Hip-hop has globalized a conception of blackness that has had a political impact, whether or not it had a political intent.

I grew up on the West Side - the "near West Side," [in Detroit], as they say - in what would be considered now the inner city.

I have written 13 books, full of my ideas about a variety of issues - from black women, to hip-hop culture, to the civil rights struggle. Even when I address such figures as Tupac Shakur and Bill Cosby, my ideas are quite evident.

All of us should be much more humble and contrite when we point the finger at somebody else, because four more fingers are pointing back at us.

When Dr. King was murdered, I had no idea who he was. But as soon as I heard his words on television that night when I was 9 years old, I was dumbstruck, awestruck by their power.

I don't think you can bury words. I think the more you try to dismiss them, the more power you give to them, the more circulation they have.

Body piercing and baggy clothes express identity among black youth, and not just beginning with hip-hop culture. Moreover, young black entrepreneurs like Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs and Russell Simmons have made millions from their clothing lines.