I feel like the downfall of any person is the second an artist starts celebrating their work themselves, that becomes problematic.

Every time a new record started, people exhaled with pleasure, or their bodies moved automatically. I really started getting high off of the euphoric exclamations. Every record I put on was like a baptism.

I prefer to unwind by DJing. I learned that from Mike D from the Beastie Boys. After a show, he would DJ. Once I saw that, I wanted to do that. And now DJing is like my lifeline. I love the power it represents.

The only mofos in my circle are people that I can learn from.

I really appreciate when people use their fame and their voice for more than just self-promotion, starting a dialogue about a topic or an issue much bigger than themselves.

Just because the laws were changed doesn't mean that the attitudes have changed.

I think all of this—The Roots and DJing included—was meant to prepare me for The Tonight Show.