Hip-hop is a vehicle.

When you shine bright, some won't enjoy the shadow you cast.

I met Mos Def around that time but I didn't hook up with him until I was about 17 or 18.

The problem with our role is Americans live in a world of illusion.

So I just had to step up how I was doing it and the moment that I stepped up and the moment I focused all my energy on that is when things started to happen. So there's a direct relationship between my inspiration and my output.

Skip the religion and politics, head straight to the compassion. Everything else is a distraction.

My fondest memories were watching the Beastie Boys get prepped to come on stage. They had a lot of antics and they play a lot of basketball... then they were giving out cameras to the crowd, and performing from the bleachers. The most important thing I learned was that you control your crowd, not the other way around.