Cheo Hodari Coker

“My grandfather was a Tuskegee Airman. He flew with the 100th Fighter Squadron.”

“People underestimate hip-hop the way they have sometimes underestimated comic books.”

“I will always get a certain thrill of watching bullets bounce off Luke Cage.”

“If there's one thing that I've learned from both Spike Lee and Tarantino, it's that you can wear your influences on your sleeve but at the same time invoke new energy and new flavor.”

“I'm not ashamed of comic books. You have some people that are like, 'We're trying to elevate comic books.' Comic books have always told great dramatic stories.”

“My private joke about 'Luke Cage' is that it's a bulletproof version of 'Lemonade,' and that, essentially, it's a concept album that has a video component.”

“When you're dealing with African Americans, family is everything. Because we spend so much time talking about how one treats one's family. Telling a black person that you haven't talked to your mother in a week is probably different than it is with other races because people will look at you different.”

“All Blaxploitation is, is the opportunity for an African-American cast or lead actor or actress to do the same things that a white action hero gets to do.”

“Bob Marley was always ready to deal with the politics of what was happening in the world but, at the same time, not lose sight of the fact that he's a musician.”

“The Caribbean is such a rich place, and Jamaica, personally, is one of my favorite places in the world. I've been lucky to, on various projects, to have spent a lot of time down there.”

“Harlem has always been the nexus of music, politics, culture, criminal figures.”

“That's the thing about TV: it gives you so much time to tell your story; it's comparable to comics.”

“All black art, post-slavery, has always tried to prove in its own way that a black life is the equivalent of anyone else's.”

“You can't really say that Bushmaster or Mariah Dillard is a bigger bad, because they both do some pretty heinous things.”

“Let's face it: there aren't a lot of black superheroes. So, in dealing with a black superhero, you're going to deal with ugly history and the beauty of history.”

“Even though my approach is slightly different, the Luke Cage of 'Jessica Jones' is no stranger to the Luke Cage of Marvel's 'Luke Cage.' It's really a continuation to a certain extent. It's just got a little different flavor, but it's still the same suit.”

“I come from hip-hop - meaning that I don't mind if you come at me. In fact, I prefer it. But I prefer that you come at the show with credible critique.”

“Even though I'm not Jamaican, I've always loved Jamaican culture because, to me, it's the island of magic, it's the island of politics, of resistance.”

“The difference between a Marvel superhero and a DC superhero is that we place Marvel superheroes in the real world that we recognize and that we know.”

“'Southland' was really where I learned so much about drama.”