There [are] times when I put out an album, and I don't hear my songs really on the radio a lot, and it's like, Dang, I ain't inside that world. But I'm still moving some people or touching some people.

Whether the people in Haiti, the young kids in Chicago that [are] going through violence, or whether you're in Atlanta or L.A. or Europe - it's not even color barriers for me - I go to where I know there's a lot of turmoil and pain.

It's hard to see blessings in a violent culture

I bathe in basslines, rinse in riffs, dry in drums

I’ve met kids who haven’t had the best of parents but because they had something in them, or they had somebody at school help develop them, they turned out fine.

I was able to meet young black people from all over the country who were focused on education and on elevating themselves.I'm endorsing and supporting this initiative because I believe college is a blessing, and for young black people coming out of areas that are struggling ... for them to see college as their future, that's a blessing.

To have my name said like, "Common and John Legend, Golden Globe nominees," is one of the greatest achievements I've ever had as an artist, as a person.