I'm very happy with this new record. It's dealing with different aspects of love-it's me making a statement about people doing something with their lives. It is about caring for others.

If you were a young kid, 19, 20 years old who has two children and a third one on the way and refuses to leave them. A kid who was on welfare, because he refused to steal anybody's property or take anybody's money. You found life a lot tougher.

As a boy, I believed freedom for America meant freedom for me. There was a time I believed every word spoken.

I don't know if it's my music, my lyrics, my sound and knowing the music business the way I do - all I can say is, my career has lasted way longer than I expected.

I'm very happy with this new record. It's dealing with different aspects of love-it's me making a statement about people doing something with their lives. It is about caring for others.

I woke up when I was 14 and went to speak to my mother and scared us both to death.

I never learned to read or write music. Never wanted to fool with scales. That was boring, forced. The music I heard was free - flowing.