You've rarely got an artist that's not being chauffeured into the business by some huge-ass names.

There are situations where I'm uncomfortable saying, "I'm a hip-hop artist." In some circles, the response is like, "Oh, OK, so... you have whores and your ties are shiny?"

You have to understand the vehicle, the form that allows you to do what you do, and why that is.

Man, I would demand that artist come to the table with better variety. I would demand that musicians know music history, not just Hip-Hop, so that we could understand. The better your 'listening ear' is, the better your music will be.

The stuff I'm working on is quite dense. I'm seeing every four bars as a scene in a film.

Kids don't even realize what they're up against.

You feel pressured to do what you think the public wants, when in actuality the sales aren't reflecting what the radio is doing. Not in the least bit!