Artist Quotes

37 of the Greatest Mos Def Quotes of All Time

Published

1 year ago

Apr 11, 2023

Mos Def is an American hip hop artist, actor and activist from Brooklyn, New York City, New York. About.com listed him as the 14th greatest ‘MC’ of all time on their “50 greatest MC’s of our time” list.

We’ve put together this collection of the best Mos Def quotes:

Table of Contents

37 Greatest Mos Def Quotes

1. “African art is functional, it serves a purpose. It’s not a dormant. It’s not a means to collect the largest cheering section. It should be healing, a source a joy. Spreading positive vibrations.” – Mos Def

2. “Everything’s got space between it, the planets, trees, your eyes. Your eyes get too close together, it’s a whole different world. You can lose perspective.” – Mos Def

3. “I can’t control what people think. I’m not trying to manipulate people’s thoughts or sentiments. I write all the time. You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions. It’s machine-like how things are run now in hip-hop, and my ambitions are different.” – Mos Def

4. “I don’t hate nobody. I hate certain conditions that are inflicted upon the people – and they’re helpless with it.” – Mos Def

5. “I don’t want to waste anyone’s time or money. I want to give people some truth and positive heart lift.” – Mos Def

6. “I get reminded a lot of the time that my life is a little bit different, but I’m just trying to keep it as regular as possible because I like it that way.” – Mos Def

7. “I just don’t think it’s very dignified to ask people to like you. You can just wind up being somebody’s ottoman.” – Mos Def

8. “I’m a passionate person. I’m a lot of things, like most people are. Most people are dynamic. The focus is not on me though, I’m a screen. The aim is to always keep myself in the position where the screen is clear.” – Mos Def

9. “I’m not shy about heated debate or passionate discourse, but when people get crazy or rude, that’s a buzz kill. There’s got to be a better code of conduct, some basic etiquette.” – Mos Def

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10. “It’s possible and available to any artist to be himself or herself on their own terms, to be accepted and embraced by black people. You don’t have to be a thug to get love from black people.” – Mos Def

11. “That idea of peace and love toward humanity shouldn’t be nationalistic or denominational. It should be a chief concern for all mankind.” – Mos Def

12. “To me, the job of the artist is to provide a useful and intelligent vocabulary for the world to be able to articulate feelings they experience everyday, and otherwise wouldn’t have the means to express in a meaningful and useful way.” – Mos Def

13. “You want to know how to rhyme, then learn how to add. It’s mathematics.” – Mos Def

14. “All the things that are worth doing, take time.” – Mos Def

15. “Focused. I’m a hustler. And my hustle is trying to figure out the best ways to do what I like without having to do much else.” – Mos Def

16. “I come from a family of very devout, praying people. That idea of peace and love toward humanity shouldn’t be nationalistic or denominational. It should be a chief concern for all mankind.” – Mos Def

17. “I don’t mind being black. I’m black out loud. It’s more than the people that they are, it’s the condition that they represent.” – Mos Def

18. “I feel like being into the beat of your own drum has become too prominent in the culture.” – Mos Def

19. “I guess something that you love to do, you gotta ease up off it and give it a little space, come back and be fresh to it.” – Mos Def

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20. “I never had any ambitions of being a movie star or anything like that, but you know, this is nice.” – Mos Def

21. “I’m growing as an individual, but your always growing. All of my albums are snapshots of where I am artistically.” – Mos Def

22. “I’m trying to get low. People’s personalities can get in the way of their own work.” – Mos Def

23. “Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years it’s a name that the streets taught me a figure of speech that was given to me by the culture and by my environment and I feel I’ve done quite a bit with that name and it’s time to expand and move on.” – Mos Def

24. “That’s what I’ve been trying to strive for – to draw a clear picture, to open up a new dimension.” – Mos Def

25. “What I take from writers I like is their economy – the ability to use language to very effective ends. The ability to have somebody read something and see it, or for somebody to paint an entire landscape of visual imagery with just sheets of words – that’s magical.” – Mos Def

26. “And remember don’t high post when you’re far from home, and high posting when you’re all alone.” – Mos Def

27. “Good art provides people with a vocabulary about things they can’tmarticulate.” – Mos Def

28. “I didn’t want to have to deal with having any moniker or separation between the self that I see and know myself as.” – Mos Def

