“With 'Family and Loyalty,' I didn't already have an idea for that vide...” — DJ Premier Quote

With 'Family and Loyalty,' I didn't already have an idea for that video. So I called Fab Five Freddy. I wanted to get a director that I didn't have to explain Gang Starr to and he was with it.

Everything I do is in a New York state of mind. I'm indebted to preserving the sound of the city.

Prince, Bootsy Collins, Earth Wind & Fire and Parliament all had albums that sound different. I wanted to show, as a hip-hop producer, I'm one of those that can do anything, because I was raised on so much music aside from rap and hip-hop.

I use whatever it takes to make the tracks identify what me and Guru are all about.

The majority of my life is spent doing nothing but godly things, especially when it comes to dealing with other people.

Your only true obligation in a gang is to be committed and be there when your brothers need you.

Nobody succeeds on their own. Someone has to be there to show them the way, and if you give that experience to a person on the street - a gang member, a prisoner - he might succeed. That's how it was for me.

A friend of mine had his own theater company, and he jumped me in like I was in a gang. And once I came in, it was just that simple. For the first time in my life, I felt, 'This is a career, this is a life that I think I can grow old doing.' It was love at first sight. I loved being on stage and reading these plays. It was great.

My mum wouldn't let me go outside. Coming back from school, the gang men sometimes would say things, but I would walk by, never answer, and my mum would go tell them leave me alone.