When I was younger I never drank. I never drank, I never did any weed or drugs or anything because I felt it would compromise my position. I was an orphan, and I had a feeling like if I ever hit the ground I may never get back up.

Before rap came along, I was, actually, actively in the streets; getting in trouble, doing the wrong thing.

When you start to really travel and you get to these abstract like places in the world, you would see certain people's names. It seemed like we could go anywhere. Like when we went to Afghanistan, you'd see in the dressing room Run DMC's name. Certain rappers are like journey men.

The truth is, everybody I've ever met who's successful is a workaholic.

It's not about being mad at everything. It's about being really mad at the right things.

Jay-Z is like a rap-savant, he doesn't have to write the rhymes down, he can create complex raps in his head. I mean he does memorize it, he just doesn't write it down on paper. He doesn't freestyle onto the track, it's all thought out.

You have to come in on a professional level to make it, otherwise you just can't get into rap.