“I been all around the world and I haven’t found a city that I’d rather be from or rather come back to than Los Angeles.”

Don’t worry about being a star, worry about doing good work, and all that will come to you.

I think reading is important in any form. I think a person who’s trying to learn to like reading should start off reading about a topic they are interested in, or a person they are interested in.

Doing it your own way, not having to go exactly by the book to be successful.

I feel like I got a whole lot of living to do before I think about summing it up in a book.

I’m not actually from Compton – I’m from South Central Los Angeles, and my father still lives in the same house I grew up in, so I’m there all the time.

I’m always happy. I’ve just got a mean face.

I grew up in the seventies and disco was big. That influenced me the most.

I think the worst thing you can do about a situation is nothing.

Don’t get a movie confused with real life. I’m a well-rounded human being like everyone else.

You pay to have a good time, you don’t always want to pay to be schooled or sad or reminded how bad you got it. To me a movie theater ain’t always the place for that.

I always want to read the script before I totally commit.

Rap is just somebody getting something off his chest. That’s all it is.

If you born in the mud, you gonna be dirty, and people don’t understand that.

I identify with the bottom of the pyramid, because, outside of having money, I am at the bottom of the pyramid.

I believe every pencil has to be sharpened every now and then to stay sharp, or you dull out. So my records, I chose to speak on what black people do, what white people do, what women do, what men do.

A bird in the hand is worth more than a Bush.