I had to confront my fears and master my every demonic thought about inferiority, insecurity, or the fear of being black, young, and gifted in this Western culture.

My folks ain't graduated from high school or nothing like that, so we always had to struggle in the family - and I come from a big family.

I feel quite sad for the young musicians coming up because they may never get to pay their rent properly. It doesn't matter what the genre; nowadays, it's so much harder than it ever was.

I got in trouble with the police, and that was a rude awakening. That was it. I'd seen the bottom of the pit, and it was time to scrape myself out of it.

Everybody's at war with different things...I'm at war with my own heart sometimes.

It seems like every time you come up something happens to bring you back down.