The Black Power Mixtape is a documentary, first of all. It brings us closer to the voices we heard at that particular point in time.

Democracy is about criticism. I didn't elect Obama because he's a black; I voted for Obama because he was the right person at the time. Period. The exceptionalism of a black U.S. President is not important to me. It's what he does. And who he has at the table. And what he does to change the world - that's what's important.

I've always been able to make choices that don't embarrass me.

If we look at Houston, which is a very environmentally toxic place, we find that it has one of the highest levels of young men going to prison and also among the highest levels of illiteracy in the country.

Today, the media dictatorship is becoming a substitute to military dictatorship. The big economic groups are using the media and decide who can speak, who the good guy is and who the bad guy is.

It's a misconception to believe that the resistance ended with the civil rights movement.

I was involved with the anti-apartheid movement through my work as an artist and also through my political commitment.