I used to practice piano for hours, and now, with a synthesizer, you can input the music and the machine perfects the song. That's why we have so many people in the music business who should be plumbers. They don't really understand music because they haven't been trained.

Excellence isn't an act, it's a habit

What happens when you get a big break and you haven't prepared yourself? That becomes the biggest mistake you've ever made. I see it happen all the time.

It's the attitude about life, man. Looking at the light instead of the dark. Looking at love instead of fear.

Imagine what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old shared a little of what he is good at doing.

I guess hip-hop has been closer to the pulse of the streets than any music we've had in a long time. It's sociology as well as music, which is in keeping with the tradition of black music in America.

Arts is just as important as military defense, you know? Emotional defense is just as important.