I grew up on the west side of Detroit - 6 mile and Wyoming - so I was really in the 'hood. And I would go to school at Detroit Waldorf, and that was not the 'hood. Growing up in Detroit was good. I had a good perspective, a well-rounded one, and not being one-sided.
My dad was a complicated man. He was a huge racist, my dad, but he still tried to be a good father, you know? Like, he would tell me that Santa Claus was black - that way, when I found out he didn't exist, it wouldn't be that big a let down.
I was a very difficult child, and the time I spent reading was about the only peace I gave my mother.
I had a different upbringing - my dad worked three jobs. You know, it wasn't as easy as they had it.
I didn't have a normal childhood by any means. But it was what it was, and I appreciate what my parents did for me.
I was raised in a house where my mom was the primary breadwinner. It was a dysfunctional house, but she showed tremendous resilience.
I was born and raised in the south side of Stockton, California, to a mother still in high school and a father in a juvenile detention facility.
As a child, I was never drawn toward depraved or extreme situations; I really wanted a normal little childhood. Unfortunately, that's just not what happened.
I was not an easy kid.
Mama gave birth to a hell raising heavenly son. See the doctor tried to smack me, but I smacked him back.
Of course there have been times when I've done crazy things. But I don't think I'm crazy. I just grew up in a crazy world.
My dad was well known on the streets, shall we say, and he had a different lifestyle, which could spill into the home setting. Being exposed to that at a young age was difficult.
Being in the neighborhood and the poverty stricken environment that I grew up in, I took a detour. I gravitated towards some of the individuals that did a lot of the wrong things with the right intentions.
My father wasn't around much. He made mistakes, but he had a very tough road.
I had a really lovely childhood, but I wasn't the easiest kid to live with.
I was such a strong-willed child, my parents weren't sure how to deal with me.
I've seen a lot in my life. My dad was pretty gnarly but I loved him and I wouldn't change it for the world. My mom's a survivor.
I was something of a problem kid. I was emotional, wild, rebellious at school. I'm very touched by kids who don't have advantages; they are much more interesting than kids who have everything. They have a lot of passion and emotion, such a strong will.
