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.
Drop that zero and get with the hero!
Honestly, a lot of people thought that I was on top of the world selling so many millions of records, and that this is the life that everybody would want, but I never got to enjoy any of my success.
I’ve been playing concerts for many years, and it’s still as exciting as it was the first time. I hope that shows when I’m performing.
It wasn’t until ’94 when I tried to commit suicide that I realized that it wasn’t about the money.
Concerts every night, autograph signings, endorsements, and so on. That’s not what real life is about.
I like Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Common. But I like the underground stuff like Young Jeezy, Black Rob and Shine. I also love heavy metal like Slipknot and Pantera, It’s very intense stuff.
I do a lot of TV stuff, but I also turn a lot down – it’s got to be an adventure.
I don’t harp on what I could change about the past, because I can’t go back and change it. But definitely a lot of things I would change.
I have been known to hang out and party back in the day. I had a weekend that lasted a few years.
I like Cleveland. I like the Cavaliers. Nothing wrong with Cleveland. I have lots of friends there.
I turned a lot of people in white America – and not just white America, but middle-class America – into hip-hoppers, you know?
I have a very broad demographic, from the 8-year-old who knows every word to ‘Ice Ice Baby’ and the college kid who grew up on ‘Ninja Rap’ to the soccer mom and grandparent.
Another car is not going to help me out, a nicer car, I’ve already got it. A bigger house ain’t gonna do anything for me, and you know, a yacht, it’s not going to do anything for me anymore. So how can I find happiness?
It took me a while and a lot of hard times to figure out my purpose, I am so happy with my life. I just want to help make other people happy, too.
I’m a random guy. I shake a hand and make a friend. I don’t do egotistical things.
I was born in Dallas, Texas, but I was raised in south Florida. ‘Ice Ice Baby’ is about that area.
Show me a smile, and I’ll show you one back.
Rap is from the streets and I’m from the streets. That’s why a lot of people accept me.
My main thing is music; it’s what I do.
All my friends were black and Mexican. I was the only white kid in our group and had to work hard to be accepted. Year after year, we’d breakdance and we all became close and they labeled me “Vanilla” – like “Hey, Vanilla” and they knew I hated it, so of course they kept calling me it.