be big, there’s something mentally wrong with you. There’s something mentally wrong and you’ll be lying to not only yourself, but you’ll be lying to the community and lying to society by not having me on a list like that.

You got Neon Icon coming out soon. Is it locked in for next month?

It’s all on Diplo and them [at Mad Decent]. I already did everything I could. The album is done. I got on tracks with all these features, so many features. I did all that. I’m done. If they want to drop the album, drop it. If they aren’t gonna drop it—I mean, I did my work. My verses have been done since December. It’s not even on me no more, it’s on somebody else.

How does it feel to have so many relationships within hip-hop and EDM?

You know, when you have somebody as big as Diplo and Mad Decent, which they are growing also... You look at the Block Parties. All Block Parties. I am part of Mad Decent. If you look at it, it's growing too. We're all growing. EDM world is growing. I’m glad to be a part of that. I wouldn’t rather be on a rap label, I'd rather be where I am at. We made a great album. I’m just waiting for it to come out.

You started in this hip-hop world and you evolved from it. Are you at another level now?

I want to be bigger and bigger. I am not just a hip-hop artist. I’m that and more. I am one of the top ten new hip-hop artists. But also, I am one of the top ten new EDM hip-hop artists in that category too. And then you talk about some rocks songs and stuff on there, but people won’t label that until the album drops. They see the different levels of things I go to. Until that album comes out, I can’t really do much more.

What’s going on with your song with 40 and Drake?

That’s not on the album. Me and Drake—we still got a lot of things to work out with tracks and stuff. We are gonna do more things in the future. I am friends with all of them at OVO. All them. OVO Ryan, OB [O'Brien], 40, Drake.

What’s with the blue in your hair now?

I just switched it up. I have it like this. I might dye my hair mango next or something. I don’t know.

PETA came at you a little bit when you dyed Jody Husky all blue.

What they did was they didn’t do their research until afterwards. We talked since then and if you follow the situation, everything’s cool now, you know. But I mean, if their job is to monitor and make sure animals is okay and there’s no animal cruelty, I understand that. But that’s Jody Husky. He’s an integral part—he’s like family. He’s like my little son. I ain’t gonna harm him. I’m gonna make sure nobody harms him. I understand the situation. I'm not mad.

Do you have anything to get off your chest? It seems like you're more mellow in person than you are online.

Man, I have mood swings. I go from mood swing to mood swing. Right now, I am out of it. I’m not feeling really good. You know what I mean? My mind and mentality and the way I might act around different people in certain situations are totally two different worlds. It’s not me being fake or anything like that. I’ll be 80 years old or 100 years old, I’ll still be writing books and saying how I feel. My energy level doesn’t match my philosophy. I apologize to whoever thinks that I should be apologizing for [anything].

Do I honestly think I should apologize? No. I do what I want. I feel what I want. I can’t make everybody happy. I’ve learned that shit. I can’t be a fucking comedian. I can't tell people—somebody tell me a joke and I just jump up and tell somebody a joke. It don’t work. I don’t operate like that.

Now, if I am with my friends and I'm in a good mood, then I’ll be in a good mood with my friends. If I'm not liking a situation or I am uncomfortable, I am gonna be fucking not talking to nobody. That’s just me. I can’t accommodate [everyone] anymore. I can’t make everybody happy. I can barely make myself happy.

What else can fans expect from Neon Icon?

Neon Icon is the best album of the year and that’s final. Period. It’s not even me saying it. It’s me thinking and it ain’t nothing. If you ain’t with it then you are not on my team. If you don’t think that. That’s okay. I'm not mad.

You’ve been working on it for two years. How much have you cut it down?

It’s gonna be like, what? 15 songs?

Is it still going to be glow in the dark?

Man, that’s what I told them! I wanted it to glow in the dark. Foldout poster and all my lyrics will be in there. What I say for things to happen, with my mentality and somebody else’s? Who knows. You know what I mean?

Do you got anything special for the deluxe version?

Like I said, if I had things my way, I would be performing inside of a fucking helicopter right now at the motherfuckin’ Madison Square Garden. If I had things my way. You know what I mean? It’s always bigger and bigger and better and better. If it’s the world or if the situation don’t catch up to what I want it to. What can I do? Besides dream?

Previously: Riff Raff Wants To Be Involved With EDM More Than Hip-Hop

RiFF RAFF Finally Gets Serious About Being Misunderstood: “I Use That As Fuel; Nobody Will Stop Me”

Riff Raff And Action Bronson Are Making A Joint Album