I never really expected "Hurricane" to be censored and banned around the world, but I think the good thing that came from it was that it created a dialogue, a conversation, a debate and a discussion. And that's a great thing. It brought all of us together in a unique way. And it made us look a little deeper in ourselves. I think it's a good thing.

I don’t like doing interviews. I’m not pretending to be some super neurotic, hiding in my closet. I could care less about anybody knowing who I am, but I realize this is part of the game. Maybe if I really hated this whole public thing, I would go do plays in Hoboken.

Follow your dreams, quit your job

I think I remember from the offset I said, 'I've visited this territory. This isn't for me.' And then I read the script and I said, 'You know, this is completely something different. This is a whole new life.'

I win and succeed only 'cause I fail so much. I fail all the time. I wrote 70 songs just to have 12 good ones. For the video I shot 60 hours of footage. 60 hours! To come up with an 8 minute video. So really I only win 'cause I fail.

Happiness is like the weather. Sometimes it’s rainy, sometimes it’s sunny, and you gotta just go through and accept what’s there in front of you.

Alessandro [Michele] has really done the impossible. He's taken this classic brand [Gucci] and really turned it completely around and taken it in a direction that was so unexpected. [Alessandro and I] met and became friends here in L.A., and then we got to know each other and he asked me to do this. It was really organic and not the way this stuff normally happens.