What I’m trying to do is break the genre from what is rap and what is music.

Me and my father went through a war period where we wasn’t talking. He wanted me to go to theology school – I didn’t want to go. I wanted to do music. I told him I was a minister through music.

That’s the best way to feed the human mind. That’s how Bob Marley did it. He never put it in your face. After you got the groove, you were just singing the hooks, because you thought it was cool.

I’m the hip-hop Quincy Jones of today.

All that violence in the world, we need to stop that.

What I’m trying to do is break the genre from what is rap and what is music.

It was important that I became successful. People say they do it for the love, and yes, you do it for the love, but you want to be successful.

Rap records don’t make you feel good no more. Six months after release, it can’t come back as a classic.

My grandfather was a voodoo priest. A lot of my life dealt with spirituality. I can close my eyes and remember where I come from.

You get quick money, it’s beautiful, there’s sunshine, but at the end of the day, you find out it’s all a masquerade, baby. It’s not what it seems.

When the Fugees were big, we made a whole lot of money, and what happened was that I saved my money and never spent it.

I do music for the love of it, and I’ve been doing it from a very young age: about 11.

There’s not a hip-hop artist that didn’t snatch of piece of Bob Marley. It’s totally impossible.

Bob Marley stood for universal peace and love. He tried to break racial barriers.

When I’m rhyming it’s all in my head… Like the slaves, when they were picking cotton, they would block out their minds. They would sing.

I didn’t grow up to call a woman a ho. That’s just how I was brought up. I won’t call a girl a bitch, unless she wants me to call her a bitch.

I’m like Cab Calloway: I love the entertainment, and I’ve loved entertaining people ever since I was little.

I’m cheap, and I’m proud of it!

My songs are really never titled. Sometimes I call it one thing. then I change it.

My parents were Christian.

I always want to know what’s wrong with you, why you ain’t smiling. That’s just my character; I just love people and want to see people having a good time.

I know that the nice shines I have on is going to pass. The nice cars will pass. All that will stay is the music and the work. That’s where I get the inspiration to help people out and work.

I feel that life is short, so we should be disciplined, but at the same time we should have a good time.

I was a jazz major in high school, in an all-jazz band. No matter what I do, it features my musical influences.