Anybody under the age of forty knows hip-hop, gospel and R&B pretty well, and it's all a part of what we consider to be 'black music.' There is a natural synergy between the three.

I was the front man of the choir and then when I was 12 and I was the leadsinger of my highschool groups.

It's really about making the best music you can make. It's really about working hard.

It's an artist's duty to reflect the times in which we live.

I feel like spirituality definitely comes through in my music, but I don't make any specific efforts to make it that way.

I keep learning, listening, growing and experimenting.

As a young black boy, it made me proud to see black leaders that did something amazing and made the world change.