Once I started singing, I didn't have to try to be cool. I was just one of the coolest guys around.

I try to write life and not songs. People live life, and when you write life, you're going to mess around and touch somebody's heart, and they'll relate to you and what you're singing about.

I just started mimicking what I heard and singing along to it.

I started learning everybody's riffs, from Donny Hathaway to Jeffrey Osborne to James Ingram. That helped me create my own style of singing.

I started rapping when I was about 12 or 13, just playing around with it.

Sam Jackson is one of the coolest guys on the planet. We're thrilled to have him hosting this year's show, which promises more stars, more rock and more games than ever before.