“It's not that you don't make any money doing conscious rap music. You make a lot of money doing this, but if you're greedy and you're not satisfied with $500,000 a year, and you want $2 million a year, then you will suffer as a conscious rap artist.” IfsWantYearsArtistSufferingMillionsConsciousRapSatisfiedLots Of MoneyGreedyRap MusicRap ArtistConscious Rap Author:KRS-One
“If you're true to the upliftment of people and the unity of people, raising the self-worth of people, then you live within your means. But the problem is that we're looking at the grass on the other side, saying, "That's greener. I want to be in the thug market, but I want to be a conscious rap artist." It doesn't work like that.” PeopleIfsWantMeanSelfProblemArtistSidesConsciousUnityRapSelf WorthGrassThugGreenerRap ArtistConscious Rap Author:KRS-One
“You can't expect to be on MTV and critique George Bush. You can't expect to be on BET or the cover of 'The Source' advocating Jesus Christ or Buddha or Hindu Krishna or Moses. As a conscious rap artist, you have to play in the arena that you're supposed to be in. What is that arena? That arena is the college market. The conscious rap artist woos the college market, even though the college market is the wildest, most sexed-out, drug-driven market in the country, possibly the world.” WorldCountryPlayArtistJesusChristCollegeSourceDrugConsciousJesus ChristRapDrivenSupposed To BeArenaMosesCritiqueKrishnaAdvocatingMtvRap ArtistConscious Rap Author:KRS-One
“If you're a conscious rap artist and you're worried about Billboard charts, you're gonna have a problem.” IfsProblemArtistConsciousRapWorriedBillboardsRap ArtistConscious Rap Author:KRS-One
“As a conscious rap artist, you should not want to be in a gangster market. You should be trying to establish your own market, create a place where you can be yourself and make some money and feed your family.” WantShouldTryingArtistConsciousRapOur FamilyBeing YourselfGangstersRap ArtistConscious Rap Author:KRS-One
“My sister Suga Tee is doing conscious rap. She speaks to the youth. She has an album coming out soon. She got saved but she is still doing her thing. She still spits good game. She's talented. She sings. I don't know if a lot of people know this but Suga Tee has a beautiful voice. So ya'll look out for her album you dig? And look forward to a future Clique album.” PeopleIfsKnowsLooksStillsBeautifulGamesSpeakVoiceYouthConsciousAlbumsRapSavedMy SisterComing OutSpitTeesCliqueBeautiful VoiceConscious Rap Author:E-40
“We have to remember that the experience of gangsta rap as such in its foundation is an anti-systemic experience primarily. And it is an anti-systemic experience that is not in some cases politicized, but in general results in a much more transgressive, much more uncomfortable music for the structures of power, than conscious rap or political rap.” RememberPoliticalResultsCasesConsciousFoundationStructureRapUncomfortableGangstaGangsta RapConscious Rap Author:Bocafloja
“We have to remember examples of many artists of conscious rap who have been coopted by the Department of State of the United States to be cultural ambassadors in different parts of the world, like Syria, like other parts of the Middle East, including conscious Islamic-American rappers that are representing an international political agenda for the United States through cultures more affable for people of color in other parts of the world.” PeopleWorldHas BeensDifferentStatesRememberPoliticalArtistCultureUnitedUnited StatesMiddleExampleColorConsciousIncludingInternationalRapEastIslamicDepartmentAgendasRapperMiddle EastSyriaRepresentingAmbassadorsPolitical AgendasAffableConscious Rap Author:Bocafloja
“We should remember what a rapper like Tupac Shakur was doing, to a certain degree, who came from an experience of politicization very close to being a "Panther Baby". He knew, he came from that experience of the Black Panthers, and accounting for all his contradictions and process of growth, he achieved politically through gangsta rap things that no conscious rapper has achieved, such as establishing political, ethical, and moral codes between Crips and Bloods in the United States.” ShouldStatesRememberPoliticalCertainProcessBlackGrowthUnitedMoralUnited StatesBloodBabyDegreesConsciousRapCodeContradictionEthicalRapperAccountingPanthersMoral CodeGangstaBlack PantherGangsta RapCrips Author:Bocafloja
“I believe a lot in gangsta rap, I see in it a lot of positive things as it is. I believe it is only about doing politicization work. Revolutionary change will come from there, it won't come from conscious rap.” BelieveI BelieveConsciousRapRevolutionaryPositive ThingsGangstaGangsta RapRevolutionary ChangeConscious Rap Author:Bocafloja
“That's one of my struggles as a hip-hop artist. If I feel like doing a super conscious song where I don't even rap.” IfsFeelsArtistSongStruggleConsciousHip HopRapHipsHopsMy StruggleHip Hop Artist Author:SonReal
“The hip-hop that I really connected with was Public Enemy, KRS-One, Ice Cube, and N.W.A. That late '80s and early '90s era. The beginning of gangster rap and the beginning of politically conscious rap. I had a very immature, adolescent feeling of, "Wow, I can really connect with these people through the stories they're telling in this music."” PeopleI CanStoriesFeelingsEnemyLateConsciousHip HopConnectedRapIceHipsErasHopsWow80sGangstersImmatureCubesPublic EnemiesConscious RapGangster RapKrs One Author:Jess Row
“We used to have MTV and all these ways we can show our videos, and it was these rap shows, and it was everything. And then it became not cool to be conscious; it became cool to just hang out. Escapism rap became the norm. And, when I say "escapism rap", I mean getting high, get your cars, get your money, get your jewelry, go to the club, have your women, and it just became all about escaping your reality and not making your reality better on a real tip; not just on the have fun tip.” WayMeanRealShowsRealityUsedFunCarConsciousClubsRapVideoHaving FunHanging OutNormJewelryEscapingEscapismGetting HighMtv Author:Ice Cube
“Rap's conscious response to the poverty and oppression of U.S. blacks is like some hideous parody of sixties black pride.” BlackPovertyPrideConsciousResponseRapOppressionSixtyHideousParodyBlack PrideConscious Rap Author:David Foster Wallace