What do you actually need? Food, clothing and shelter. Everything else is entertainment.

I felt I had an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of great soul musicians of the past, who made a lot of social and political commentary through their music.

When I started out, I wrote the songs, recorded the songs, mastered, mixed, did the artwork, made the packaging and did the distribution, all myself. Now I understand what everyone's jobs are, who is doing them right, and who isn't.

Hip-hop educated me about other forms of music, because it sampled from all different styles.

Salsa, classic rock, soul music, jazz... all of that was a part of my education in making hip-hop music.

In hip-hop, I wasn't very focused on delivering a message. It was just a string of lines that didn't connect. What I wanted to do is write stories... and affect someone's emotions with that song. I think as a soul singer, I'm able to accomplish that.