“There's never really been a real hood Christmas movie.”

“A tie is what you get after ice cubes have wrestled with hot water.”

“Truth is the ultimate power. When the truth comes around, all the lies have to run and hide.”

“I am only 33, I've got a lot to do. This is the first half of my career. I'm looking forward to the future and I'm proud about the past.”

“I think rap music is brought up, gangster rap in particular, as well as video games, every other thing they try to hang the ills of society on as a scapegoat.”

“Music is where I have the most creative freedom, but I love producing. To me, that's kind of where all the action is. You get a chance to have your hands in every aspect of a film. From picking a director, sometimes picking a writer, to the actors, the wardrobe, set design, editing, music, and marketing.”

“It's not like I'm the first man ever to do this, y'know? You gotta go back to Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby and Sammy Davis Jr. Those are people who've done music well and movies well, and y'know, Frank Sinatra and Elvis and all these dudes have made the transition. I don't know about Elvis, 'bout doin' 'em good, y'know? It's nothin' new.”

“I do what I do. You like it, great. You don't, go listen to somebody else. I'm stickin' with the people who stuck with me.”

“There's a lot of potential that goes unused in places like South Central L.A., a lot of brilliant, smart people who just don't have that chance to show it.”

“The best thing I've done with my money is buy a house for my family. You wake up to a house you love and you feel like somebody.”

“I wake up at 5:30, 6 in the morning, but don't head into the office right away. I like to hang out with my wife, talk about things, get some coffee, you know.”