MACKLEMORE

I find that when I put my spiritual life first, the rest of my life is easy. When I put my career first, that's when I have problems.

You can only watch injustice go on for so long until you're compelled to say something. To speak out against it.

I think what's wrong with the fashion world, particularly men's fashion, is the lack of creativity behind it.

I want to make music that I like; not something that I have to make because I think it's going to sell.

I played baseball up until my freshman year of high school. That was my main sport. I played third base.

I think that civil rights issues take a lot of time to develop.

I think music should be experienced by people all ages.

I think people are enticed by indie rap and every time you have a group going against the grain, they're gonna be like, 'Wow, you did it yourself in 2012, that's impressive - how did you do it? What're you doing that's different? And how can I be a part of it?'

'The more expensive the better' is kind of the American way, and if you spent $600 for a sweatshirt, then that makes it better.

I definitely use 'smiling while rapping' as a tool in the booth. I want to have fun while recording.

I'm someone that examines culture and tries to break down why things are the way that they are whether its hip-hop music, sex, race, or consumerism. I try to examine it and scrutinize it to the point where I can write a song.

My partner has to have good sized bones.

You need to get outside of your comfort zone to write songs that are interesting, songs that are compelling, songs that are different from what other people are writing.

Bullying is a national epidemic.

I just want to give the people 100% of myself as an artist.

The fame and the money and all that stuff that comes along with it is all great, but that's not the sole purpose of why I make music.

When I write, I don't have any expectation of what kind of song it will become or who it might reach.

Music is therapy. Music moves people. It connects people in ways that no other medium can. It pulls heart strings. It acts as medicine.

I'm a very conceptual writer.

Sampling is kind of prehistoric, given the technology and the textures you can create.

I don't write a great song every day. I don't write a great song every couple weeks. It comes in such random times.

I think that there will always be artists out there who think they need to sign a major label deal in order to be successful. And that machine is what is going to work for them - there's tons of examples of pop stars who need that machine.

Its easy to view politicians as corrupt and voting essentially an act of picking the lesser of two evils. I understand that perspective and feel it's valid.

Thrift shopping is really just an extension of me being that same kid and going into a place that's completely unconventional that has really endless possibilities in terms of outfits that you can put together and really just expressing yourself.

I'm as honest as I can be.