I don't consider myself a gangsta rapper. But I'm probably more qualified to be a gangsta rapper than people who call themselves that. I've been through that life.

Let me tell you the truth: I'm 45 years old. I never thought that I would live to see a black president.

I started cooking from watching my mom. My mother was a really, really great cook.

I was hungry a coupla' times but for the most part I ate every day... I got to go to school for free.

I love cartoons. I'm just a big kid.

I wasn't driving down the wrong side of the street, smoking marijuana, waving my gun out the window.

I have seven children. Even if you got a lot of money, feeding 5, 6, 7, 8 mouths, it will do some damage to your pocket.

When my mother first passed away some time ago, I didn't enjoy food anymore. I just ate to live. My mother had always cooked so well that I didn't think I could follow her.

Acting is all about timing. I mean, who has better timing than the MCs?

Throughout my rapping career, I always cooked for myself and anyone I worked with. It's what actually kept me grounded through those crazy years.

I finished the movie a month ago in downtown Los Angeles. I had a lot of fun doing it.

Life is too short to not have fun; we are only here for a short time compared to the sun and the moon and all that.

I don't do concept records anymore - I just prefer doing good songs.

I come from the golden age of hip hop when all the greats came on the scene.

I'm never doing a new album. I'll probably do nothing but singles. I'm as good as anybody out there lyrically and conceptually and can go toe to toe with the best of them throughout history. But I don't know how much longer I'll be doing it. It's not really fun anymore.

'Gangsta rap' is a derogatory label.

People treat me nice 'cos I treat them nice.

I'm a winner; I win most of the time. But in order to be a winner, you have to lose some of the time. I'm a terrible loser.