A true artist is expected to be all that is noble-minded, and this is not altogether a mistake; on the other hand, however, in what a mean way are critics allowed to pounce upon us.
What I don't like is when people feel like they can box an artist into who they think an artist should be.
A lot of rappers don't have to go through what I had to go through as a singer. I was always in a bubble that they put me in, but I was always punching out. It was a tough line to walk.
None of my heroes were big rock stars, and I thought, 'This isn't how it's meant to be.' It wasn't about making music so much as selling it.
To actually put the time and energy into an album that would be better than Pull would be a hell of a lot of work, because I took that band really seriously, way more seriously than people took us. If you go back and listen to the records, you can hear it.
In this day and age, people have come to expect that artists are going to give everybody information on Twitter about what they're doing, but not every artist is like that. I'm not really like that.
Back then I thought if you cut a record, you were automatically a star.
As an artist, program directors always want to put you in a little box.
These days, newish art can be priced between $10,000 and $25,000. When I tell artists that a new painting by a newish artist should go for around $1,200, they look at me like I'm a flesh-eating virus.
In America, we know to ignore artists if they're serious in any way.
There are good artists that have children. Of course there are. They are called men.
As an artist, you can't expect a producer to just bring you a record. If you walk in and say, 'I want Kanye West's 'Power,' it just doesn't work that way.
I don't think I live the lifestyle that's expected of a quote unquote R&B artist. I'm just not that dude.
I live in L.A., and whenever I get together with anybody to write, everybody is obsessed and fearful and wants to write a hit for everyone else. They wanna write a hit for Rihanna; they wanna write a hit for Katy Perry.
When you sing live, you cannot expect any artist, except for the amazing Beyonce or GaGa, to get it right every time.
I think the stakes are always high when you're an artist of color - to get things right, to get things perfect and make everybody happy. But I'm not concerned with politicians and what they think. And I'm not always going to succeed. I'll have missteps, but I hope that people will be patient with the show and us and know that our intentions are good.
I think the stakes are always high when you're an artist of color - to get things right, to get things perfect and make everybody happy.
The Raspberries had recorded some ballads on every one of our albums, but after 'Go All The Way' was successful Capital pretty much wanted to hear nothing but 'Go All The Way.'
I figured the songs wouldn't make much of a splash. I didn't think 'Take Me To Church' would play on the radio or get in the charts, and I didn't think about dealing with a global audience.
Artists, no matter how good their intentions, are always slower than they think.
What I said, what are you [Rick Rubin] going to do with me that nobody else has been able to do to sell records with me?
I like Babyface, but he keeps the good stuff for himself. If he's willing to give his good stuff to me, we'll talk. But it can't be any of his B-grade stuff.
There was a time in the '90s where, as an African-American man, you had to be a misogynistic R&B star or a rapper, and I didn't fit into either one of those. I was advised by my label to remain closeted at that time.
As a new artist - I don't care who you talk to - I think everyone would agree, it's hard to get your expectations right.
I'm not gonna ever announce that I'm going to do an album again. Waking up with that on your head almost doesn't allow you to make the best album you can.
