I would never want a book's autograph. I am a proud non-reader of books.

Keep your nose out the sky, keep your heart to god, and keep your face to the raising sun.

Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed.

I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family it says they're looting, if you see a white family it says they're looking for food.

George Bush doesn't care about black people.

I can always tell if a band has a British rhythm section due to the gritty production.

I didn't want to play it boring and safe. I also didn't want to innovate too much. Second albums, man, they're even scarier than first ones.

I'm pretty calculating. I take stuff that I know appeals to people's bad sides and match it up with stuff that appeals to their good sides.

It was a strike against me that I didn't wear baggy jeans and jerseys and that I never hustled, never sold drugs.

Our work is never over.

But for me to have the opportunity to stand in front of a bunch of executives and present myself, I had to hustle in my own way. I can't tell you how frustrating it was that they didn't get that. No joke - I'd leave meetings crying all the time.

Michael Jordan changed so much in basketball, he took his power to make a difference. It's so much going on in music right now and somebody has to make a difference.

Thirty-three-years-old, still creating art. It's rage, it's creativity, it's pain, it's hurt, but it's the opportunity to still have my voice get out there through music.

I thank Marc Jacobs so much for giving me the opportunity to design a shoe for Louis Vuitton, but the thing that broke my heart most was when they said, 'You're finished. The shoe's finished.'

The concept of commercialism in the fashion and art world is looked down upon. You know, just to think, 'What amount of creativity does it take to make something that masses of people like?' And, 'How does creativity apply across the board?'

I'll say things that are serious and put them in a joke form so people can enjoy them. We laugh to keep from crying.

I refuse to accept other people's ideas of happiness for me. As if there's a 'one size fits all' standard for happiness.

I don't know what's better gettin' laid or gettin' paid.

I feel like I'm too busy writing history to read it.

I am God's vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live.