“I’m just little me, an American who wants to see his country do better.”

I talk about life, and I make universal music with an American style – and that’s what I do.

No matter who you are, black, white, green, there’s going to be things in your way, you know what I mean?

We’re all Africans, everyone – black, white, yellow.

Calling Michelle ‘Obama Barack’s baby mama?’ Tell me, is that acceptable? But the Obamas aren’t the only targets. Fox’s pattern of race-baiting and fear-mongering regularly focuses on black leaders, black institutions and ordinary black people.

I think marriage is a beautiful thing. I’m still a supporter of it.

Even if you make mistakes, I go back to those things, my not-so-great moments because those are my truest moments; those are my human moments. I’m not even mad at the things I said that were a little dicey.

Your look reflects what’s happening in your mind. You gotta have some swag to you.

When I say ‘hip-hop is dead,’ basically, America is dead. There is no political voice. Music is dead.

I don’t want any title. I just say what I say, and hopefully somebody gets it, man. I’m not perfect, and I’m just here and trying to make a dollar, and being real at the same time, you know?

With age comes common sense and wisdom.

Hip-hop lasted and survived all these years that you have to give it credit. Even though it’s not up to people’s expectations anymore, its still here, and that’s says a lot.

I think hip-hop could help rebuild America, once hip-hoppers own hip-hop… We are our own politicians, our own government, we have something to say. We’re warriors. Soldiers.

N.Y. hip-hop is ok, but we gotta become brave again; we have to be brave enough and do something new – that’s what New York is about… New.

I see N.Y. hip-hop like I see N.Y. streets. N.Y. streets are grimy; it’s a grind. N.Y. rappers are hustlers – whatever sound is in, we can adapt to that; there’s nothing wrong with that.

I just talk about what’s going on, but of course, you know, Bob, before rappers, was already laying that kind of thing down.

There comes a time when things can work out and everybody can be happy. And that’s what it’s all about in the end – everybody being happy and working it out.

Never complain, about the number of hours you have put in, to do a job,

I never spend my time doing anything I’ll have to do again tomorrow.

Practice being in the present. Do what you’re doing 100%.

Don’t do what you can do – try what you can’t do.

We lose the magic whenever we stop telling our story and begin to wonder how we’re doing, if we’re selling it, if the listener likes us.

What we have is a gift from Him. What we do with what we have is our gift to him

An original idea. That can’t be too hard. The library must be full of them.

Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.