I really only respect the Arab culture. I ain't really trying to pay no attention to, ya know, these little people in political positions and executive positions that ain't Arab culture oriented people because a lot of the times, what are you really showing all of this concern for?

I love hip-hop, because you can do this like that and still be super successful! You ain't gotta hold your tongue.

New York is traditional New York, you know what I'm saying? It's the stomping ground of the hustlers and go-getters

I'm trying to set up opportunities for myself so that I don't only have one outlet to go through and rely upon as far as a support system financially, emotionally and mentally.

At the end of the day, man, you can't protect yourself from a haymaker that's coming in toward your face if you don't see it coming.

I wanted to make something that reminded people of the way albums used to feel. I wanted something as good as the stuff put out by the Bomb Squad, or Dr. Dre and his production crew, or 'A Tribe Called Quest.' I miss albums like those.

Brooklyn is where I primarily developed. I had an opportunity to make records and perform in clubs here and there, and I started networking with the right people in the right places.