E-40 Quotes

I was 17 when I first started rapping and 18 before I started taking it seriously - when I really knew I could rap and have fans and be a trendsetter.

When I was younger I was influenced by Kanye, his story of coming up and how he kept producing and producing and saying, 'I'm more than just a producer. I'm more than just a writer. I'm more than just a guy in the studio here to give you ideas. I have a story.'

You can't compete with hip-hop. That doesn't mean I don't want to be as big as a rap star. I do - I'm always competitive. But there's this weird perception of me as someone who's sitting around plotting like a devil. It's not like that.

I'm headed towards greatness. I think I'm making history in hip-hop.

There were some times when I just wanted to quit making music.

I was a rapper who was 13 or 14 years old at one point, and it was a dream. I used to see videos of other rappers around the world, and I used to hope that I could be like that one day.

With 'Hip-Hop Saved My Life,' I attempted to make 'Kick, Push,' but for rappers. To give a real basic play-by-play of the life of a rapper before he makes it - if he ever makes it, because you can get stuck in that and be trying to make it for the rest of your life.

I always envisioned myself being a rapper and being in the game and having success, but you never know what it feels like or how you're going to be when you're there.

The hip-hop community is made up of a lot of hustlers. Everybody is trying to get theirs, and everybody is trying to eat.

When I started travelling, I would go to a city and be on television and I used to get the question, 'Why do you work? If I were you, I'd just go and lie on a beach somewhere.' And I'd answer, 'Well, I wanted to make something of my life.'

I struggled for 15 years in this business before Miami Vice came along.

I didn't have any money. I had a sense of terrible loss. But what I also had was a fire in my belly. I wasn't going to go back to waiting tables. I felt I had to be better at fronting a band.

Everything I've ever done was out of fear of being mediocre.

The first tape I got was Madonna's 'Immaculate Collection.' I'm inspired by the way she started from nothing and didn't have a big musical talent, but had a big dream.

Philly gave me my ambition and drive to get more. It's a reminder to stay on top of my game. That's not a place I want to go back to.

New York gave me hell for that 'Purple Swag,' man. They didn't respect me until 'Peso.'

Lil Wayne'll make you wanna jump up, get three jobs, write a song, and do a movie!

My advice would be to follow your dream. Most of my life, I was in second place before I came in first place. I hope that inspired people to never give up.

Do not let your ambitions become a sanctuary for your failures.

My advice: Don't quit. When I got to New York City, I lived so far below the poverty line, because I didn't give in and get a job at 7-Eleven. I think you can thrive in misery.

I'm not the type to pat myself on the back and all that, but somebody has to be lucky, right? When I got to Dallas, I was struggling - sleeping on the floor with six guys in a three-bedroom apartment. I used to drive around, look at the big houses, and imagine what it would be like to live there and use that as motivation.

I wanted to sell a million records, and I sold a million records. I wanted to go platinum; I went platinum. I've been working nonstop since I was 15. I don't even know how to chill out.

People don't come to New York out of resignation. They come here with a dream. Mine was to be an actress.

I'm obsessed with the thought of making things happen... Ultimately, I do it because I'm scared. I don't ever, ever, ever want to be poor again.

I feel like there is a part of me that represents a minority in the U.S., a minority around the world. People who struggle, people who want to succeed with drive and ambition.