I'm far from being god but I work god damn hard.
I'm far from being god but I work god damn hard.
Wisdom worth sharing, words worth remembering.
I'm far from being god but I work god damn hard.
Hip-hop is more about attaining wealth. People respect success. They respect big. They don't even have to like your music. If you're big enough people are drawn to you.
That's why this generation is the least racist generation ever. You see it all the time. Go to any club. People are intermingling hanging out having fun enjoying the same music. Hip-hop is not just in the Bronx anymore. It's worldwide. Everywhere you go people are listening to hip-hop and partying together. Hip-hop has done that.
As kids we didn't complain about being poor we talked about how rich we were going to be and made moves to get the lifestyle we aspired to by any means we could. And as soon as we had a little money we were eager to show it.
I grew up in Marcy Projects in Brooklyn and my mom and pop had an extensive record collection so Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder and all of those sounds and souls of Motown filled the house.
I'm hungry for knowledge. The whole thing is to learn every day to get brighter and brighter. That's what this world is about. You look at someone like Gandhi and he glowed. Martin Luther King glowed. Muhammad Ali glows. I think that's from being bright all the time and trying to be brighter.
You make your first album you make some money and you feel like you still have to show face like 'I still go to the projects.' I'm like why? Your job is to inspire people from your neighborhood to get out. You grew up there. What makes you think it's so cool?
Growing up politics never trickled down to the areas we come from. But people from Obama's camp and Obama himself reached out to me and asked for my help on the campaign. We've sat and had dinner and we've spoken on the phone. He's a very sharp guy. Very charming. Very cool.
Racism is taught in the home. We agree on that? Well it's very hard to teach racism to a teenager who's listening to rap music and who idolizes say Snoop Dogg. It's hard to say 'That guy is less than you.' The kid is like 'I like that guy he's cool. How is he less than me?
I'm a mirror. If you're cool with me I'm cool with you and the exchange starts. What you see is what you reflect. If you don't like what you see then you've done something. If I'm standoffish that's because you are.