I was at the Apollo Theater all the time, skipping school, and I worked in a barbershop. That's how I started with doo-wop. Now I've come full circle. I did all kinds of music. I used to work on Broadway and Tin Pan Alley.

You can rebel against everything adults say. When I want to find out what the new music is, I find out what parents hate.

My ability has always been to walk out on the stage and see the audience and figure out what they wanna hear.

When I hear music that parents hate, or older musicians hate, I know that's the new music. When I hear older people saying, 'I hate Rap or Techno' I rush to it.

Free your mind and your ass will follow

I think a lot of people really have religious overtones of having come from somewhere. I mean, even the whole concept of religion is kind of alien.

It's the easiest way to stay in the game: By helping the younger kids, they're gonna preach for you.