The best medicine for pain sometimes is some kind of logic and common sense from older folks. They tell you, "Okay, you're not the only one who actually went through this."

So, rather than trying to humbly mix with the rest of the world, we are forcing ourselves upon it. We seem to create conflicts with everyone.

My work throughout my life is always representative of the time we live in. It's all about keeping it in order and keeping it in gear.

I encourage more blacks and people of color to get a passport. That's one way to help put people on an equal platform.

Bigger doesn't mean better unless you really understand what bigger is.

Public Enemy started out as a benchmark in rap music in the mid-1980s. We felt there was a need to actually progress the music and say something because we were slightly older than the demographic of rap artists at the time. It was a time of heightened rightwing politics, so the climate dictated the direction of the group.

I think hip hop should be a living word. And what I mean by the living word is like yo, you gotta have the words that provide life.