“One thing I’m big on is believing in giving an album time. I’ll say you’ll have to give an album three years before you can call it a classic. If you can’t listen to it three years later then it’s not really a classic.”

I knew school was stupid since the fifth grade.

I remember listening to Sugar Free and Jay Z and I never really understood some of the stuff they used to say until years later. Then you hear it again like, Damn that’s crazy. I just got what he’s talking about.

I got a Lucifer soul. I’ll be the Devil’s son, Devil’s work, gettin’ work.

The streets helps you a lot in music, cause it let’s you know that you can’t trust nobody and that nobody’s gonna wait for you. You can’t just sit there with dope in your pocket and think that people are gonna come to you. You gotta put the product out there.

I’m not anti single. I’m not one of them niggas that say “Aww record sales ain’t everything.” No. I wanna sell good. I would love a platinum record on radio and charts.

We’re living or dying. We’re already dead, the living dead. So do what you gotta do. Take care of your family, of yourself as a whole, and everything will be alright.

I think thats what most of us rappers do too often. We put too much information in some of our albums that could actually be on the next ones.

All these niggas that have good music have longevity.

I hate the business part of music. Music is just like the streets. There’s loyal and disloyal people, people saying one thing and then don’t do it.

I let my music do the talking. Ain’t no TV show gonna help me. Ain’t no hit single gon help me sell no records.

I never wanna have a time where I’m on the big lawn just sitting back smoking cigars and drinking lemonade. I wanna work forever. Until I die. I wanna die on the way to a show.

I smoke weed.It’s not an addiction. It’s something I wanna do. It’s not smart though. It’s not good for my body but I’m doing it. I’m not telling people to do it.

When you become an artist you’re working away from home for so much time. You really see what the use of time means to you once you’re an artist and you travel so much.

I didn’t spend money on nothin’. Besides my daughter, bucket hats, and weed.

Charisma, that’s my strong point. My personality was always good, but with music I had to grow into it. I grew into who I am now.

If I was with some other rappers who aren’t as polished, or I was the only rapper, I don’t think I would be where I’m, nor would I be rapping. They pushed me, we pushed each other on every record.

I like to perform every once in a while for people who want to see me, and cut albums of music that is what I’m really about.

I definitely have plans to do more collaboration albums in the future.

Stillmatic’ is the rebirth of ‘Illmatic,’ my first debut album to come out in 1994. ‘Stillmatic’ is me coming full circle in my career and with everything, and just bringing pure hip-hop back.

By the time I got to record my first album, I was 26, I didn’t need pen or paper – my memory had been trained just to listen to a song, think of the words, and lay them to tape.

My first album didn’t come out until I was 26.

Some people are attracted to vulnerability. From my very first album, I’ve been vulnerable. I’ve always given parts of me, parts of my life – good, bad, ugly. I’ve never put up this image as a super-thug. Also, some people just like the music.

The average rap life is two or three albums. You’re lucky to get to your second album in rap!

When I’m recording my album, I want to be acting, or when I’m on set, I want to be making music.