Erik Parker Quotes
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Hip hop has evolved, thankfully. Kids are making music that is important to their lives and outlooks.
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All the songs are pieces to the puzzle. They each represent something different. So it's really difficult to say one song represents the album.
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Older generations can sometimes look down on today's hip hop but I refuse that mindset. I remember how hurt I was when older people told me that Run-D.M.C. was jungle music or that it was not music at all. Or that LL Cool J was not art.
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Hip hop is still strong. As an art form, music helps people express themselves, find meaning in their own lives and connect with their tribes.
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If you see yourself reflected in art, you feel validated.
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Every piece of music is not for everybody.
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The things Nas' Illmatic was saying were sometimes hard realities but it was done on such a high level, I felt I could point to him as a representative. Someone who put my struggle and my worldview into poetry.
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There are songs and artists now who are trying to do the same thing: be honest to their experiences.
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Nas' Illmatic blew my mind when I first heard it. The poetry was done on such a high level that in a way, it validated our existence, our culture. He used the language of the street at the time and made it art. Art tends to be validating.
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We need to do stuff we've always done, even though you might not like it.