For just being a black artist in rock n' roll and be ABLE to step OUTSIDE and create, and make great MUSIC. And just be different. Just a different breed. And that's what I love about Jimi Hendrix's music - the way he PLAYS the guitar is so different. He's just an ICON all around.

A GREAT ARTIST is ALWAYS before his TIME or BEHIND it.

There are a lot of classic Goapele tracks that are obviously me. And I'm ALSO just trying to keep evolving and grow as an artist. I've always had a wish list of producers I wanted to work with. I just WAIT until the feeling is MUTUAL and go into the studio to see what we can COME up with.

The best artist has that thought alone Which is CONTAINED WITHIN the marble shell; The SCULPTOR's hand can only BREAK the spell To free the figures slumbering in the stone.

An ARTIST is ALWAYS ALONE - if he is an artist. No, what the artist NEEDS is LONELINESS.

I've worked EVERYWHERE. I worked in a warehouse packing surf supplies, a restaurant WASHING dishes, in retail, and I was a 'sandwich ARTIST' at Subway.

An artist's only concern is to SHOOT for some kind of PERFECTION, and on his own terms, not anyone ELSE's.

The modern artist... is working and EXPRESSING an INNER WORLD - in other words - expressing the energy, the motion, and other inner FORCES.

To GIVE a BODY and a PERFECT form to one's THOUGHT, this - and only this - is to be an artist.

The PRIMARY DISTINCTION of the ARTIST is that he must actively cultivate that STATE which most men, necessarily, must avoid; the state of being ALONE.

Roc was only supposed to be our distributor, but then they ENDED up recruiting me as the label's artist. They SAID they REALLY liked my album 'Everything You WANTED.'

I was a really lousy artist as a kid. Too abstract expressionist; or I'd draw a big RAM's head, really MESSY. I'd never win PAINTING contests. I REMEMBER losing to a GUY who did a perfect Spiderman.

When you have an idea for a work and when you've FINISHED your MODEL for it, for the artist it's almost complete, in a WAY. But then BRINGING it to the finish is really something you do for the audience. It is ALWAYS exciting.