Working in the studio is a more personal experience whereas on stage in front of a billion people, it's more exciting performing live.

As far as men go, they never gave me a chance to be me; they were always scared that somebody was going to take me.

'Cause I'm no better than you, you, or you. And I can't get on no throne and preach, 'cause I'm not God.

Don't give up, be positive and if you know someone who knows someone at a record company don't stop beating down their door till you get heard. Don't ever say it'll never happen or it'll never happen.

I decided to start my own label because so many people with talent come to me wanting to know how they can get in the music business.

I don't really like to say things unless I know they're true, and I know Puff is my partner in this music business.

I don't want no drama in my life, even though we have a little bit, but no more letting people control you. That's drama, because then you become something that you're not.

In the studio you can really concentrate on performing the song where as on stage you also have to worry about connecting with so many people, they're definitely different.

It was great to work with Jay Z again, he's never let me down and given me a whack tune and Eve she's great and I love 50 cent, he's such a genuine person, when I met him I looked in his eyes and I knew that he is a real person and I have a lot of love for him.


It's a great honor for people to look at you and want to be like you.

It's sad that a lot of identities are lost and a lot of careers are lost because there's sort of a clone thing going on.

That's the message I want to give to every up-and-coming artist: Do everything that is going to help you later. If you clone somebody else, that's all they're gonna keep wanting from you.

The only person that I'm really feeling - because she has an identity of her own, even though she has listened to Mary J. Blige - is Jill Scott.

The streets respect me because I kept it real with me. You gotta be real with yourself, and the streets recognize game.