"I'm growing as an individual, but your always growing. All of my albums are snapshots of where I am ..." — Mos Def

I have no confidence issues with the impact or the quality of the music. No one in hip-hop, before this point and to this point, with all due respect, has done this.

I feel like being into the beat of your own drum has become too prominent in the culture.

I can't control what people think. I'm not trying to manipulate people's thoughts or sentiments. I write all the time. You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions. It's machine-like how things are run now in hip-hop, and my ambitions are different.

There are a lot of people who call themselves teachers or leaders, but they're really just propagandists.