I've got a million people telling me why I can't do it. You know, that I'm not a real designer, that I'm not this. I'm not a real rapper, either!

Life is 5% what happens, and 95% how you react.

That's very cool. Well, that's great. If I were to cater to Kanye, he would know that I'm catering to him. The fact that I make what I make - he gets it. He gets the quality and he respects it. And I think that's the key, why I work all the time is to do that. That's the fun.

I always want to be the best at whatever I'm attempting to do.

I remember when both Gnarls Barkley and Justin [Timberlake] lost for Album of the Year [at the Grammys], and I looked at Justin, and I was like: 'Do you want me to go onstage for you? You know, do you want me to fight?

Having a Rolex or a Benz is not something that actually represents your success because there’s always something more expensive to buy. Success is really being able to do things for others as well as the people around you and yourself.

I performed it all the way through for people. People would say, "We love you, we want to sign you," and then there'd always be one person who'd say, "He's just a producer."