Quote Machine: Will.I.Am Edition

“If I were a painter, I would paint beautiful bodies — I would paint nipples, and I would paint Bibles. Am I going to say, ‘I’m not going to paint this woman’s neck because people will think I just want to lick on necks?’ Please! That’s not what art is about.” —Will.I.Am on what does and does not constitute art [Radar]

“It’s easy, if you’re a poet, to write complex verses like, ‘I’m coming after you like VWXYZ.’ Just think about that. It’s like, ‘Yo, V does come after U! That’s fucking crazy!’ My mind thinks like that all the time, coming up with crazy clever metaphors and rhymery thingies.” —Will.I.Am on his creative process [Radar]

“When I wrote ‘My Humps,’ I said, ‘This is the stupidest thing ever,’ but in a good way. I always wondered what it must be like to be a girl, always gettin’ pulled on. Maybe she’s the smartest genius on the planet, but she’s rackin’ double Ds with a 26-inch waist and a big ol’ ass and no one’s ever gonna see her like that because that’s the way the world is today.” —Will.I.Am on the way the world is today [Radar]

“It’s a fun track. It’s about a guy going out to pick up girls and thinking it’s true that if your mama’s hot, you’re hot. And if your mom’s busted, then nine times out of 10, you’re about to be busted, too. I came up with it because my ex-girlfriend’s mom was hot. Everyone knew it.” —Will.I.Am on his new single “I Got It From My Mama” [Radar]

“We planned on being global from the very beginning. And then came the whole brand sponsorship shit. I’m all for it … I was like, ‘Dude, I’ve always liked Dr Pepper, and they’re going to let me play my music.’ So fuck it.” —Will.I.Am on selling out [Radar]
—Elizabeth Black