When I broke up with Eric B., I went on a little hiatus. Then all I was trying do is find producers. It's real hard, man.
People always tell me that they grew up with me - like I'm their brother or uncle or some other family member. That keeps me going.
New York is responsible for bringing that raw, that real gritty hip-hop, because we... originated it.
I've always tried to insert consciousness and spirituality in my records, interpreting the writings of all cultures and religions and how they apply to life in modern times.
You come up, you love music, and then business interferes.
I'm a fan of Jay-Z, from the negotiating table to the booth.
I love Jay-Z, I love Kanye, and I praise the way he's been able to bring more business out of the jungle.
Playing the sax and then enjoying jazz music, man - it's like I learned how to find words inside of the beat.
Being a new artist, I was trying to make a good album and hope that people like Kool Moe Dee and Melle Mel and some of the firstborns appreciated it. I was being influenced by them brothers there. That's where I got my start and my first listen.
I was heavily influenced by Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Caz, but I kind of wanted to take it somewhere else.
Lil Wayne is doing his thing, and so is Drake.
You've really got to appreciate an artist that's really outspoken and feels like his music can change the world.
When you look at hip-hop, I want to do that: to spit fire and take our best from the ashes to build our kingdom; to recognize all the regional styles, conscious lyrics, the tracks, underground, mainstream, the way we treat each other. Lose the garbage and rebuild our scene.
My approach to writing rhymes went hand in hand with the music. I'd try to make different rhythms with my rhymes on the track by tripping up patterns, using multi-syllable words, different syncopations. I'd try to be like a different instrument.
I started studying in '85 and got knowledge of self and started spitting. What was going on was taking the understanding of what I was reading and applying it with my life and applying it with my rhymes.
I love what I live, and I live Islam, so I applied it to everything I do. I applied it to my rhymes, and I felt that I wanted the people to know what I knew.
In New York, they kind of rode with me from day one: they understand who I am.
Hip-hop has taken a lot of different routes throughout the years, man. I've been around since 1986.
You know, I got kids. I got sons, and I try to tell them, 'Look, man, when you in the car and you get pulled over, hands on the steering wheel. 'Yes, sir. No sir.' Your job is to either wind up in jail, so I can come get you, or be able to pull off. That's your job.'
I stick to my guns - that's what keeps me going as an artist. Stevie Wonder never changed from what he wanted to do, and each new album that came along was dope.
