Lenny Kravitz' music career almost floundered before it had begun, because record labels refused to accept a black man could rock. The "Are You Gonna Go My Way" singer is proud he stood firm and refused to let music bosses push him into R&B.

He tells Alicia Keys in a feature for Interview magazine, "That's why I didn't get signed for years. People would listen to my tape and say, 'We think you're really talented, but you can't do this. Well, we'll hook you up with a producer and then you can make an R&B record.' I never went for it.

"When I look back at the person I was then, I don't understand how I had the strength to not sell out. How does a guy who lives in his car say no to money and an apartment and an opportunity to make records? But thank God I didn't take any of those deals, because my career would have been over in an album."

-Lenny Kravitz Pictures

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)