well ive pretty much had 3 influences...

1. Nas - inspired me to be poetic and think about each lines meaning before i write it
2. Eminem - to speak my mind and not only say things i wanna hear, not what everyone else wants
3. Canibus - he inspired me to try to make my lyrics as complicated as humanly possible, but to still have meaning...

i wrote my first rap when i was 8 - it stank. It was about how cool i was and how i shoot people. If it wasnt for these 3 and a few others like pac, aesop rock, DMX, cormega... i'd still be talking that crap