I enjoy being slept on. It’s like being on the verge of a cult movement. But making the underground-to-aboveground transition is cool.

At the end of the day, I just like to make the best music that I can make and put it out to the world and see how they respond to it.

Being an indie artist, you have to fight for position against a major.

When things happen socially in our community, as artists, we’ve got the right to exercise our voices if we choose to, use our powers for good.

I want to be that guy who gives you an album every 12 months.

Racism is very prevalent and alive… in this country and in this world.

If you are going to believe in the fairy tale of ‘Mr. Right,’ then you need to keep everything in perspective. Know the things that make you happy. Know the things that enable and/or hinder your growth.

I was frustrated in the past, like, ‘Wow, why do they have to throw me in the R&B urban adult contemporary lane?’ ‘Woman’ was a no. 1 hit at Urban AC, so there’s no disrespect to that lane. But did it get a fair shot at urban radio? No, I don’t think so.

‘Black Ice Cream‘ is a salute to the ladies with Black Girl Magic who exude a powerful sexual confidence.

No matter what road I take, I can never get too far away from the conscious lyric and the socially conscious content.

The strength it takes to love, mold, and nurture a child should be honored every single day.

I just feel like there’s a lot of great R&B songs out there with nobody to sing them.

There’s a difference between making the music for a check vs. what you think you should be doing artistically and creatively.

I’m very big on content. I kind of feel like content is king and will continue to be that, so I’m just going to give the fans what they want.

Every so often, you have a producer or a songwriter or both or a team that comes along and really reshapes and redefines sonically what music is and the interpretation of it to the masses.

A lot of beautiful women that I have come across are the most insecure.

I make grown-folks music, and I’m cool with that. I accept that. I try to be witty while also delivering a message.

We all have friends that we confide in and talk to about our relationships. At times, we do not recognize the effect that this has on our relationship. We take a lot of what other people have to say to heart, and rightly or wrongly, it makes our way into our relationships.

I put my own money up when I have a vision and believe in something. If you want a company to put money into something, then most of the time, they want to water your project down. When it’s your money, it’s your vision from the beginning to the end result.

There is no single individual greater than a mother. They are the great keepers of our society and heads of our households.

If I’m not representing the people with my music for the goodwill of the Creator, it’s all in vain at the end of the day.

My mom and my grandmother are probably two of the strongest women that I know.

Kids should be able eat and have health care.

I am very thankful to Washington, D.C. for their loyalty and support.

When you make timeless music – and I like to think that’s what I’m doing – the fun part is picking the songs. You can clip and flop and mix and match, and when the record is timeless and it feels good, you know it’s going to have the same appeal whether you put it out now or 10 years from now. That’s what I’m about.

I don’t just make music for one audience.

It’s my responsibility as an artist and public figure to put the right frequency out there.

Anything that exposes the arts more, that gives us an outlet to make money and also do what we enjoy doing as artists and to connect with the fans, I’m all for it.

I think I’ve nurtured the following that I have to the point where I can consistently do a certain type of numbers when I put a project out.

I’m constantly trying to create timeless music that many people can gravitate to.

‘Pretty Lady’ is the conversation piece where you just need to compliment your lady. If you are in a club setting, and you just been eyeing a beautiful woman, this song came from me trying to compliment women and them turning their face up at me.

Every flaw, scar, or mark you may have adds to your beauty.

I like to think that everything I do is tastefully done and doesn’t come off necessarily like ratchet or something that tears women down. I like to make tasteful, seductive music.

The music that I write, I have to actually own it and live by it, which is cool. It’s no problem.

I’m constantly reinventing myself. It’s a constant thing that I do.

I love people.

I broke out of my shell once I graduated from high school and got into college in my first year.

I’ve always been known for making socially conscious music in the midst of the love songs and the bedroom songs.

In every video that I have done, I have tried to have lead actresses of different variations from size and color to nationality.

All of my songs were about my firsthand experiences. Pretty much, I’ve learned how to become my own muse and take situations from my own life and wear them on my sleeve.

Being independent isn’t as flashy as a lot of people may think. It’s a lot of hard work; its a lot of investing your own money. And to creatively time to make your day work – it’s on you to make it work, and no one else.

I have faith in my art.

I believe in highlighting the ‘greatness‘ that I see in every single woman that I come across. There is such beauty in variety. It may not always be evident, when you look at a woman, where her greatness lies. But the truth is that the greatness of women is reflected in the very essence of who we are.

In some cases, if you are not happy with a certain scenario, you have to give it a makeover, you know?