No matter what part of the country you come from, you can always come together to make groundbreaking hip-hop.

Doing it your own way, not having to go exactly by the book to be successful.

I think [director] Malcolm Lee is a real master at being able to make you laugh while bringing serious subject-matter, so the movie doesn't hinge on silliness, but on real life.

If you love what you do, and you believe in your talent, there's nothing better than breaking through. There's no better feeling than breaking through.

You got to get used to somebody, when you're acting or going through a scene, somebody yelling, "Do it a little louder!" OK, you do it a little louder.

If you think about stuff that happened when you were young, it stays with you forever.

I knew a dude whose entire check was going to his car. He didn't care. This is back when the Mustang 5.0 came out in, like, '82. Between paying the note and insurance, I think he had like $40 left. A lot of people knew people because of their car, and not them.