I had too many businesses that are frivolous. I have enough. What interests me most is under-served communities. We need a new style of empowering these people, and new approaches.

Being materialistic is part of the hip-hop community's nature, because jazz and blues and rock 'n' roll, when they started out in the urban communities, were about the American Dream, and the lack of opportunity in that structure. So they talked about everything - uplifting and getting what is perceived as success in America.

People are afraid of failure - they don't like to work so hard and have people keep saying, 'No.' I think that's what people fear most.

I signed Jay-Z because he was on fire. I wasn't a genius. The record was great. I put it on The Nutty Professor soundtrack and we signed him.

I'm not a politician. I only want to help relieve the suffering in communities, and I want to help people see their community in each other.

Art is a way to express yourself and through that you can escape a bad situation.

Reacting to the world with a smile instead of a curse, a wave instead of the middle finger, will actually help you live longer.