Industry executives sacrificed art for what sells and mega-stars now saturate the market with the same tired lyrics.

I felt I had an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of great soul musicians of the past, who made a lot of social and political commentary through their music.

You can feel a lot of things, and that's okay. Channel that into your passion.

America's biggest export is media and I think that's a positive thing.

Hip-hop educated me about other forms of music, because it sampled from all different styles.

Compassion can change a lot of things, including the world. Young people especially need to know that, because they're the future.

When I started out, I wrote the songs, recorded the songs, mastered, mixed, did the artwork, made the packaging and did the distribution, all myself. Now I understand what everyone's jobs are, who is doing them right, and who isn't.