Quotes About Authenticity

You want to know how I'm feeling? Just look at me, and I'll tell you how I'm feeling. Nothing is hidden. I'm all out there. I cry like a baby, I get upset, I stamp my feet. I'm not stoic.

In order to be who you are as a human being, you need to be willing to upset people.

I go to award ceremonies, but I always like to be in my world. That's the only place I can control where I won't get upset.

With our fans, a lot of times, people get upset because maybe they didn't get what they wanted, whatever. But we always write the songs for us, number one.

The reason my management get upset with me the most is that they don't know what's going to come out my mouth.

It's not like I ride a broom into interviews. I don't hang upside down with a cape on.

I didn't go Hollywood on the outside with flashy cars, upstairs maids and mink-covered bathroom fixtures. I went Hollywood on the inside, and that's worst of all. I tried to avoid being natural. I lowered my voice. I copied the mannerisms of other stars. I struck poses.

I think that I was being much more uptight about those things before. I feel like I really don't have to prove anything at this point other than what I'm doing.

I think that what makes you cool at the end of the day is letting go, not being superficial or uptight, and being different.

I've never tried to enhance my reputation. Never moved upwards from one thing to another. That sort of thing is of no interest to me at all.

You cannot act a color. Do not tell me I'm acting black, because I'm not. I'm acting whatever you want to call it - urban. I don't even have a name for it. I just call it 'me.'

I've stayed away from doing 'urban film' because I just don't relate to the characters. I'm not going to take a role because I happen to have the same skin color.

One of the things that sells music is when the artist is looked at as someone who's come up from the streets. Not just any streets, but the toughest, meanest streets of the urban ghetto. And that's called 'street credibility.'

A lot of rappers say 'I'm talking about stuff that goes on, what I grew up in, that I know about.' And these journalists say, 'Yeah, but you're making 80 million dollars, that stuff's not about you.' Look how long he's been making 80 million. He grew up poor in an urban city and the things he's experienced and knows.

I never called myself an urban artist, but that's what I was classed as, and I almost tried to live up to the name instead of who I really was.

Years ago, when I was making music, I was sending it off to radio stations and getting told it was 'too urban.' But what else am I supposed to make?

It's only in acting where I've heard in auditions, 'Can you black it up a little bit? Can you make her a little bit more urban?' And it's just like, 'What?' I don't even know the word for that.

If you choose to be fearless, then be fearlessly authentic not an imitation of someone you envy.

A prostitute is a decent worker like the rest of us, only she can't fake what she is doing.

Macho does not prove mucho.

I have a real pet peeve for women who play damaged characters but don't look damaged.

My beauty icons are women whose images are self-created.

Women often don't want to be typecast as the girl that's sad.

Anger is not an accepted thing for women. And, you know, I do get angry. I feel it's a very honest emotion.