NAS

There was a side of me that knew I was gonna change the game, but I didn't know how many people would respect it.

I want to have fun. It's a beautiful life. You learn, you win, you lose, but you get up.

Calling Michelle 'Obama Barack's baby mama?' Tell me, is that acceptable? But the Obamas aren't the only targets. Fox's pattern of race-baiting and fear-mongering regularly focuses on black leaders, black institutions and ordinary black people.

Africa has been going through so much for so many years; it's time that it stands up the way other nations are standing up.

'Life Is Good' represents the most beautiful, dramatic and heavy moments in my life.

I've been called everything. Gangsta rap. I've been called conscious rap. You know, everything. Whoever feels like calling it whatever they want to call it, that's on them.

I never stood for any president in my life, never voted, before Barack Obama. It changed my life to vote. It starts there with me. I never cared for politics before Barack Obama. I never thought it mattered to people like me.

Man, me and Biggie were the biggest artists in New York. When he passed, I was so messed up. My attitude was messed up about him dying. There was an East-West thing back then, and I was in war mode.

I had a pretty public divorce. They're not easy - divorces - and it took me a long time to really get through.

I like the way hip-hop is now. It's grown up enough so that it can get involved with politics if it feels like it.

To me, creatively challenging myself is my version of owning the Nets.

Hip-hop is bigger than the South; hip-hop is bigger than New York.

Hip-hop is making a lot of noise. It should get some more spotlight.

Let's not forget, art can sell. You ain't gotta front all the time on your records.

When you're a teenager, you want to meet a lot of girls - you want to get the most girls. You don't know anything about respect; you don't know anything about being faithful and loyal to your girlfriend.

Hip-hop artists, especially the older ones, are the ones who knew hip-hop was a worldwide phenomenon before the mainstream caught on, so hip-hop artists are forward thinkers. We want to stay with the new.

I definitely have plans to do more collaboration albums in the future. I'm a big fan of Common. I'm a big fan of Scarface; I'm a big fan of so many people, from Jeezy to... well, there are a lot of people's music that I respect. I don't know who I will collaborate with, but there's a great chance of something happening.

You know, rap is sort of like a form of talking, right? So it's like you can hear, you know, the slaves doing it. You can hear, like, you know, Africans and Jamaicans doing it just kind of as, like, a rhythmic, poetic conversation, you know, to a rhythm.

I don't have time for the news clippings. I got my own mission.

Divorce can be crazy. Man, if you're happy... Love is a beast, man. Hold on. Be prepared for any way it may go, and be honest.

Hip-hop is the streets. Hip-hop is a couple of elements that it comes from back in the days... that feel of music with urgency that speaks to you. It speaks to your livelihood and it's not compromised. It's blunt. It's raw, straight off the street - from the beat to the voice to the words.

The flaws, the mistakes I make - that's the real me.

My record company had to beg me to stop filmin' music videos in the projects. No matter what the song was about, I had 'em out there.

Anybody can be a rapper, but not anybody can be a classical artist.

No matter who you are, black, white, green, there's going to be things in your way, you know what I mean?