We gotta figure out a way to pay our teachers more. They're like surrogate parents away from home. They have such a huge responsibility and they're underappreciated and underpaid.

I really didn't try to make an effort to make urban music, but I am a product of my inspirations.

"Celebrity" is sort of an idea. I mean, I get to do something extraordinary, but I don't think it makes me extraordinary. That's my opinion. I like to be an artist, I like to do things that are involved in the arts, but I don't think it makes me more special than a doctor, for example. A doctor is an extraordinary person. Doctors should be celebrities. We just entertain people. They save lives.

...We're people and we're different, all of us. And we should be using our differences to bring ourselves closer together. You know? Not be afraid of something that we don't know. ... It's unfortunate that things take a while to progress like this, but it was a great, great victory for equality. I'm proud New York has the balls to stand up for what's right.

I think my style is kind of a cross between a skater hippie and an R&B star. If there were something I was going to endorse, it would probably be something like sneakers. Something that would be me.

The gray area, the place between black and white - that's the place where life happens.

I kiss people with my soul. I don't kiss them with my mouth.