29. “I don’t wanna get into that space where a lot of guys now, their solo album is like eight or 10 songs with other people, you don’t get an idea of who this guy is. I just wasn’t interested in that.” – Mos Def

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30. “I feel like I was the only person who was capable of making this type of music in this type of way. I don’t rap like nobody, I don’t try to sound like nobody.” – Mos Def

31. “I have no confidence issues with the impact or the quality of the music. No one in hip-hop, before this point and to this point, with all due respect, has done this.” – Mos Def

32. “I was taught when there’s somethin’ you can change around keep quiet, you got nothin’ to complain about.” – Mos Def

33. “I’m just an artist and I’m doin’ what I like to do.” – Mos Def

34. “It wouldn’t be fair to cast aspersions on an entire cultural movement based on the actions of a few. To quote my grandfather, ‘One bad apple don’t spoil the whole bunch.'” – Mos Def

35. “My presence speaks volumes before I say a word.” – Mos Def

36. “There are a lot of people who call themselves teachers or leaders, but they’re really just propagandists.” – Mos Def

37. “You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions.” – Mos Def

Summary

Thanks for viewing this collection of the best Mos Def quotes! Don’t forget to share them on social media.

Which are your favorite Mos Def quotes? Leave a comment below.

Artist Quotes

52 Inspirational J Cole Quotes & Lyrics

Published

10 months ago

Jun 19, 2023

Dan Western

Jermaine Cole is an American hip hop artist, who started receiving recognition and fame for his work back in 2007.

Some of his lyrics have been highly regarded as creative yet truthful rhymes, which in a lot of cases means they’re very inspiring to many individuals.

We’ve created this collection of the greatest J Cole quotes & lyrics of all time:

Table of Contents

52 Inspirational J Cole Quotes

1. “To appreciate the sun, you gotta know what rain is.” – J Cole

2. “Anything’s possible, you gotta dream like you never seen obstacles.” – J Cole

3. “Take a chance, because you never know how perfect something can turn out.” – J Cole

4. “I’d rather be happy being myself than sad trying to please everyone else.” – J Cole

5. “People congratulate me. I just tell them God is good.” – J Cole

6. “Keep grinding boy, your life can change in one year, and even when it’s dark out, the sun is shining somewhere.” – J Cole

7. “Damn, cold world. I never thought I’d see the day that you’re my old girl.” – J Cole

8. “You have to hurt in order to know. Fall in order to grow. Lose in order to gain. Because most of life’s lessons are learned in pain.” – J Cole

9. “I swear I walk with God, but the devil keeps following.” – J Cole

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10. “If they don’t know your dreams, they can’t shoot them down.” – J Cole

11. “My life accelerated, but had to wait my turn. But then I redecorated, that means my tables turn.” – J Cole

12. “Am I about dollars or about change? Am I about knowledge or brains? Freedom or big chains? They don’t feel my pain.” – J Cole

13. “Get to know somebody and you really learn a lot about ‘em. Won’t be long before you start to doubt ‘em. Tell yourself you better off without ‘em. Then in time you will find can’t walk without ‘em.” – J Cole

14. “No such thing as a life that’s better than yours, no such thing–no such thing…” – J Cole

15. “In a game full of liars it turns out that I’m the truth. Some say that rap’s alive. It turns out that I’m the proof.” – J Cole

16. “Nothing lasts forever, but at least we’ve got these memories.” – J Cole

17. “Never give up until you’ve given out all your very best. It’s better to fail trying, than wondering what could have happened if you tried.” – J Cole

18. “It’s beauty in the struggle, ugliness in the success.” – J Cole

19. “If you place your importance on appreciation and love, that’s enough.” – J Cole

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20. “Sometimes our dreams come true, sometimes our fears do too.” – J Cole

21. “For a few minutes you made me feel as if I actually meant something to someone.” – J Cole

22. “There’s a story behind every person, a reason why they are the way they are. So, think about that before you judge someone.” – J Cole

23. “Anything I do, I do it well.” – J Cole

24. “You can lose all the money, but you’ll never lose people knowing you.” – J Cole

25. “Follow your heart. Don’t follow what you’ve been told you’re supposed to do.” – J Cole

