All stories interest me and some haunt me until I end up writing them. Certain themes keep coming up: justice loyalty violence death political and social issues freedom.

Life is a process of becoming a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.

I don't have no fear of death. My only fear is coming back reincarnated.

Coming through the fire and through the storm of life with a strong man my fiance Ashanti whom I've been dating for eight months and two wonderful children beside me I'm just so happy that I have been able to maintain my integrity and get to where I am today with the right energy around me.

What I remember most about junior homecoming was my date getting sick afterwards. That kinda sucked. Then senior year someone got gum in her hair when we were dancing. She had to get one of the chaperones to take her to the office and cut up her hair. I felt really bad for her but it worked out fine.

On my best days such as when I was a junior in high school coming off a 42-point performance and near triple-double my dad was there to tell me I haven't arrived yet and bring me back to reality.

I wanted my dad to be proud of me and I fell into acting because there wasn't anything else I could do and in it I found a discipline that I wanted to keep coming back to that I love and I learn about every day.

Although becoming a singer was my plan A after first hearing Whitney Houston when I was 17 I started off with plan B by going to the teacher-training college that my dad went to. It was a slow coming of age.

When my dad died a lot of songs came and they're still coming.

I am an obsessive garage cleaner - my wife and the neighbors make fun of me. I remember that my father was the same way and now when I'm out there unearthing things in the garage I realize I am becoming my dad!