This has been a long and tiring battle for 10 years. And I'm glad it's finally resolved. My principles and reputation as a creative artist were involved here-it wasn't just about the royalties. I can now look foward to getting on with my career.

Cara is not my real name, and I'm not going to tell you what it is. Only because I do live in New York and enough people already know who my parents are.

We have a tendency in this country that when we say Black it automatically means Black Americans. But that's a big mistake, and that keeps us divided. There are Blacks all over this entire world-even in Africa.

I play piano and write better than I can sing.

I have a pleasant voice, but I have no great range. I will say that I know how to make a song come alive and I guess I do have a sincerity that comes across. But I do alot of things better than sing.

Here I found myself in my early 20s, at the height of my career, up against something I was totally powerless against. I had enemies I had never heard of because of this. I certainly didn't have needles hanging out of my arms, nor did I smoke anything.

That first apartment was a big step. It has a lot to do with being independent.