I didn't even think I would make it that long. I thought I would drug overdose, like Jimi Hendrix. I thank God every day to even be here.

I don't think the white establishment will ever respect or appreciate a black man who speaks the truth.

I get some letters from girls that if their mothers knew what they were writing me in these letters, they'd get their butts whipped.

I'm finally locked into the now, and it's great.

I'm a long way from Ike Turner.

I try to make the audience forget all their problems -- for an hour and a half or so get them out of themselves, and space, and time, and consciousness.

I wrote and produced millions and millions of selling records, so my publishing company alone was worth millions of dollars. I didn't have to work anymore in life because when the rappers started sampling... I'm the most sampled artist in history.