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Rap is only one end of a whole spectrum of verbal play and virtuosity. Rap is geared for aural pleasure.

I go to a lot of stand-up comedy. I find more inspiration from observational stuff than from rap.

Rap is rhythm and poetry. Hip-hop is storytelling and poetry as well.

Comedy is the one absolutely self-aware art form. Actually, hip-hop's another one, I suppose. Because in your songs you're talking about how good a hip-hop artist you are. It's like a painter painting a panting of himself painting a painting.

I think the problem with people, as they start to mature, they say, 'Rap is a young man's game,' and they keep trying to make young songs. But you don't know the slang - it changes every day, and you're just visiting. So you're trying to be something you're not, and the audience doesn't buy into that.

Rap has so many possibilities that need to be explored. There are different factions of rap, but some are in a rut. Rap doesn't have to be about boosting egos and grabbing your crotch and dissing women. There's a way to make political and social issues interesting and entertaining to the young rap audience.

The problem is that rap is so often a caricature of its own image. Nobody comes to the table with the seriousness of the effect that it can have; nobody is prepared for that.

Rap is just somebody getting something off his chest. That's all it is.

I think rap definitely has its place in the art world. I think it is an art form. But, just like any art form, you can misuse it.

You know, most people called rap stupid when it started, and it was one of the most innovative music forms of its time.