26. “So here we are… it’s funny how so close can seem so far.” – J Cole

27. “We got dreams and we got the right to chase ‘em.” – J Cole

28. “Promise to my momma I’mma make it to the top, so I’mma keep climbing ‘til my heartbeat drop.” – J Cole

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29. “Either you play the game or you let the game play you.” – J Cole

30. “I’mma be here for a while. None of these clowns can hurt me.” – J Cole

31. “I put a lot of God in my music, but not because I’m super religious. There are a lot of demons in my music too. I acknowledge both.” – J Cole

32. “They say time is money but really, it’s not. If we ever go broke, time is all we got.” – J Cole

33. “I walk along this long harbor of life and sit on the piers, reflect on my pain and sh*t on my fears.” – J Cole

34. “I keep my head high, I got my wings to carry me. I don’t know freedom, I want my dreams to rescue me.” – J Cole

35. “A little jealousy in a relationship is healthy. It’s always nice to know someone is afraid to lose you.” – J Cole

36. “Tupac was just so passionate about what he believes in and not afraid to say anything.” – J Cole

37. “The music becomes more pure and soulful when it’s true, and it has to be true these days with the way the internet works, and the way the game works, everyone wants authentic raps.” – J Cole

38. “I met Will Smith twice. I didn’t talk to him for too long but I was trying to let him know that my age group grew up watching him – he was the coolest guy on television and the coolest guy in movies.” – J Cole

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39. “I still wanna rap better than everybody else, and I wanna say important things.” – J Cole

40. “When I was in college my girl got me a job at the doctor’s office she was working at. I was a file clerk. No disrespect but I don’t think a man can do that job. It takes so much meticulous and precise file-keeping.” – J Cole

41. “I want people to follow their dreams, yes… but I’m not interested in telling young black kids how to be rappers… I want to show them that there’s so many other paths you can take, besides a rapper or basketball player.” – J Cole

42. “In this life ain’t no happy endings. Only pure beginnings followed by years of sinning and fake repentance.” – J Cole

43. “People think because I’ve got some success, I’ve made it, but in my eyes it’s like, ‘How long has Jay Z been in the business? How many albums has he got?’ Not that I’m trying to be Jay Z, but I am trying to be around for a long time.” – J Cole

44. “I had a lot of resistance, and not just to fame. I was always conscious of not changing.” – J Cole

45. “You can’t reverse fame. You can lose all the money, but you’ll never lose people knowing you.” – J Cole

46. “College isn’t in everyone’s hearts. I am living proof, though, that school doesn’t mess up your plans. It gives you more experiences to write about.” – J Cole

47. “It’s no coincidence that all the greatest rappers – whoever you put in your top five – I guarantee you they are great storytellers.” – J Cole

48. “When you’re a rapper, just a rapper, you have to kind of settle for whatever comes your way – if a beat is hot, you wanna rap on it, period.” – J Cole

49. “Keep grindin’ boy, your life can change in one year, And even when it’s dark out, the sun is shining somewhere.” – J Cole

50. “Hard to move on when you always regret one.” – J Cole

51. “I’m a super-duper over-analyzer. You mix that with self-doubt and pressure, and that’s never healthy.” – J Cole

52. “Life is a movie, pick your own role, Climb your own ladder or you dig your own hole.” – J Cole

Summary

Thanks for checking out this collection of quotes from J Cole! Don’t forget to share them on social media.

Which are your favorite J Cole quotes? Leave a comment below.

Artist Quotes

30 Awesome Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) Quotes

Published

10 months ago

Jun 19, 2023

Dan Western

MGK, another insane source of inspiration for hip hop fans;

It wasn’t until last year that I started listing to Machine Gun Kelly’s music, but I’ve become a big fan. Some of his lyrics are incredibly motivational for underdogs in live, the ones who are struggling, and need that little bit of strength to go on.

So I’ve had a look and a listen, and compiled some of the best MGK quotes from his own lyrics. These are some of the most inspirational things he’s said, so take a look and enjoy.

Feel free to share the list using the social buttons above if you know anyone else who is a big MGK fan.

