“When I started, I was 23 years old directing my own music videos; I’m co-producing on my album; I’m hands-on with everything. I’m more than just a pretty boy: I’m an artist. I’m not saying I’m a hip-hop music artist, I’m an artiste.”

I haven’t been a gay activist. I haven’t protested for gay rights or none of that, but one thing I can say is that a lot of the designers I wear are gay and I like their clothes.

I don’t cook, ’cause I don’t know how to cook.

I haven’t been a gay activist. I haven’t protested for gay rights or none of that, but one thing I can say is that a lot of the designers I wear are gay and I like their clothes.

I don’t cook, ’cause I don’t know how to cook.

I don’t cook, ’cause I don’t know how to cook.

Everybody should be able to enjoy their life, because you only live once. So I just want to get it all out there and be the best role model that I can be, if people want to put me in that kind of predicament. I mean, I didn’t ask to be a role model, because I’m not perfect.

New York gave me hell for that ‘Purple Swag,’ man. They didn’t respect me until ‘Peso.’

It would be disrespectful to take my stardom and bully my way into the fashion industry.

I’m a people’s person, believe it or not. I just have a dark side to me, which we all do.

In Harlem, I got all my black friends. But when I go downtown, I got black, white, Asian, Indian friends. There’s no borders, no barriers.

All of the young people – the artsy people, people who get overlooked because they’re weird or they don’t have hype around them – need to get some shine.

Sometimes I feel like what’s hard for fashion designers to do is take looks from off the runway and actually put it into existence, into reality. That’s really the hard part.

Fashion is almost like a religion, for me at least.

We could fight the fuss till we get like friends, Or somebody bite the dust and we split like ends. Even in our wildest moments, girl, I’m on it cause you’re worth it. Practice makes perfect, so we fightin’ for a purpose.

Probably, violent things I’ve done when I was younger, was probably the most despicable thing that I’ve ever done.

I take cabs if I need to get somewhere or I take car service. I don’t drive, I wouldn’t mind riding a bike… People think that because you become an entertainer you gotta have this rock star thug image. I’m an artist, man. I’m going to live like an artist.

The out-of-work actor wears out more than shoe leather. The very sensibilities that make him an artist are shattered by the disregard he is shown as a human being.

Temperament is something that is an integral part of the artist. Not temper, temperament. There is a vast difference.

I don’t want to limit myself as an artist and only do a certain sound.

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, an poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself.

A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be.

I think the key is basically just your determination. As far an artist is concerned, it’s just about your drive and your dream.

I’m quite arty. I didn’t know whether to become an artist or musician but I realised I could paint with music. All my songs have colours.

A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his will on unsuspecting air molecules, often with the assistance of unsuspecting musicians.