For the First Time in My Adult Lifetime, I'm Really Proud of My Country

I had to survive a lot. I didn't premeditate my life. Life just happened as it did. And I had to figure it out as I went along.

I know in the movie it looks like my grandmother is condoning it, but she really wasn't. But back in those days, men beat women. She was trying to tell me something without being judgmental, trying to help me understand that's what men do.

There are no mistakes in life, and it's not about anybody being able to judge you.

Rap was forbidden with the people who were interviewing us and the shows that I was getting [booked on], and I had kind of crossed over. So Jerry [Heller, who managed N.W.A.] would tell me, 'Do not say you're a rapper, always say you're R&B.'

In my own life, in my own small way, I have tried to give back to this country that has given me so much,” she said. “See, that’s why I left a job at a big law firm for a career in public service.

Well, right now, my music is - it's just happy. I'm not in a relationship, but I know who I am now. I have wisdom. I have the power of knowing who I am. That's huge.