“To be honest, I think about the clubs when I write. But I should probably start thinking about stadiums, because the songs sound even better there – and bigger.”

I just think a hustler’s ambition is that I never stop. I start off hustling and said I’ll never stop hustling. An ambitious hustler is the one to hustle the hustlers. When I grew up, my heroes were hustlers. Now I’m their hero.

Music is all about leadership and there ain’t really a lot of leaders.

With rap, it’s a funny thing. You can say things, and people can take ’em the way they wanna take ’em.

Anybody that’s got a problem with me is probably envious or wants to be me, and that’s how I’ve always looked at it.

It wasn’t necessary to speak on the recession, you know what I mean, but I just though it made a lot of sense. I was like, “okay, cool,” I’m going to go with this approach for the name of the album [ The Recession].

Every time I’m out and somebody tells me they love what I do, that’s what I do it for. That’s like my vice. That’s like my high. When people understand that this is who I really am, and to be appreciated for your craft .

I’ma continue to make records, continue to make hits, continue to be what I am, legendary.

I never wanted to be a statistic. I never wanted to be that cat who tried and never made it.

Anybody that I ever dealt with knows that I’m a very focused individual, and when it comes to my work and what I do, you might have to play the back burner to that.

You seen my shows; I bring the ‘hood out.

A lot of things come with fame, whether it’s losing friends or losing family.

My fans are my family, because they understand me and I understand them.

Think you figured it out, but you don’t have a clue. Think you on top of the world, but the world on top of you.

People who work every day are kind of scared of things they don’t understand.

You’ve got to be happy with yourself. You can’t sell yourself if you’re out here and you ain’t good. Because you’re giving people messages, and if your message is wrong, then it’s like the blind leading the blind.

You gotta have life your way. If you ain’t losing your mind, you ain’t partying right.

The nicer the point, the more — the better I feel, the more excited I get. But I never play that my opponent looks stupid. I think that is wrong. I have too much respect for every opponent I play.

Give us a world where half our homes are run by men and half our institutions are run by women. I’m pretty sure that would be a better world.

I’m a singer. I’m a dancer. I’m a performer. I’m an actress. That’s what I’m supposed to be doing. It makes me a better parent, a better person. I think I can just handle more than the average bear, you know?

Everything gets better with time, and time is forever.

My future will be better than my past.

I’ll tell you what’s at the bottom of it. If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.

Better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in.

Trust is good, but control is better.