I don't bask in the awards I've won, read my bank statements, I refuse. To me, that's how you start losing the hunger.

You can't live off of just greasy fatty foods and stayin' up till six in the mornin' just partyin'. You gotta take care of yourself.

According to my parents, I just started drumming when I was two. I traveled with them from five to seven on the road, playing percussion. Between 8 and 12, my dad sort of prepared me by teaching me every aspect of road life.

And even though people like to furrow their brow like they suspect you're not being honest about yourself, the truth is that they worry that you're not serving their idea of you.

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

I'm not one of those people who's so blinded by my own work and my sweat. It's kind of risky writing a memoir when you're really part of a larger universe.

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