“When I was growing up, hip-hop was still a pretty specialised thing.” — Estelle Quote

When I was growing up, hip-hop was still a pretty specialised thing.

When I need things to happen, I need them to happen now, you know. I don't want to be having a meeting about a meeting about a meeting, which is what can happen in Britain.

If you think about where I'm from, I'm not supposed to be singing in the first place. I'm not supposed to be alive right now.

I always have to get my U.K. fix, and 'Downton Abbey' is definitely that. I absolutely love period dramas, but this one is particularly appealing - following the ins and outs of aristocracy as well as the interaction between the rich and the poor.

You have to have courage to look back and be honest about your own drama.

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

I'm really into old school music when hip-hop first came out with Common, A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Run DMC. I'm really into that! Hip-hop these days isn't the same and doesn't have the same sound anymore. I'd rather listen to the old school hip-hop.

I realized the power of hip-hop. I realized how influential this music and this culture are.

I grew up with, maybe not the best hip-hop in the world, but a lot of hip-hop. Will Smith was, like, my jam when I was, like, 9 or 10 years old.

As much as I would like to be the one who saved hip-hop culture, it's pretty much nigh-on impossible.