Kurt Cobain represents a very legit, realistic outlook. Before that, in my head, to be a white artist was to be privileged.

How do you plan a rebirth? I'm not sure you do. You just stand in the darkness until you can't endure it any long, and then you move forward until you're standing in the light.

The president is just the coach of a football team. You need the right support, the right stadium, the right players, the right staff. An excellent coach is not going to win games.

It's a funny word, persistence. It means not giving up, but it also means just passing on through time.

It's funny, I can see the science in how music is made with other artists, but it's hard for me to dissect my own thing.

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

At 25, my idea of success may have been more vain, like, "I'll be good the day that there's $20 million in my account and I have this particular house and the wife and 2.5 kids." But at 40 - and I know it's kind of silly telling you guys this - but as long as my Metacritic rating stays above 80, that's all I care about.