Mozart's music is so pure and beautiful that I see it as a reflection of the inner beauty of the universe.

I've accomplished enough with the music that I haven't had to go out there and do other things to over-saturate.

Music is so therapeutic for me that if I can't get it out, I start feeling bad about myself - a lot of self-loathing.

Sometimes I feel like rap music is almost the key to stopping racism.

I listened to King Oliver and I listened to Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp... I listened to everything I could that came from that place that they call the blues but, in formality, isn't necessarily the blues.

We're constantly being bombarded by insulting and humiliating music, which people are making for you the way they make those Wonder Bread products. Just as food can be bad for your system, music can be bad for your spiritual and emotional feelings. It might taste good or clever, but in the long run, it's not going to do anything for you.