But I love Chicago summers on Lake Michigan, Philly cheesesteaks on South Street, falling in love in Brooklyn, street fairs in Asheville, North Carolina.

The kids now are more productive than we ever were; they're a lot more prolific and productive in the sense that they have to have music out all the time.

I basically try not to waste any lines in any of my songs, and I think the witty phrases and funny lyrics I have bring a smarter sound to college hip-hop.

We're kept so busy focusing on things that are extremely mundane while the people that possess the real power are deciding what our reality's going to be.

I think when your intent and your energy is authentic and it's real and it's of the moment and it's necessary, it will reach the people it needs to reach.

We obviously feel destiny and purpose and do what we do, but within that are ways to help others and to inspire others and to support and encourage people.

I work on a musician's week, so Monday is Friday. By the time Thursday rolls around, you stay in, and you work, and you don't go out because it's horrible.

I wasn't raised a vegetarian. I wish I was, though. I mean, that's really the best way to go. I just learned at a young age and stopped eating some things.

Sonically, musicians always go above and beyond in our efforts to disrupt radio. It's always about being different. Our radio is never conventional anyway.

I think about nothing but business the whole time. Even when I go out to my after-parties, people are like, 'You're drinking water?' I'm like, 'Yeah I am.'

I used to rap as a kid and people were impressed by it, so it gave me the drive to keep going. Everybody has at least one talent. I guess this is my talent.

I'm from my hood, and everybody knows me in my neighborhood, and that's cool, I can do what I want over there, but in other people's neighborhoods, I can't.

A lot of time, when you're poor and you ain't got but 15, 20 bucks in your pocket - if you can't change your shoes, you can change your look with a haircut.

It's cool when people know you more, but I like people to treat me regular when they see me. I take pictures. I don't really be big on people looking at me.

To be an American is to be indoctrinated with racism, violence, capitalism and manifest destiny, the principles upon which the land of the free was founded.

I went to college in '94 and started freestyling a lot more and hearing how others did it, hearing styles from other regions, all of it. Met Blockhead there.

We are near 2010….2010!! Yet race, sex and religion still play a major role in a hate driven society. For the love of the future and humanity….let’s wake up.

I want a better world, I want love and harmony amongst people no matter what color you are, what race or what background you come from or sexual orientation.

Burn a Bush cause for peace he no push no button. Killing over oil and grease, no weapons of destruction, How can we follow a leader when this a corrupt one?

When I was 17 years old, I put out an album while my mother was dying of cancer. That right there alone is a struggle. That's hard. That's tough for anybody.

The energy in working with my team at Adidas is really good for me. Being this is the third installment, I feel like everybody is comfortable with everybody.

I think you get to a certain point in your life and where you grew up stops reminding you of when you grew up. Everything changes, everything metamorphosizes.

I think Def Jam happened to be one of the labels that really didn't have a good grip on things that were going on. I'll say that - that's my political answer.

I love Dr. King, but violence might be necessary; Cause when you live on MLK and it gets very scary, You might have to pull your AK, send one to the cemetery.

When you talking about funk music you just talking about a collage of a lot of different types of music. They used strings, they had brass, they had vocalist.

I didn't come in as a writer that found producers, I came in under producers. So I've always respected the actual production process and producers in general.

Some of the greatest hip-hop artists have incorporated elements from electronic shows into their setup. People are taking notice. It's going to be a new wave.

I'm not motivated by money or fame. I'm more driven by the electricity of creativity. The idea of being one of the legends that inspired me, being like Tupac.

So much of my life and my style and sensibility are influenced by skateboarding. It's counter-culture and skateboarding is my introduction to counter-culture.

My brother came home from college with a Mountain Goats cassette and I was like, 'What is this?' The lyrics were crazy to me. I'd never heard anything like it.

Fellas, if you find a good woman, don't be scared of commitment. It is good for you. It causes you to grow up and deal with your selfishness like nothing else.

But then again in the East Coast, I think, Tupac, inspired everybody on the East Coast, everybody down south, everybody in the West Coast you know what sayin'.

If you live in a crowded area of Brooklyn or Manhattan, having a car is a hindrance. It doesn't even make sense. I basically grew up all my life without a car.

I don't know what the hell the future brings. If I did, I would play the lotto and win the mega millions and buy toy cars, real muscle cars, sneakers, and art.

This show ["This Is Mike Stud"] will have a ton of layers that people who aren't necessarily my demographic will actually really appreciate...I'm really proud.

Let's be honest, the cards' on the table: Jealousy's a sin, Cain killed Abel. Backstabber...Caesar had Brutus. It's hard to weed 'em out, even Jesus had Judas.

I wanted to go to a place with my first album that was just to the root, to the heart of emotion, and just unbridled by anything that wasn't truly in my heart.

It's always the music first for me. But if the music isn't selling, there isn't gonna be no business. So you gotta make sure music is always the first priority.

When I see people of my likeness, or who are somebody that I feel connected to, doing something great, I fee like I can do it. It gives me some hope and vision.

When I started thinking about it, I was like, 'OK, if throughout time I get labeled as a conscious artist, I'll be very much celebrated, in a way, and honored.'

The thing I love about music is, if you do it long enough, you get better and better at translating what's in your head to a medium. That's why I keep doing it.

Even in this podcast media lane, sometimes you still have to wear your MC hat and let people know how you feel about yourself as an MC, which is very confident.

A lot of these "reality shows" do a lot of producing scenes and producing things and drama and all that but we did the deal contingent that we wouldn't do that.

Being a Christian and seeing that white evangelical Christians were primarily the people who put guys like Donald Trump into office made my entire world explode.

DMX was just one of the figures that I thought no one could ever be better than. I used to look up to him so much. The bikes, the dogs, that's where I come from.

I’ve met kids who haven’t had the best of parents but because they had something in them, or they had somebody at school help develop them, they turned out fine.

There's nothing worse than being shackled by some miniscule sort of technology you have onstage, and I think your mettle is going to get tested in those moments.

I like seeing people that are into my music, it shows me that it doesn't matter, you can't judge a person based on how they look, and that's just how my music is.

Maybe my great struggle, and it's probably not anything different from too many other people, but it certainly is what drives the music, is a hugely internal one.

Luckily for me, I became a rap star so I'm making enough money to support my family. It's funny because that may seem like the only way that I can do such a task.

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