With the mega-fame came the mega-downfall – you know, with the press and everything – and at a young age, it was very stressful to me.
And all the zig-zags and lines in my hair? I used to do that myself. I just thought it was cool that you could actually do that with your hair.
Show me who your friends are and I’ll show you who you are. It works for me. Stay positive and good things happen.
Act smarter than you are and always know where your exit is in case you get into too much trouble.
I bring people on stage with me. It’s a good time, and people love to join in on the party. Show me a smile, and I’ll show you one back.
Even in a bad market, location, location, location is a way to still buy and sell property.
I own a mortgage company and a real estate company funded by the music. Florida is a kinda gold mine.
I’ve never met anybody in this world like me.
If you look at the statistics, people spend most of their time in the kitchen. Aside from the backyard, it’s one of my favorite places to renovate.
More than half of all the hip hop record sales are white people, and I think that might be a result of my record helping people to accept hip hop.
To be truthful, Jay-Z wouldn’t have a quarter of the records sold today if it wasn’t for the white people buying his records.
I used the music kind of as therapy, and it’s just amazing that I feel so free after doing that. I feel like I had it trapped inside of me and now I feel free. So it’s been a very good therapy session for me as well.
I’m the kind of guy who really likes a challenge. It’s more rewarding.
I’m to trying to say I’m something I’m not. Black people understand that. I’m just doing my raps, my way. Rap is black. I recognize that and respect that. I’m just a white guy trying to rap, and I got lucky.
I will not say anything about my father. Period. I don’t have a dad.
If you grew up in my generation, you’re going to be influenced by Run DMC, the Beastie Boys and also listen to Metallica – it wasn’t segregated anymore.
I’m a Christian, but I don’t believe in religion or anything like that.
I didn’t want the public in my personal life at all – I thought that people might perceive me as too normal, and I’d lose that larger-than-life rock star persona. You’ve got to protect that!
This was totally influenced by me and the direction that I am writing about and the stuff that I am writing about. There is just no way that you can be as intense as what I have been through in my life over a drum beat machine, sample, or loop; it’s just not going to happen.
A lot of people think I was an overnight success, but I was an opening act for three or four years, and then I signed my contract with EMI. Then it kind of blew up overnight.