“Jay-Z and Kanye West are to authentic rap culture what diseased rates were to 14th century Europeans” CultureCenturyWestRateRapDiseased Author:Dean Cavanagh
“Everyone who raps isn't hip-hop. To be hip-hop, you've got to know the culture. You got to know the history.” KnowsCultureHip HopRapHipsHops Author:Ice T
“If you really think back to the culture or just black America before rap music took off, New York could have been Paris.” IfsThinkingHas BeensAmericaCultureBlackNew YorkRapParisCould Have BeenRap MusicBlack America Author:Ice Cube
“I think rap music is the sole reason for a lot of black acceptance in pop culture; because the music is very popular, it gets our image out in other ways than in movies.” ThinkingWayReasonCultureBlackAcceptanceMusic IsPopsRapSolePop CultureRap MusicVery Popular Author:Ice Cube
“If the KKK was smart enough, they would've created gangsta rap because it's such a caricature of black culture and black masculinity.” IfsEnoughCultureBlackSmartRapMasculinityCaricaturesGangstaBlack CultureKkkGangsta Rap Author:Jackson Katz
“One out of three black men are in the criminal justice system in some form. Their despair is beginning to resonate through the entire culture; that is why suburban children want rap music.” MenWantChildrenFormCultureThreeBlackJusticeDespairRapCriminalsJustice SystemCriminal JusticeRap MusicCriminal Justice System Author:Robert Bly
“I think that hip-hop should be spelled with a capital "H," and as one word. It's the name of our black people culture, and it's the name of our identity and consciousness. I think hip-hop is not a product, but a culture. I think rap is a product, but when hip-hop becomes a product, that's slavery, because you're talking about people's souls. To me, that's the biggest problem.” PeopleThinkingShouldSoulProblemCultureNamesBlackConsciousnessTalkingIdentityProductsSlaveryHip HopRapHipsHopsBlack PeopleOne Word Author:KRS-One
“I think that all journalists, specifically print journalists, have a responsibility to educate the public. When you handle a culture's intellectual property, like journalists do, you have a responsibility not to tear it down, but to raise it up. The depiction of rap and of hip-hop culture in the media, I think, is one that needs more of a responsible approach from journalists.” ThinkingNeedsCultureResponsibilityMediaTearsApproachIntellectualResponsibleRaisesPropertyHip HopRapHandleHipsJournalistHopsPrintEducateIntellectual PropertyDepiction Author:KRS-One
“If I were to critique myself - step out of KRS objectively and look at him - I would say that KRS has introduced the concept of being hip-hop, not just doing it. The concept of rap as something we do, while hip-hop is something we live. The concept of living a culture. Don't just look at hip-hop as rap music, see it as a culture.” IfsLooksCultureStepsConceptsHip HopRapHipsHopsCritiqueRap Music Author:KRS-One
“What's bad for the culture is wack rappers that get held in high regard like they're some great thing because it's the flavor of the month, but everybody knows they can't rap. I don't think it's hard, even for somebody who's not hip-hop, to know that that's not good. When you put them up against somebody that can really rhyme, you go, "Okay, I get it. This is what it should sound like."” ThinkingKnowsShouldHardCultureSoundMonthsOkayRegardHip HopRapGreat ThingsHipsHopsRapperRhymeFlavorFlavor Of The Month Author:Ice T