If I'm nominated [for Grammy] I would love to win, and get up on the stage and just say thank you. It would be a great closing, for me, a great closing to a great career.

So that's where it differs for me now, it's the creativity, versus, the raunchiness from back in the days. So I just try to be more creative nowadays.

When you have kids and you're married...you know, life takes its toll on you after a while, and then you're just not as creative, you're not as motivated... And it takes a special person when it's time to dig down and do a record, to really go in there and pour out whatever it is you got in you to put on a record, and that's what we did.

I'm a little more mature, and a little more aware of the things that I might say. But um, it aint going nowhere because everyone still loves sex, but it's how you present it like I have this one track of Choice," which is a metaphor.

It's probably easier for rappers as far as a respect level. 'Cause with singers, the powers that be tend to feel that we're stupid.

The great thing about [Michael] Jordan was that he made them want it just like he wanted it. And a lot of times like a lot of the basketball players, not to be getting on basketball, but, with a lot of the basketball players you might have one superstar on the team, and they're not willing to play up to par with the way he is, so they don't make it. But then you have some celebrities on the basketball team, and they don't know how to get along with each other!

If you're talking triple threat of a writer, singer and actress, that would probably be Beyoncé. If Aaliyah were still here, she and Beyoncé would be neck and neck.