You're put in certain situations and it kind of opens up those doors and it opens up your eyes to realize what your true calling was.

There's a bunch of people who sit around and make excuses for themselves and get upset with artists, but you already know what this is - it's an ego-driven business.

I do music based upon who I like and who I think has the potential to win. I don't really judge them by Oh somebody is hot right now. If I think the music is dope and I think the potential is there, I want to do it.

AC/DC, Def Leppard, Alice Cooper - I learned stories of all these guys. That's when I fell in love with Queen, which is one of my favorite bands of all time... I started paying attention to what made music good. I started paying attention to why I liked it.

Brandy is one of my favorite vocalists. Jay-Z is my favorite emcee outside of Biggie.

I'm very competitive it's not enough just to have a few number ones. I want to have 200.

I like clever songs. I like songs that make people think and I try to have substance in all my records, even with 'Sweet Dreams' how it was a club record and it was up tempo, but it was melodic and it was, like, lyrical.

I always say this to people: 'If Shaq can be in the NBA for 19 years and dominate for 19 years using his body, why can't I be in the music industry for 50 years using my brain when my brain is way stronger than anyone's body?' I have to have a successful record company, more hit records. I want to dominate the game.

I listen to all types of different music. I go to different festivals. I'm around music.

I really want to work with Rufus Wainwright. Michael Stipe from R.E.M. I would love to work with Kanye West.

I really was kind of like a musical nerd. I would watch VH1's 'Behind The Music.' That was heavy when I was a kid. I would sit up and want to watch that all day instead of going outside sometimes.

A song is a song and a hit record can change a life.

I watch artists say they wrote all these songs and don't mention anybody else who was involved, and that's fine. I don't expect an artist to give me credit. I know that they're gonna take the credit for everything. But, it's my job to give myself that exposure and not make excuses, not grow bitter.