This Thing Called Rhymin' Is

I Learned [playing Chuck Berry] That There's Something To Be Said For The Courage Of Conviction, That Sense Of Belief, Being Bold Enough To Believe In Your Vision. And There's A Quote That Really Fits His Particular Energy. It Says - They Say Don't Go Where The Path May Lead, But Go Where There's No Path And Leave A Trail. I Think That's Exactly What Chuck Did, You Know. It's An Inspiration To A Lot Of Folks, Not Just Musicians, But People Everywhere.

Mos Def Is A Name That I Built And Cultivated Over The Years, It's A Name That The Streets Taught Me, A Figure Of Speech That Was Given To Me By The Culture And By My Environment, And I Feel I've Done Quite A Bit With That Name. [but] It's Time To Expand And Move On.

Why Do I Need I.d. To Get I.d.? If I Had I.d. I Wouldn't Need I.d.

Fame Is Like Getting Across The Street. It's Like, If There's Nothing To Be Across The Street For, It's A Pointless Destination. It's Like, "i Gotta Get Across The Street, Man! I Gotta Be There! I Gotta Be There!" Then You Get Across The Street And You're Like, "yeah I'm Here!" And Then, That's It. Fame Doesn't Make You Particularly Happy.

I Have No Confidence Issues With The Impact Or The Quality Of The Music. No One In Hip-hop, Before This Point And To This Point, With All Due Respect, Has Done This.