RAVEN-SYMONE| Q & amp;A 'Cosby' kid says, 'This is My Time'

The actress-singer laughs about rapping on her previous albums.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Raven-Symone doesn't remember much about stealing scenes from her TV grandpa, Cliff Huxtable, on "The Cosby Show" -- she was only 3 years old.
Now 18, she's arguably had the most showbiz success of all the Cosby kids. Aside from starring in the Disney Channel's "That's So Raven," plus acting in "The Princess Diaries 2," "The Cheetah Girls" and the "Dr. Dolittle" movie franchise, she's currently releasing her third CD, "This is My Time."
Eclectic tastes
The genre-blending disc was influenced by Raven's eclectic tastes, from Maroon 5 and Pink to Beyonc & eacute;, Enya and even Metallica. Dolled up in hot pink, Raven-Symone sat with The Associated Press to discuss fusing musical styles, rocking the vote and which designer goodies she'd tuck into her time capsule.
Q. Tell us about creating "This is My Time."
A. The idea for this album was in my head for a while. Everybody said, "You can only do one genre, not all of them!" and I said, "Well, this is my time to show you." The [sequence] tells my story very fluidly. There are no bumps where you're like, "Why does THAT song jump to THAT song?" I submitted 5 tracks and was an executive producer. It's my baby.
Q. The first single is "Backflip." Are the boys backflipping for you?
A. No, actually. [Laughs.] They don't really come up to me that often.
Q. You're not serious.
A. Oh, I'm so serious. A tear is coming to my eye now; I don't even want to talk about it.
Q. Do you crack up laughing when you hear yourself rapping on your previous albums?
A. It's hi-LAR-ious. I don't know what I was rapping about on the first album. Missy [Elliott] hooked a sister up, but it makes no sense. It's like, "Hickory dickory dock, yes, yes, y'all and you don't stop; left foot, right foot, any foot at all." I don't have any rapping on this album because I don't want to beat out Twista, you know what I'm saying? He got the flow from me. [Laughs.]
Q. So, whose music is bumping in your iPod?
A. I don't have an iPod, but in my car I listen to an artist named K. Young, BjJork's new album, my album, Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" and Jay Z's "The Blueprint."
Q. If you could look into the future like your clairvoyant alter ego on "That's So Raven," what would you want to know?
A. I would want to know when I'm not going to be in this world anymore so I could get everything in that I needed to.
Q. What wouldn't you want to know?
A. I definitely would not want to know that the world wasn't going to come together to have peace or that we've self-destructed because of ego. I've got some stuff to do and want to stay alive for a while, so I'm registered to vote -- I'm excited!
Q. Do you think you get your fair share of love from the media as opposed to folks like Hilary Duff and Lindsey Lohan?
A. I know every time Lindsey goes to the bathroom and I'm like, "I don't want to know." I'm fine with my press. I don't want to be in the press all the time because 1) you get sick of the person faster and 2) I don't want y'all in my business. [Laughs.]
Q. How do you hope to stand out from the pack?
A. One of the songs on the album is called "Mystify," which talks about how I don't believe it's necessary to sell your body. You will never see my butt come out of a skirt 'cause my momma would come after me. If I wear a short skirt, I won't wear a low-cut top.
Q. You've got a multifaceted career in film, TV and music, and you also cook, sew and make potpourri. Is there anything you suck at?
A. Yeah, taking tests. My test-taking abilities are not up to par.