When I made Illmatic, I was trying to make the perfect album. It comes from the days of Wild Style. I was trying to make you experience my life. I wanted you to look at hip-hop differently. I wanted you to feel that hip-hop was changing and becoming something more real.

Just sitting in silence is one of the best things a man can do.

If I ruled the world Imagine that...

You are who you associate with. Look around at your five closest friends and that's who you are. If you don't want to be that person, you know what you gotta do.

Hip-Hop is Dead cause America is dead culturally.

Hip-hop is the streets. Hip-hop is a couple of elements that it comes from back in the days... that feel of music with urgency that speaks to you. It speaks to your livelihood and it's not compromised. It's blunt. It's raw, straight off the street - from the beat to the voice to the words.

I love the art world, I love art galleries, I love what it means - I love art.