I've always tried to insert consciousness and spirituality in my records, interpreting the writings of all cultures and religions and how they apply to life in modern times.

My approach to writing rhymes went hand in hand with the music. I'd try to make different rhythms with my rhymes on the track by tripping up patterns, using multi-syllable words, different syncopations. I'd try to be like a different instrument.

As I grew up, a lot of the music was made to uplift the spirit.

The laws are gonna have to change. And it's 2016. We can't keep using all the laws that was made back in the 1700s. We're gonna have to understand that times have changed.

I try to stay true to my style, and I understand the foundation of my style and where it came from. But at the same time, you take that experience and learn different ways to write, different ways to turn on that creative energy.

I can't look at TV without seeing something that's been influenced by rap. Even commercials for cereal. When I was small, I was a fan of cartoon characters - now the cartoon characters are rapping!

Age don't count in the booth.

I got a lot of vinyl, a lot of music in general in the house.

Playing the sax and then enjoying jazz music, man - it's like I learned how to find words inside of the beat.

I try to make my flow sound like a John Coltrane solo.

Subconsciously, Islam took over me, so it was like eighty or ninety percent of the fabric of the person I was.

We need a few more Kanyes, people that's really passionate about hip-hop and who keep it alive.

To me, sometimes things outside of rap inspire me to rap.

You know, 'Paid in Full' is a classic album, man. It kind of got me to where I am now, so I can never get tired of 'Paid in Full.'

I started studying in '85 and got knowledge of self and started spitting. What was going on was taking the understanding of what I was reading and applying it with my life and applying it with my rhymes.

When I was in high school, the energy in hip-hop at that point was the park energy... I was just trying to develop my style at that point, and I think, when you're trying to find your style, you find yourself.

Being a new artist, I was trying to make a good album and hope that people like Kool Moe Dee and Melle Mel and some of the firstborns appreciated it. I was being influenced by them brothers there. That's where I got my start and my first listen.

The young kids out there doing their thing, I can't knock them.

Every generation wants that real hip-hop. And I've always been able to bring that.

There are certain things that I wish people knew - certain things that I feel I started and certain things that I'm responsible for. Sometimes you wish people knew where a certain style of rapping came from or who was the first one to say whatever.

It's hard to have fun and make a fun album when you know that it's something that you need to say.

I was heavily influenced by Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Caz, but I kind of wanted to take it somewhere else.

I always say a rapper is like a halfback in the NFL. You got about seven years, then it's a wrap.

My thing is, you have to let young artists be young artists.

I just appreciate the love that I get and support from hip-hop.

For me, fitness is not just about hitting the gym; it is also about an inner happiness and an overall well-being.

I believe in hard work, not luck factor. The best efforts will reap the best fruits. Nobody can take all the credit. We don't even talk about the efforts of the director, the writers, other technicians, etc. They all together take a film to another level.

We shot 'Telusa Telusa' song in Bolivia. It took us 50 hours to get to the location. We shot in high altitudes, and oxygen cylinders were kept handy.

There's competition at every phase of your life. The day we start thinking about it, you lose your peace of mind. I don't compete with anyone.

I consider Rashi Khanna and Regina Cassandra as my best friends. They say there are three Rs in the Telugu industry: Rakul, Rashi, and Regina. All three of us debuted in the same year, and while we all compete for the same roles, we are still the closest, and we confide in each other.

I understand only three things - films, fitness, and food.

I think there is an army clock ticking in me. I value time. I always want to be on time. I don't complain about things, saying, 'There is no caravan here,' etc. For example, they could only arrange a tent on the location of 'Pareshanu Raa'. I understand the importance of money. I respect my work a lot. Not that I am the only one who works hard.

I was a national level golf player. I gave up golf after a while when I wanted to model, as I would tan while playing it. I love watching movies and hanging out with my friends in Delhi.

My mother often tells me not to drive back home late in the night. But like all youngsters, I suggest that there is nothing to worry. I tell her I have my driver, I have my security.

I have a lot of love for nature, trees, animals and greenery, and I feel that if I did not exist, there'd be no greenery on the face of the earth.

If I don't get healthy food, my staff cooks for me.

I don't get tired of my work because you can't get tired of something you love and enjoy! But, having said that, I wish to get a break of four to five days, or at least three days, switch off my cell phone, and do what I want to.

I'm a big foodie and would love to indulge in such things. I've been to many restaurants in the city, and although I can't eat often, I know what's available where.

I'm quite fluent in Telugu now, but there's a difference between talking and dubbing. While dubbing, the diction must be in sync with the emotion in the scene and would impact my performance.

I am blessed to have worked in big-budget films at an early stage of my career.

Walk up and down the stairs ten times a day. Do an hour's walking. Release toxins just so that you feel happy. Drink a lot of water; sleep on time.

I don't think one should attribute the success and failure of a film to a single actor. When you decide to do a film, you weigh the pros and cons before taking a call. Only when you run out of patience, get insecure, and feel your career is heading nowhere do you sign anything that comes your way.

My dad is from the army, and so we studied all over. I had done an Onida campaign at the age of two, as my mom always had this inclination for me to model, but my dad was clear that I could model only when I turned 18, so immediately after school, I started modelling.

If the girl is good looking and talented, and for some reason the film doesn't work, she gets a second chance. But if subsequent films don't work, she gets branded as an 'iron leg.' The whole thing gets negative.

Girls shouldn't drink because their bodies are not made for drinking and smoking.

When I heard the script of 'Loukyam,' I was laughing, as it was such a laugh riot. So all this made me sign the film.

'Bruce Lee' didn't work, and there were apprehensions about what the fans might say. People might have commented that Charan could have waited for some time before selecting me again. But that's what makes it a real achievement to me. People want to work with me because of the comfort level; nobody would work with you again otherwise.

Speaking in broken Telugu is one thing, and dubbing is another.

I love to travel. This is the time for me. When will I do it if not now?

A stylist understands our body language; they know what works and what doesn't. I'm happy this concept has caught on in the South film industry.