I can't hang out as loose as I used to, but I can still go down Jefferson Avenue and look in the faces of winos, pimps and junkies, all the things I'm made of.

Now is my time. Everything I've done up to this point is just a warm up. This is where it all begins.

My teacher said I would either be a hoodlum, or a great entertainer.

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

I'm too old to do crazy things anymore.

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.

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