As an artist, it can be difficult to know who is paying attention to your music once you send it out into the world. For O.T. Genasis, catching the ear of a certain megastar turned his song into the talk of the town this weekend. In the midst of Beyoncé's must-see Coachella performance on Saturday (April 14), the singer put on a dance break that incorporated O.T.'s latest single, "Everybody Mad."

The nod from Queen Bey was a shocker for everyone—O.T. Genasis included. "I found out while I was on the road, I just got through doing a show," he tells XXL. O.T.'s inbox was full of texts and videos of the big moment, but he couldn't hear what was going on because he was in his car. "I saw it on Instagram and I was like, 'What the hell?!' It was lit... It was an amazing performance. The band putting the little twist on it, I thought it was dope."

The 30-year-old rapper took the homage as a sign of encouragement, especially as he's previously felt that "Everybody Mad" was being slept on. "A lot of DJ's that knew the song was dope, but they wouldn't play it, because all my other songs are straight club," he says. "I knew that this was a dope record, everybody knew it was a dope record, but it ain't really get looked at like that. So when she did it, I knew that she recognized it, that's when I knew I was doing something right."

This weekend isn't the first time that Beyoncé has featured O.T. Genasis' music in one of her sets. She also danced to his double-platinum single "Cut It" during her Formation Tour in 2016.

With the success O.T.'s singles "Coco" and "Cut It" over the last few years—and potential for "Everybody Mad" to blow up in the wake of what's been dubbed #Beychella—it seems as if O.T. has a knack for hits that take off at just the right time.

"I'm a guy with positive energy," he says. "I like to party, I'm all about good vibes, a fun time and all that, so I make sure I use that same energy and put it in my music. Of course, I like to keep it original, and keep my own style, but I also pay attention to what's going on. Everybody used to be like, 'You party a lot!' But it all pays off."

Coming off the acknowledgement from Beyoncé, his recent collab with DJ Esco and Future ("Bring It Out") and readying his forthcoming single "Cash on It," O.T. Genasis is ready to take the next big step—record his debut album.

"[I'm] tryna get that album off by the summer time," he says. "It's time for the album, and me to up my game. I been a little comfortable, making money from all these singles, running around, and just living life, but it's time to get to work."

Can't be mad at that.

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