What I want to do is to create a conversation piece and something people remember. I want to make it repetitive enough but not use what I call 'thin thinking' - the kind of thing anyone can do. A hook tells me what you are talking about and it doesn't have to be a lot of words.

The-Dream

You don't need a band to do hip-hop; you only need a DJ.

The-Dream

When the Atlanta Braves were owned by Ted Turner, he was very passionate and did whatever it took to do something good - and eventually he made money. Labels used to be the same way. Now they're corporations, and it's only about their stock.

The-Dream

Money affects everything, from who I'm with to what label I'm on, so everything I do now is about protecting it. But I didn't understand how powerfully that would affect my home life.

The-Dream

I've always had a soft spot for women because of my mom. Just their power.

The-Dream

I am pretty frank of a guy. That used to be appreciated, back in the day.

The-Dream

My gears that I have to go through... One minute in my mind to be Beyonce and one minute to be Rihanna and one second to do a hook for Kanye and then have to write records for myself. I'm so many people, I'm never just one person. So I don't have to reinvent because artists around me reinvent for me.

The-Dream

My uncle used to say, 'You'll go on and become the dream of the family.' That's how I got my name.

The-Dream

At the end of the day, I'm a songwriter.

The-Dream

What I look forward to the most is influencing an individual to go out into the world and make the world a better place.

The-Dream

I love Kanye. He's literally the only person that challenges me. He has an overwhelming love for music also, and that's why he's misunderstood. The boy is a genius. You can be mad all you want, but he loves what you listen to more than you love it. When he lost his mom I cried.

The-Dream

My days, sometimes, it's just about work. I'm not thinking about taking a picture in the studio, and I don't have the time to stop being creative to stop and post on Instagram. That's not a part of my creative process.

The-Dream

Whether I'm working with a Top 40 artist or crafting my own music, it goes back to one thing: telling a powerful story and having that story resonate with people.

The-Dream

Man's biggest enemy is a woman who has it in for them.

The-Dream

I understand freedom of speech but if I made my living spreading rumors about people, my family wouldn't claim me.

The-Dream

I'm everybody in music's guilty pleasure.

The-Dream

I'm a vulnerable guy, which is always been there, you know? Like, most of the time I put myself in positions where I am vulnerable, because I don't think you're living unless you do.

The-Dream

I was playing a lot of Coldplay before the world knew who I was, before anybody knew my 'Umbrella' song. Those songs still stick in my head. I just love it. It's without pop culture, it's just a song. It's just singing.

The-Dream

I got fed up with the idea of partnering with labels on a major scale because of how they have to deliver things. They get gun-shy.

The-Dream

The-Dream is a fantasy, but without fiction.

The-Dream

It was always in me to just put records out. I don't like holding on to records.

The-Dream