I grew up with protests, marches, demonstrations, struggle. But I come from a clan of community workers.

I've got to where I am in life not because of something I brought to the world but through something I found - the wealth of African culture.

My biggest obsession is to show Africans and the world who the people of Africa really are.

I am a forward-looking person and live in the moment to build for the future.

I think it is incumbent on all human beings to oppose injustice in every form.

I lived for music since I could think.

The Afro-American experience is the only real culture that America has. Basically, every American tries to walk, talk, dress and behave like African Americans.

It's obvious that the rest of the world loves high African culture - African culture, period.

I don't think any musician ever thinks about making a statement. I think everybody goes into music loving it.

When people campaign for positions, they promise people all kinds of things.

All my experiences removed geography from my world.

Science, by itself cannot, supply us with an ethic.

If the vessel of our soul is still tossed with winds and storms, let us awake the Lord, who reposes in it, and He will quickly calm the sea.

Our spirits grow gray before our hairs.

I've been really lucky to get on shows that stay on. It's one thing to book a show, and it's like winning the lottery again to have it picked up, and then again to have the show stay on the air.

Discussions of generations only go downhill. There's no point in having them.

Our new faith-based laws have removed government as a roadblock to people of faith who hear the call.

Everybody has a direct view of the person "behind" the art, so there is going to be a certain amount of awareness of who is making songs. But I like paintings where you can see the brush-strokes.

The truth is, anyone can start projects. The world is full of just-started projects that looked great at the time but were never completed.

History offers no evidence for the proposition that the assignment of women to military combat jobs is the way to win wars, improve combat readiness, or promote national security.

Life is really beautiful.