The only thing that really matters in the initial part of my career, the worst mistake I've ever made was try to do things to please the audience thinking how the audience is going to respond if I do this.

Though he did not complete his degree Howard thinks of himself as an engineer and intends to return one day to complete the "three credits" he is currently short of. Howard co-starred in Iron Man and reprised the role in the video game adaptation. and Miguel A.

His roles in movies includes Winnie Ray Lackawanna Blues Crash Four Brothers Hustle & Flow Get Rich or Die Tryin' Idlewild August Rush and The Brave One. His debut album Shine Through It was released in September 2008.