I had to get out of my record deal that I signed with my previous band and get a full solo record deal going so, with all of the paperwork that, that entails it did take a while.

I'm one of the few that comes from this vantage point: I never tried to get a record deal.

I started growing my hair in December '89. I was seventeen. I signed my record deal and said I ain't combing my hair no more. I don't have too.

Because I'm not in a record deal, I don't have to operate in an album format.

A record deal doesn't make you an artist; you make yourself an artist.

I was an artist, I was executive producer on my first album, so I've always had to manage both. I couldn't get a record deal. It wasn't by choice - I couldn't get a record deal, so I had to figure it out.