I felt ashamed about everything. Me dropping out of high school, me not, you know, just not being beautiful enough. I just didn't feel like I was smart enough or beautiful enough, you know, for years.

God comes first - if I don't love him, I can't love anybody, and if I can't love me I can't love nobody.

I wish I had known that education is the key. That knowledge is power. Now I pick up books and watch educational shows with my husband. I'm seeing how knowledge can elevate you.

The streets respect me because I kept it real with me. You gotta be real with yourself, and the streets recognize game.

I'm a singer who thinks like a rapper.

I do consider myself part of black history.

If you're looking for inner peace from the outside world, you're not going to get that. The inner peace starts with looking at you from the inside. Understanding that everything that comes to you is what you are. Everything from friends to boyfriends to the job you get - it's all a direct reflection of what you are on the inside.