One of the strangest things in the rap language is the word or the phrase "sellout." What it really means is why didn't it happen to me? If your record crosses over to pop, and you get white listeners, Latin listeners, and listeners who are not black - you are called a "sellout." If *that* is a "sellout" then here I am. I'm a "sellout" because I want my music to be accepted by *all* people.

January 20, 2009 on being present at Barack Obama's Inaguration in Washington DC - It's not a moment for any individual group, but an American moment. And it can only happen with the participation of many ethnicities throughout America saying this is what we want. I understood the progress that has been made as a people. It brought tears to my face.

In the end, it's only us. All of us. We have to help each other, we can stop the violence. It's going to be one step a time. But I seek all of your love and all of your prayers. And I'm asking blessings for everybody.

I really had genuinely brotherly love for Pac (Tupac Shakur). When I became a part of the Death Row family, he immediately ran into the studio and woke up the next morning. I had told him about a sang I wanted to do. It was off the Ohio players skin tight I wanted to called it too tight. Before I could get to the studio Tupac had gotten up early that morning went to the studio, called in the background singers, laid down the background, wrote a rap he wanted me to rap and it was done. He immediately embraced his partner from the town.

Some people call God, some people call Allah, I want to see the fruit of the love, I want to see the love, the love to help the brothers who may not be as fortunate as us.

I dress a certain way, and then people say, 'Oh, Hammer's a gangster.' I've never seen anyone gain gangster status from their clothes. Only in the suburban culture can you gain gangster status from what you wear.

I had a business where I did the untraditional thing. I reinvested in my community . . . more than any artist in the history of this business. I had 200 minorities on my payroll; $500,000 a month. I didn't talk black. I did black.

I don't have to sell it (his mansion), but it's the best thing to do. - 1997 SF Chronicle

The word of God will make you sober real quick.

I always believe that the sky is the beginning of the limit.

When I look at Puffy (Sean "Puff Daddy/Diddy" Combs) with a choir, I say, 'Sure that's a take-off of what I do'.

I'm comfortable with where I am today. I think I'm better because of the life that I have lived.

I'm in great physical condition, my mind is focused, I'm blessed. Money has never been an issue with me. I will make and continue to make plenty of money.

When somebody not of African American decent on a large level file a chapter 11, they say are you broke? I've never heard anyone say Donald Trump are you broke? They say, oh Donald Trump filed bankruptcy and you take it with a grain of salt. Why? Cause you know that he's gonna continue to handle his business and he's gonna make money.

What I'll say about Suge is this. Everybody who grew up in a neighborhood had an individual that was like the big man of the neighborhoods. While many in another neighborhood would fear him.. He would be your partner. So while over around the lake they were sacred to death of him. But you came onto high street, he's buying everybody ice cream. That's Suge Knight. Suge knight had a lot of people fear him and I'm not gonna sugar coat him and say he didn't have his altercations and handle his business and what not. That was Suge as well, but with MC Hammer, we were friends. We were even closer than friends.