Table of Contents

25 Awesome MGK Quotes

1. “Don’t ever look down, be comfortable with who you are, our flaws are what make us perfect.” – MGK

2. “You can’t see my tears in the rain, underneath it all we’re just the same.” – MGK

3. “I owe my life to my own advice, follow your motherf****n’ dreams until those visions come to life.” – MGK

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4. “Whatever you love could be taken away, so live like it’s your dying day.” – MGK

5. “Toast to the underdog, toast to the team, toast to the fact we this close to the dream.” – MGK

6. “Life is too short to live the same day twice. So each new day make sure you live your life.” – MGK

7. “I’m walking through the fire because there is no way around.” – MGK

8. “I don’t think that a lot of people understand, that the person who’s crazy enough to think he can change the world, actually can.” – MGK

9. “What is love, love is pain. Love is butterflies and stomach aches, love is looking out a windowpane. Tears dripping looking like you’re in the rain, for somebody you don’t even know, but somebody you may never see again.” – MGK

10. “I used to take orders, now I make bets. I used to scrub floors, now I sign checks. And I used to push carts, now I push songs. I used to be there, now I am so gone.” – MGK

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11. “When my times up on this earth and they bury me in that dirt, don’t say that I ain’t milk this life for everything that it’s worth.” – MGK

12. “I came out of a dying city, brought back life. Everything they said I couldn’t do I did about twice.” – MGK

13. “Yeah, and they told me all that glitters ain’t gold. But I really wanna shine right now. And they told me the sky’s the limit so I wonder if I can fly right now. Yeah, so I spread my wings, jumped up, and lived my dreams.” – MGK

14. “And if you ever have a dream, don’t be scared to chase that shit, man. You can have whatever you want in this life. Don’t let anyone tell you different.” – MGK

15. “Heroes are remembered. Legends never die. I ain’t dyin’ any time soon.” – MGK

16. “I used to have someone at 3AM that I could call. Now it just rings and I don’t get nothing at all.” – MGK

17. “Trust is like an eraser. It gets smaller with every mistake.” – MGK

18. “As my world turns, the heart beats, not only in my chest, but the heart of the streets.” – MGK

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19. “I had a dream that the world changed, and for a minute there was no pain.” – MGK

20. “Never make permanent decisions on temporary feelings.” – MGK

21. “I dedicate this to my teachers that never believed in me, and the mother that conceived but ended up leaving me.” – MGK

22. I love you, and you may not see right now. But I’m beggin’ for forgiveness, I’m on my knees right now.” – MGK

23. Question, what if tomorrow never comes and everything you said couldn’t be undone?” – MGK

24. “If you ain’t living your life then you’re dead, and sleep is its cousin so I shot my bed.” – MGK

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25. “Follow in my steps, then you walkin’ a green mile. Trees in my pockets, like my denim’s a greenhouse.” – MGK

26. “I made a dollar out of cents, got a whole nation’s respect before I was 18. And I did that without a check. See, I used to be a lame. Now, I’m posted in the game, in a top spot, tough drop. Money ain’t a thing.” – MGK

27. “People want to be my friend. But where the f*** were y’all when I was ten, eleven or twelve getting bullied and beat up in the gym? I couldn’t never get a girl. Now, all the sudden I’m the man. Students try to get back cool with me again. F*** ’em all!” – MGK

28. “I wanna get that dream and live my life, with no Rihanna, no T.I. I’m just living for today, no tomorrow, no pause, no comma, real shit, no persona. I’m enjoying every pussy like a virgin or Madonna.” – MGK

29. “Hold up, let me put my cool back on. Wouldn’t be here without my team. I put my crew back on. And I’m a rapper but I will not put the jewels back on. My fans love Kells, let me put the fool back on.” – MGK

30. “If you ever thought that you won’t make it, soon as it get hard you just can’t take it- no matter what you going through, keep waiting ’cause you gon’ make it. You gon’ make it.” – MGK

Bonus: MGK Picture Quote

Summary

If these quotes weren’t quite the sort of hip-hop quotes you were looking for, then how about checking out quotes from Eminem?

Are there any MGK quotes in this article that stand out to you? Leave a comment below.

Artist Quotes

22 Golden Lupe Fiasco Quotes From His Lyrics

Published

10 months ago

Jun 19, 2023

Dan Western

Lupe Fiasco is an American rapper, record producer and entrepreneur;

We put together this collection of Lupe Fiasco quotes solely contained within his lyrics. Some of these quotes are absolutely golden!

