Guys like Todd Bridges never overcame being a child star. You can't have any big failures. I've always felt regular. I played organized ball at the rec league. At 13, they told me I sold 3 million copies. I didn't know what that meant.

LL Cool J was a rapper-turned-actor, and I also relate to him because he was sort of a ladies' man and had a female fan base, but yet he's a positive dude. You never read about him getting into trouble or going to jail.

I was born with no money. So when people talk about Bow Wow being rich his whole life, I don't know where they get that.

A young man who came from Columbus, Ohio and made it, and who wants every other young man and young woman, black or white, to know that if I could do it, they could do it. Me and my fans grew up together, and I believe they know I'm a walking billboard and proof of that. That's what I see when I look in the mirror.

I'm loving N.Y., and words can't even describe how happy I am to be here.

I never acted out with my actions to show people that I'm getting grown, you never see me with a cigarette, or see me wilding out or doing anything like that.

Trust me, pitfalls of early fame are always around. But you have to have the strength within yourself to say, "No!" Like tonight, I'd like to go out, and I have the freedom to do so. But I probably won't because I can't risk having my name associated with anything negative at this critical time. That's just to protect my brain and my job. There's no reason to play any games with a career I love.