There's something about real music, dawg. It comes to you; you don't have to go to it.

You cannot have black music without something soulful in it, whether it's lyrically, how it's performed, or how it's expressed.

In a compass, we got north, south, east and west, right? But in between that, you got things like north-east - now that, to me, is where real life is. Everybody's life is not straight: it's often 30 degrees to your left, or in the hardest part of the reach.

When you are making an album, it is about the purpose - you are creating both a concept and vibe, then you follow through with that.

It's crazy all the dreams you have about what you want to do, how you want to do it, and when you're going to do it. As a child, you never know the date or that one person who's going to take you to the next person, who is going to put you in position and give you that one opportunity.

My whole childhood was church. But as an adult, I've grown to understand my relationship with God versus how I sing. People in church are like, 'You sing the devil's music,' but I believe in balance. I can't just party with you. I got to help you, too.