Musician

Mos Def is one of the most creative, intelligent human beings I've had the opportunity to work with. He is fun. The entire time, he would go in and out of different characters, just for the fun of it. Awesome energy.

There's something really magical about having a child - it's like permission to begin again, start over, reevaluate some things, check yourself. Recognize yourself.

Lately I've been going to all these high schools talking to the students, answering their questions, listening to what they have to say. It has been an incredible journey to be around them and try to give them what my mother gave me.

I could hear music playing in the background of works by certain authors, like Poe and Shakespeare. And I discovered Nikki Giovanni when I was in eighth grade. Her writing has a musical energy with pulse and rhythm, almost like jazz or hip-hop.

I don't necessarily think of myself as a feminist, but I'm a whole person.

People is, I think, it's their nature - some people's nature, in a way, to be angry or jealous or just spiteful about somebody else's blessings.

I just think fashion is about enjoying yourself and being comfortable in your skin and allowing you to be you - all the way live.

My intention is to make music that you can enjoy at all times.

I never expected the White House to be warm, and the artwork on the walls was extraordinary. I am a fan of the Louvre, but being there it was almost just as good.

I've always enjoyed shows like 'The X-Files,' where you're on the edge of your seat and you're so invested in these characters.

I didn't leave home until 27. I was an only child raised in Philadelphia by my mother and grandmother. My grandmother controlled the stove. She made a lot of potato meals - mashed potato, potato souffle, potato pancakes. When we didn't have electricity, we ate romantically by candlelight.

God is ever present. He's in every breath, in every step. He's here, always, always.

I'm not interested in being commodified. I'm not into being sold. I'm not a slave.

A lot of the girls I grew up with were pregnant by the time they were 16. I just was lucky.

'True Blood' excites me. It scares me, but it excites me.

I like a man who smells good. Puts on cologne; lotions his body. It keeps me wanting. I like feeling that way.

African people worldwide are known to be welcoming and open-minded.

The artists who stand out to me have a passion for what they do. There are a lot of people who can sing. It's just like when you go to church and people are singing because it sounds good, not because it feels good. There's a difference.

I believe the relationship you have with your government is not so different to a love relationship.

Power doesn't have to be on such a big scale for powerful things to occur. Within your own home, you can be a powerful woman as a mother, influencing your children's lives.