I'm blessed to be living this dream of writing and singing, but that's not the real dream I had. The real dream was to make enough money to take care of all the pain and suffering that my mother has been through.

When it comes to size, most people don't want to see themselves looking bigger than what they are.

Breaking news: there is only one Missy.

I mean, when it's time to rhyme rhyme, I can get down for mine.

I got more shy as I got older and realized people could be laughing at me or judging me.

A lot of people don't know a lot of records that I've written or produced, so that's a highlight for me as a woman.

I love my mother. She's my first love. She has been through a lot and is a sole survivor.

I don't want to be oh-so-brag-about-it, but 'The Rain' is hot.

I wasn't born a superstar.

My mother helped me to be who I am: to have strength and not to let people run all over me and yet to be humble; to realise that all of this that I have today could be gone.

When I first started out in the music industry and went to Elektra Records, I didn't go to be an artist, I went to get a record label started. And they said in order to have a label deal, I had to be an artist - so that's what I did.

And basically I always said when I was little that if I ever became successful or a celebrity, I would buy her this huge house and she would never have to work anymore. And I've done that. So I feel happy about doing that.

If you got talent, you just have to do you.

If I wanted to do 'The Missing Files of Missy Elliott,' I have probably six albums just sitting there.

I never drank water. Always soda. I didn't use to like water, but I've had to train myself to drink it.

I remember having mice in the house and my father taking some newspaper and beating me because mice was running on me while I was asleep.

If you believe a black cat is bad luck, people think you're crazy, but plenty of times, if I see a black cat down my street, I turn around and go the other way. Even if I'm late. I'll be late for the airport and be in a limo, and if I see a black cat, I'll be like, 'Sir, you have to turn around and go down the next street.'

When you think of Missy, you can't say, 'Missy reminded me of someone else.' There was no Missy comparison before.

He was like, 'I want to get in the studio with you.' Who turns down Pharrell?

Me personally, I don't ask too much, but I do ask Him to continue to bless me successfully, financially, and just to keep me humble.

I go out and date people, but I don't have that relationship, where you know, I'm like Jennifer Lopez, like I'm going to get married.

I always said if a man would have done half the records that I've done, we would know about it. But we don't know all the records I've done for other artists.

We're told that to be fly, you gotta have a fly car, the rims on your wheels, the fly jewels, and that to work a regular job and make legal money is uncool.

Everybody is doing the same old thing.