Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) Quotes
Quotes to Explore
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I have to be able to rap. I don't have the look. I don't have the typical slim-dude, fancy-clothes look. That's not me. I have to be able to rap - there is no other choice, or else I get eaten alive.
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Outside of hip-hop, it was in comics that I most often found the aesthetics and wisdom of my world reflected.
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There's so much bigotry that needs to be overcome.
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Back in the day, when the D.J. would be playing a record, I'd be on the mic trying to hype up the crowd. So once Public Enemy became a rap group, I decided that that's the role that I wanted to take on. I wanted to be the one that was hyping, because I've always been good at it. I can hype up any crowd.
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I'm a total hip-hop geek. That's my favorite kind of music to listen to while getting ready.
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I've never really felt like a veteran. I've never felt like the guy who's like, 'OK, everyone needs to look up to me and respect me.' I've always just been one of the guys that people are excited to get in the ring with. That's all I want.
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The problem is that rap is so often a caricature of its own image. Nobody comes to the table with the seriousness of the effect that it can have; nobody is prepared for that.
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When I see things that are inspiring, I must write a song about it. Some people make a t-shirt or slap something on a wall with paint, but I must make music and freestyle rap.
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When I first got into the rap game, I had an early dream of unifying rappers.
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I'd like to do a completely off-the-wall collaboration. I would like one of my songs to be the hook to a rap song. That would be so much fun!
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I don't know if I'll ever make rap music, but I just like people who are like, 'I am going to just find the medium that's best for this idea and master it and do that.'
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I never liked socially conscious rap. I like rap that's physical, that's about a beat and bass and repetition.
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Rap is from the streets and I'm from the streets. That's why a lot of people accept me.
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If, after obtaining Buddhahood, anyone in my land gets tossed in jail on a vagrancy rap, may I not attain highest perfect enlightenment.
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When you talk about rap you have to understand that rap is part of the Hip-Hop culture.
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It's funny: I don't listen to too much rap. I don't listen to too much older hip-hop. If I do, it's Ja Rule.
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Moms in fiction and memoir get a bad rap.
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I stand up for other people, I'm very protective of people around me. If I feel like somebody is getting a bad rap or being unfairly picked on, I will stand up for them, absolutely.
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While I am not a musician, I love music. I have over 15,000 songs on my iPod. Everything from hard core rap to the soundtrack from the original 'Cinderella.'
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Everything is going to focus around the record, which he is diligently working on now. It's no different from any other hip-hop act; we're going to look for the right opportunities.
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Whatever you do, remember that. You're going to make a difference. A lot of times it won't be huge, it won't be visible even. But it will matter just the same. Don't do it for praise or money, that's what I want to tell you. Do it because it needs to be done. Do it to make your world better.
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If a dad does his job, we don't need prisons, we don't need jails. That's what I saw growing up.
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We can all endure disaster and tragedy, and triumph over them-if we have to. We may not think we can, but we have surprisingly strong inner resources that will see us through if we will only make use of them. We are stronger than we think.
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Why do I need I.D. to get I.D.? If I had I.D. I wouldn't need I.D.
