DX: Because of that reason?
AWS: Because of that reason. I’m not going to agree with something and turn around and bad talk it; that’s just not what I would do. That would kind of take away everything I’m trying to speak on in this book.

At the end of the day, the entertainment industry is very submissive. Everybody tries to cater to the entertainment industry. I try to avoid the blogs, I try to avoid a lot of what’s being said about me on the internet, but there’s one thing that really caught my attention the other day. Somebody said – and I couldn’t believe that a female spoke out and said that – “he should have beat that hoe, he should have beat her to a pulp, that’s what you get Mos Def for marrying a stripper-hoe.” Where is the justification in that? Where is the logic in that? And where is your dignity and your self-respect for saying something like that? You’re still a woman and you’re saying that based on the fact that Mos Def hit me so it’s okay. Again, I don’t want to get the message out that he’s a wife-beater, that he’s an abuser, or anything; but again, I don’t care if you’re Mos Def, I don’t care who you are. If you’re feeding me, clothing me, you’re doing whatever, that does not give you the right to disrespect me or treat me any less than who I am as a person.

DX: Is Mos the type of person his fans think he is?
AWS: I have to agree with that. That’s specifically why I said “yes” to Mos. And I’ve had four proposals from men way more well off than Mos. I said “yes” to Mos because his personality, his humbleness – he’s not a flashy guy – his love for his children, for everybody around him; he is very sincere. He is a commodity in his community. I loved everything he stood for as a man, not as Mos Def, but as an individual. And a lot of people are saying, “Why yes to Mos and why no to someone who makes 32 million a year?” Because it was not about the money. If that was the case, I would just be single right now.