This Rap Artist Recorded His Entire Album at the Apple Store

True passion can overcome any obstacle. After several setbacks like having his computer crash multiple times without backup and his equipment stolen, 25-year-old rap artist Prince Harvey decided to secretly record his entire album PHATASS at an NYC Apple store. The title stands for Prince Harvey At The Apple Store: SoHo; he found no better option as he was unable to afford another laptop and recording setup. As a result, for 16 weeks, five days a week, he made frequent trips to the store to work on his album until it was finally completed. In order to avoid losing his work from the store’s scheduled nightly memory wipe, he hid the files in the trash. Head over to the Daily Beast to read the full story; while you wait on PHATASS to drop on July 26, check out a portion of the interview and listen to some of his material below.

“It wasn’t my plan to record this at the Apple Store. First, my computer died. Then my external (hard drive) died. New York is expensive. I couldn’t just buy another laptop. I just thought, ‘I’m going to die before anyone knows I’m hot.’ … I don’t think I’m poor. Poor is a mentality. I mean, I can be broke—no money in my pocket — but I’ve never been poor. I’ve been rich my whole life.”