Nowadays, if you're a great artist, you don't have to leave the house, which is a really big difference. You're closer to the artist. And the artist can be closer to their artistry without having to always worry about branding themselves or building something image-wise.

The difference between blues, jazz, rock n' roll and rap is that rap stayed poor. Even the white rappers are poor. It's scarier to look at poor people; it makes everyone uncomfortable. Their pain is something that people would like to see swept under the rug.

I really, really try to be a good servant. It makes me happy when I'm a good giver without expectations.

You've got to do things that promote what's important.

When you read a book, and it's really, really beautiful, you're so engaged you forget to breathe. If you're in a car accident, and everything moves slowly, you can be shocked into the present. The past and the future disappear.

You've got to put your head down and do the work. There are no shortcuts.

I always say neediness is the cause of suffering. I'm not the only one who says it. It's something I adopted and I believe.