To be truthful, Jay-Z wouldn't have a quarter of the records sold today if it wasn't for the white people buying his records.

Show me a smile, and I'll show you one back.

As for music and my place in it, maybe things are changing a little bit. I know this: a good song is deeper than a tattoo. It'll remind you of the car you're driving and the girl you're going around with and the streets you're cruising. It's better than a photo album. A song is a tattoo that you never lose. 'Ice, Ice Baby,' man, you'll remember that when you're 90.

You can't please everybody, and basically I just decided to please myself first on this record. This record is more like my diary and I am expressing myself through my music. And that's what it should be about. That's why I didn't change my name or anything. It's not about the name; it's about the music. The old saying goes that video killed the radio star and it's very true. And now I'm just letting everything revolve around the music. There is no image; I am just being myself.

Concerts every night, autograph signings, endorsements, and so on. That's not what real life is about.

My mom raised me to be clean, so it's in my nature. I have two little girls and I'm married but we've got a nanny and a maid.

My main thing is music; it's what I do.