Radio makes it appear like you can get some sounds in a laptop and be the next dude. Those careers don't really last.

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.

There's a need for pop. There's a need for radio. There's also a need to understand the brilliance and the depth of jazz and soul - and what hip-hop can be at its most brilliant and what hip-hop can be at its most simplistic.

When new artists come out and they're not being cosigned or some company doesn't have a stake in it, or someone's not getting paid under the table to produce the whole record or bring it to video, the artist really suffers.

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

The battle thing is very important in hip-hop, but at the same time, I want to sit down and have a beer and listen to Rakim.

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