NICK CANNON

Saturday morning, you knew what was cool by what was on 'Soul Train.'

The only person I've worked with on my album was Kanye. And between the stuff that I've done and the stuff that he's assisted on and produced for me for this album, I don't even need anything else.

I'm a musician. I play instruments. I dabble in the hip-hop field. That doesn't take vocal ability necessarily.

I want to be there for my children. You want to make sure you're alive more than anything.

In the hip-hop community, it's about how real are you, or how strong can you be, and really my music just reflects me. If you can accept me, then you can accept my music.

The thing I adore about Mariah the most is she's probably the most nurturing person I've ever met, like one of those spirits that walks into the room and wants to make sure that everybody's okay and taken care of. For someone to be at her status but be so concerned about others is really cool.

The people who truly love me and loved me before all of this stuff. You can't ever leave them behind.

If you want to be in the automotive business, you go to Detroit, and you figure it out. If you want to be in entertainment, go to where it's at. Go to Hollywood, go to New York.

I am always the first to say that fame and entertainment is one of the best and easiest occupations to ever have, but one must know how to navigate through the matrix or you may find yourself in a very dark hole.

Even though I am fortunate to have certain luxuries, sometimes, I am even amazed by what people with money have and do. I want to remind people that just because you might be rich and famous, it doesn't mean you have to take yourself too seriously.

I think it takes a strong man to be in a relationship with a strong woman. A lot of people hear the word 'diva' and think of it as a negative. I see it as a positive. I want somebody who knows what they want out of life and isn't afraid to show it.

Me personally, I wouldn't put my kids on television. But to each his own.

I always try to be optimistic, but not to the point where I'm getting on people's nerves.

I am not worthy to be on a Mariah Carey record. She's a true artist, so I just step back and watch the genius occur.

To me, a forever love is a bond that can't be broken.

We are already expected to be the goodie two shoes. I went through that during my junior high schools where I wasn't allowed to watch television. I wasn't allowed to listen to the radio.

A lot of people don't know the first time I was ever on national television I was a 'Soul Train' dancer.

Mariah's fashion game is definitely on a different level than mine. She actually knows Roberto Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana. I didn't know those people actually existed; I thought they were just names.

I've never been able to sky-dive, and I've always wanted to. I've probably done everything else, but for some reason the insurance company won't let me do it.

I want to affect culture. I want to have my mark on everything. I give examples of people like Bill Cosby, Quincy Jones - those are the people who I look up to. The game wouldn't be the same without them. What happens in the course of 5 years isn't really important to me. I care about what they'll say about me in 50 years.

Real men change diapers!

Family is always first.

I'm so into playing different characters, even when I was on Nickelodeon. I just observe.

A lot of the girls my age were impressed by silly stuff like money and fame. I wanted to be able to have intellectual and spiritual conversations with someone who was on the same page as me.

The beautiful thing about acting is that you can just dive into the character, strip yourself of everything, and just get in there and perfect your craft.