As black people we were out to further our equality. I don't pay attention to the controversial connotations put on by media and the undermining labels they place on us. We pay attention to what our community situation is and what we need.

Eminem has talent, and his talent is the thing that influences many young people who would have never gone anywhere near rap. White kids in different parts of the world use him as a barometer and the standard to live up to. In some ways, Eminem is an artist who has ushered in a new movement.

The minute I get swelled up about something, something has always brought me back down to earth.

It's not about what you get out but what you put into hip hop as a genre.

When culture is created in boardrooms with a panel of six or seven strategists for the masses to follow, to me that is no different than an aristocracy. It's not created from the people in the middle of the streets, so to speak. It is created from a petri dish for the sake of making money, and it is undermining the longevity of the culture.

You can't master time, but you have to work your hardest to manage it.

My mother went to university, my father didn't. But they are very educated, very wise people. My father went to the military, so he's worldly.