Q: Was it flattering to be sampled by, say, Dr. Dre, and to have Snoop Dogg pretty much make his stage persona an homage to you?
A: I knew all of them. Dre, Snoop. Uncle Jamm’s Army—it was a club party in L.A. We used to play records and go down there as guests. That’s when the L.A. Dream Team and all that formed. The Funkateers. They sampled everything.

Q: Kind of like your hair. What would you call that look?
A: I see it, but I don’t know what it is.

Q: Right. I heard that you’re color-blind. So what do you see when you look at your hair?
A: Gray. Black and gray. Just a whole lot of blacks and grays. But I’m bald under there anyway. I’m bald!

Q: I see you’re carrying an Obama hat.
A: I wish I didn’t have to follow the Bush thing now. I was living in Tallahassee during the 2000 election. I couldn’t believe that. Nobody said shit. It was shameful. And nobody said shit. Felt like we were in Nazi Germany, like the Gestapo. Didn’t say anything about the election. Hussein, you hear that? The people like Bush—we don’t wanna kill them, we wanna make them dance.

Q: You got busted for crack possession in the parking lot of a Circle K in Tallahassee. What did you need to buy so badly?
A: Reese’s cups. At one o’clock in the morning. A fucking Reese’s cup.

Q: Did you ever get it?
A: No—ain’t that the shame of it. I did my community service and that was cool. They wanted me to talk about drug abuse. I said I’ll talk about drug use. But they wanted me to speak out against what I was just busted doing. Why am I going to do that? Call me a criminal if you want, but you’re not going to make a hypocrite out of me.

Q: Were the police respectful?
A: All but the one who locked me up. Everyone said, “He’s an asshole.” He had it all wrong. I was asleep. I don’t know. The hazards were blinking. I guess that caught his attention.

Q: I guess your reputation precedes you.
A: People take it way further than I do. I stay in character. They see me. And I just mumble and bumble to get around. Look, if I did everything they say I do, I’d have a good time. Mmmm. I could OD on the thought of it.