I identify with the bottom of the pyramid, because, outside of having money, I am at the bottom of the pyramid.

I love makin' music, so whether I'ma make money at it or not, I'ma still do it. The thing is, I've gotten to a point where I don't have to use music to make a livin', so I can do it for fun like I used to when I was young.

I can't really attribute my success onscreen to any formula and suggest you "do this or that" to make it as an actor.

As far as producing, once we started shooting, I soon realized where the critical decisions about the movies were really being made, and it wasn't on the set. They were being made in the production meetings. That's where producing a movie happens. And that's where I wanted to be. I didn't just want to be a piece, a pawn being played. I wanted to take part in the creative process, and that's how I sort of got introduced to the idea.

I've done movies for certain reasons; I did 'Anaconda' because the black man lives. Simple. The black man isn't dead in the first three pages, like Jurassic Park. It's like, 'The black man kills the snake with a Latino girl? Damn! I got to do this.'

I love music. It's freedom, a way to deal with pent-up frustration.

The real is always presented. That hardcore record or movie is not needed in the hood, because it's already there. You can see it with your own eyes.