I've got so much in my brain and I want to change the way we think sometimes.

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.

I wanna make music that I feel proud of when I'm onstage, that I feel like I put my all into.

I hate the hype. When 50 Cent came out, people were saying that he was the best rapper alive: "Oh, he got shot nine times, he's better than Tupac, he's better than Biggie." That was all hype.

I dress how I feel. I just go off emotion. I can't prepare my outfit a day before. Everything I wear is spontaneous.

I like women. I love women.

My real name's Rakim - my parents named me after the god MC himself.