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" One thing I always loved about hip-hop music was the raw, boom-bap element - it felt powerful and manly. "

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" I came from the South Side of Chicago wanting to be a rap artist and make videos. "

" I want to be the voice of the people; black, white, everyday, oppressed people. A person trying to make it and to do it right. "

" I was in the heart and soul of Baltimore. I definitely felt a connection to the people. They're really hard-working people that want to have a better life. And I saw the struggle that exists there. "

" Hip-hop is supposed to help you elevate, or go higher. "

" Oh man, I love what the South brings as far as the soul, and I really have noticed from even the early days of listening to OutKast and Goodie Mob that Atlanta and the South has a diverse sound to it. You have bounce music. You have soulful musicians. You have artists with vocals who try to do different things. "

" After you make good, quality music, then it's your job to go out there and promote it and to market it and to get it out there to the people. "

" I think you really have to remember what you loved about making music in the first place. Ultimately, people can be like, 'We've seen this dude in many movies,' but if they hear a song and they're feeling it, they can look past all the personal things and not hold it against you that you're also an actor. "

" I feel like God gives you what you deserve. Whatever that time is, you get what you deserve. "

" It was incredible to have J Dilla in your dining room making beats - it was one of the greatest experiences I've had. "

" The impact of a conscious artist is necessary, and it ripples through the world. "

" That's why I named my album 'Finding Forever,' because that's what I was thinking about: What did I want to contribute to this world that would live beyond my physical existence? "

" Obviously God knew I wasn't going to make it to the NBA as much as I probably believed. This was divine order. "

" I loved plays, I loved films, but I had no desire to act until I had just put out my album 'Like Water for Chocolate.' Creatively, I felt like I'd hit a ceiling, and I needed something else to express myself, and I just decided to take acting classes. "

" I learned a long time ago to be honest when I'm talking to other artists. Up-and-coming artists used to come and say something, they would have a demo reel, and I would try to tell them the truth. I don't go up and say something unless I really feel it. "

" People always want to feel better and be inspired. Sometimes we need it. I think the conscious rapper will always be able to live and exist. "

" My mom has obviously had a powerful influence on my life, and her voice can describe certain things that I couldn't see in myself. "

" One thing I have throughout my career, it felt like I did my best to align myself with quality artists, quality work, and it is a situation of steel sharpening steel. "

" Everything I'm saying shouldn't be taken so serious. I'm playing, but at the same token, I'm acknowledging that I'm not always the perfect man; I'm not always doing the right things. That's who I am. I'm working to be better. "

" I can only speak for myself - there were times when I just wasn't inspired by creating music. "

" People that I care about, that I consider being friends of mine, most of the things I discuss with them I wouldn't discuss in public because it's a real relationship. It's not a relationship for the public, you know? "

" Movies and media really can influence us. A few years ago, my daughter wanted to be a dancer; since Obama came into office, she now wants to be a lawyer and get into politics and maybe even be president. "

" It's our responsibility for the village to say, 'Hey we're going to create these programs,' whether it's sports, creative arts, music, we need some things to give young people positive things to do, and that's including jobs. "

" Technically, my first acting job was in one of my videos for a song called 'Retrospect For Life,' which Lauryn Hill directed and featured an actress by the name of N'bushe Wright, who played my girlfriend who was about to be pregnant. I remember being so nervous about it, but now I feel like I can conquer the world with it. "

" I come from playing sports. I compete, so I gotta be better than I was last year. I gotta get better, and that better gotta come from just growing. From learning new stuff to working on it, experience it in life, and failing. "

" Me as an artist, I've ventured off into doing all types of music. I'll do a jazz album, you know what I mean. "

" I believe that music is about making quality things, making quality art, and no matter who you decide to work with, you and that person have to come up with something special, come up with something that is excellent material, so whoever hears it and reviews it will like it. "

" What America was built on was being able to say, 'Hey, we're going to come in and use our resources to build for ourselves and our communities and build around that. We're not going to depend on others.' "

" Doing acting opened up other creative outlets; it made me feel freer as an artist. "

" 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.' "

" This is a broad thought, but loving yourself and having the support so that you can love yourself is the most important thing that young people in Chicago can get. "