“I was never a worker. And that’s not even being arrogant. I was just never a worker.”

I’ve talked to Bill Clinton – he’s the ultimate rock star; no one’s more charming than him. People clap in a restaurant when he finishes dinner! I don’t get that treatment. I get it when I walk onstage, but not when I have dinner.

Music is everywhere – you consume it every day, everywhere you go. The content creator should be compensated. It’s only fair.

I don’t have any fear of working with Samsung because I’m not gonna let them put a phone on my forehead; that’s just never gonna happen.

I remember the first time I saw the ‘Sugarhill Gang’ on Soul Train. I was 11 or 12. I was like, ‘What’s going on? How did those guys get on national TV?’ And then, when I was a little older, a rapper from the neighborhood got a record deal. I was shocked.

I’ve said the election of Obama has made the hustler less relevant. People took it in a way that I was almost dismissing what I am. And I was like, ‘No, it’s a good thing!’

The challenge is to get everyone to respect music again, to recognize its value.

When the TV version of Annie came on, I was drawn to it. It was the struggle of this poor kid in this environment and how her life changed. It immediately resonated.

Hip-hop is more about attaining wealth. People respect success. They respect big. They don’t even have to like your music. If you’re big enough, people are drawn to you.

I never wanted to just glamorize the playa lifestyle and not touch on the down side. I wanted everyone who’s in a desperate situation to know that, if they wanna choose that kinda lifestyle, they gotta be aware of everything that comes with it! It’s not just about the cars, the ladies and the money.

I don’t know where streaming will go in the future. The analytics that we’re seeing tell us that streaming is the next thing, and downloads are going down.

My brands are an extension of me. They’re close to me. It’s not like running GM, where there’s no emotional attachment.

I’ve always believed in good music over bad music. I believe in two sorts of musics. And the lines that separate us, I don’t believe in that. That’s for people who need to easily define what they’re hearing. Me, I’m cool with everything and anything I’m hearing that’s music. It comes under one definition for me.

We have to stretch out the audience. It can’t be this narrow – we have to stretch out the point of view.

I think relationships are broken up because of the media.

Nothing me and Kanye can do musically was gonna match the event of what we were trying to do. So we were trying to deliver an album and experience at one time; that was the idea for ‘Watch The Throne’.

I treat people based on who they really are, not the name. Everyone has to be respectful and be a human being. No one’s above… That’s how I carry it with anybody.

Some values must be universal, like human rights and the equal worth of every human being.

In our community, we have a duty to strengthen the weakest among us to build a better society.

You cannot fail at being yourself. A cat doesn’t try to be a tiger, and you shouldn’t try to be something you aren’t. You are a process, not a product. Your job is to discover what you are and create that creature.

Women need a reason to have sex, men just need a place.

My friends and I are crazy. That’s the only thing that keeps us sane!

That’s the difference between me and the rest of the world. Happiness isn’t good enough for me! I demand euphoria!

Don’t try to be somebody you’re not because it doesn’t work. If you try to be this perfect person or perfect persona of what you think that somebody should be when they’re involved in public office, it’s just not going to work.

I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem with is being lied about and then putting that as truth.