I feel, as an artist, it's important for me to write, and that's a big part of what my journey is - being able to write my stories and talk about stuff.

I feel like the albums I grew up listening to - for example, Eminem, Lauryn Hill, Christina Aguilera - they all spoke about real stuff that was happening in their life and everyone else's life.

You have to make time for fans, and you really need to appreciate them. You have to remember that if they weren't buying, playing, or streaming your music, you wouldn't be in the charts, and people wouldn't be hearing your music.

For me, I try not to set any goals or try and see what's gonna happen, because I don't wanna be let down or disappointed that something didn't happen the way I thought it was gonna happen.

When I first started writing, I wrote really sad, emotional songs which were all slow.

I actually have been really influenced by dance music.

When I was four, five, my granddad took me over to the park to play basketball. There was no way I was getting a ball into the net, but he said we stayed there until I got it in. I always remember that. He used to say to me, 'When you think you're going to do something, you won't ever stop.' I think that's the person I've been all my life.

Stan Lee is like the universal hero. He got every culture together by storytelling. He gave every community their own hero to follow, in fiction and actually in factual life.

Me, I'm just gonna keep spreading the word about ‘We Can Be Anything' campaign among Fil-Am communities in the U.S.

Hip-hop is just bombarded with a lot of materialistic stuff. When a group like us with more creativity comes out, I think it will make some kind of change.

You need a screwdriver for screws and a hammer for nails. Anybody that's trying to screw in a nail with a screwdriver… that ain't too smart.

I actually got to go back to where I was born and perform there. I just brought my mom up onstage and was like, ‘Look, here we are.'

Growing up for me in the Philippines was hard to read comic books because I'm blind.

We come up with slogans on the road and then we start putting them on the songs.

I believe that there are many talented Filipinos and their talent is great and globally competitive, just waiting to be tapped. I don't want such great talent to be wasted.

I want the kids in the Philippines to compete with the world, with other kids out there, to have the opportunity. You never know, you might find the next Black Eyed Peas out there.

Being adopted was my motivation to help others by first becoming successful.

I like to be hands-on because that's what motivates me. I like to involved from the ground-breaking to ribbon-cutting to auditing the funds. Just giving money away is a little discouraging because I don't know where it is going.

I'm good at shapes. If I'm not close, even if it's big, I can't read it.

The Peapod Foundation provides tools and mentors encouraging children to express themselves through music and art.

I was blessed and lucky to have been given opportunity. I really thank my dad, Joe Ben Hudgens, for taking his time and adopting this kid from the Philippines, and gave him his future, and opportunities. Without him, I wouldn't be here.

There's no reason but luck that I'm in one of the biggest bands in music.

My computer's the first thing I'd save if my house was burning down.

I go out pretty much every night, and when you spend time in those clubs, watching how the DJs make their mash-ups to heat up the room, you want to create that sound yourself.