I'm just an entertainer, man. I don't like to pigeonhole myself to anything. I love to do it all.

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

If you really think back to the culture or just black America before rap music took off, New York could have been Paris.

Nobody I know got killed in South Central LA. Today was a good day.

But with rap music - not just N.W.A. - but rap music in general, seeing these artists wearing these team logos all the time started bringing a synergy and energy about having to rep your city, your team, everywhere and all the time.

I'm not the type of actor who is trying to do a whole bunch of different shit, you know what I mean?

We used to have MTV and all these ways we can show our videos, and it was these rap shows, and it was everything. And then it became not cool to be conscious; it became cool to just hang out. Escapism rap became the norm. And, when I say "escapism rap", I mean getting high, get your cars, get your money, get your jewelry, go to the club, have your women, and it just became all about escaping your reality and not making your reality better on a real tip; not just on the have fun tip.