Here are 22 of the best Lupe Fiasco quotes:

Table of Contents

22 Golden Lupe Fiasco Quotes

1. “If talk is cheap, then my silence is diamonds.” – Lupe Fiasco

2. “Love always shines, that’s how I’ll find you. In case you forgot, I hope this reminds you.” – Lupe Fiasco

3. “We can’t do nothing about the past, but we can do something about the future that we have.” – Lupe Fiasco

4. “I wish I couldn’t feel. I wish I couldn’t love. I wish I could stop loving you so much.” – Lupe Fiasco

5. “You would never know if you could ever be, if you never try, you would never see.” – Lupe Fiasco

6. “I think that all the silence is worse than all the violence. Fear is such a weak emotion, that’s why I despise it.” – Lupe Fiasco

7. “Self-respect first. Sexy second.” – Lupe Fiasco

8. “The truth is limitless in its range. If you drop a ‘T’ and look at it in reverse it could hurt.” – Lupe Fiasco

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“Life ain’t made to come around twice, that’s why I gotta get it right.” – Lupe Fiasco

10. “Fear is such a weak emotion, that’s why I despise it.” – Lupe Fiasco

11. “I’m just trying to do the opposite of left, as long as there’s the opposite of death, ya know. Yes, ya test and I just might bring the opposite of life, ’till there’s no one the opposite of right.” – Lupe Fiasco

12. “Things are getting out of control, feel like I’m running out of soul. You are getting too heavy to hold, think I’ll be letting you go.” – Lupe Fiasco

13. “My greatest enemy at one point was myself, and so now once I gt over the fear of myself I don’t fear any man. I never have.” – Lupe Fiasco

14. “That should be the measure of success for everyone. It’s not money, it’s not fame, it’s not celebrity; my index of success is happiness.” – Lupe Fiasco

15. “What starts in clouded minds finished in the rain.” – Lupe Fiasco

16. “But it was good while it lasted, but when it’s dead, put it in a casket.” – Lupe Fiasco

17. “I find it somewhat liberating to jump, to dive into things that are the opposite of me.” – Lupe Fiasco

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“Never stop doing your best just because someone doesn’t give you credit.” – Lupe Fiasco

19. “People don’t understand that where I come from, everyone is either a convict, been in jail, been in a gang, is a hooligan of some sorts. But those are my brothers, my family and the people I travel with. Those are the people that I roll with.” – Lupe Fiasco

20. “Why kill you when I can just not teach you and get the same results.” – Lupe Fiasco

21. “Holy apartments in the gardens in which the rivers flow. Thank you for all your blessings and all of your miracles.” – Lupe Fiasco

22. “How can land be owned by another man? Warns one can not steal what was given as a gift. Is the sky owned by birds and the river owned by fish?” – Lupe Fiasco

23. “When you start creating opinion, and you start creating difference of opinion, you’re doing something. People are actually sitting down and critiquing. A lot of the stuff people hate, they really don’t. They only look at the outer shell. They don’t really get into it.” – Lupe Fiasco

24. “I do this for the sake of myself. It’s a selfish process. I don’t really have any expectations from anyone for your comments or your reviews or your previews.” – Lupe Fiasco

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25. “I trust people to be human. Sometimes you do things that make amazing amounts of sense; sometimes you do things that don’t make any sense whatsoever.” – Lupe Fiasco

26. “Everybody has their opinion on what’s ‘real,’ and what’s they choose to listen to and their personal preference. Whether they’re 2 years old or 200 years old. And people can listen to whatever they want.” – Lupe Fiasco

27. “You expect certain things. You build up in your mind how it’s supposed to go down. When you get a record deal, you think you’re supposed to get X, Y, and Z. It doesn’t happen like that. You’re like ‘Oh, this isn’t as exciting as I thought it was going to be.'” – Lupe Fiasco

28. “The only person who really impressed me with making new music is Cudi. Everyone else seems to be jumping on the same music, the producer-made stuff, but the one person that’s made new music to me is Cudi.” – Lupe Fiasco

29. “Never apologize for being real… reality is the enemy of fakes, frauds, liars and protectors of ignorance. It scares them.” – Lupe Fiasco

30. “I find it somewhat liberating to jump, to dive into things that are the opposite of me.” – Lupe Fiasco