“Two things happened. The creative side of my career was harmed. When I'd sit down and write under the influence of coke, the ratio of pages kept to pages thrown out declined drastically. But onstage, when rapping about a feeling I already owned, I would sometimes get a burst of eloquence.” WritingTwoSometimesFeelingsSidesCareersCreativeHappenedInfluencePagesDown AndRapThings HappenTwo ThingsThrownEloquenceCokeRatios Author:George Carlin
“I think The Eagles single-handedly destroyed country music - well, now, country music has been killed by rap crossovers, so it's hard to say. Maybe we can just agree that money killed country music.” ThinkingWellsHas BeensCountryHardAgreeRapDestroyedEaglesCrossover Author:John Doe
“As much as people try to pit black entertainers against one another, because of the underlying feeling that there can't be two of us, or, all of us can't do well. That's what hurts rap the most, the fact that none of us are fighting to protect the door of those who run our industry. It's enough money for all of us.” PeopleTryingWellsTwoEnoughFactsFeelingsRunningFightingBlackHurtDoorsIndustryProtectRapPitsEntertainersTwo Of Us Author:David Banner
“Of course the concept is to give people samples to get them hooked, I get that. But to continuously give away our music, that's the reason why you don't see [many] rap award shows anymore, the reason that you don't see rappers in commercials anymore; because we have allowed our music to be devalued.” PeopleGivingReasonShowsCoursesConceptsRapReason WhyAwardsRapperHookedSampleAward Shows Author:David Banner
“I find myself trying to translate a lot of the things whirring passed my subjective lens into language I can make sense of, then that tribal tongue becomes rap-language and for whatever reason some people on the internet really like that. To y'all I'm eternally indebted.” PeopleTryingI CanReasonLanguageInternetRapTongueMake SenseTranslateLensesSubjectiveIndebted Author:Milo
“My struggle and my story is very much so somebody that was just kind of [an] underdog. I didn't have any cosigns, I wasn't even really good at rap, I'm one of those dudes that was never just crazy and amazing, I had to work my f***ing ass off to get good at this stuff.” KindStoriesStuffStruggleCrazyRapAssUnderdogMy Struggle Author:SonReal
“I am a firm believer in playing the type of music that compliments the song the best. If it's a folk song make it sound like one. If it's a rock song make it sound like one, if it's a rap song take it off the record.” IfsSongSoundRecordsRocksTypeFolksRapBelieverFirmComplimentFolk SongsRap SongRock Song Author:William Clark Green
“Rap music is a combination of many different arts to make something new. There's always been a stigma that its existence would be short and only appeal to a certain group - but it's the biggest music in the world.” WorldArtDifferentWould BeCertainExistenceGroupsMusic IsRapAppealsCombinationSomething NewStigmaRap Music Author:Chance the Rapper
“If you think about rap and how it has become so much easier to record music and release it, and you think about everyone in the world being a 'rapper' these days, it's so much easier. But it's still as hard as ever to break through and truly be successful in this industry.” IfsThinkingWorldStillsHardBreakSuccessfulRecordsIndustryEasierRapReleaseThese DaysBeing SuccessfulRapperBreak Through Author:G-Eazy
“I personally respect Bobby. He does really well on stage. Although I don't think his raps are exceptional or that he has a wide spectrum, his ability to dominate the stage is good, and he has a cool style of hip-hop that rappers aren't able to achieve.” ThinkingWellsDoeAbleAbilityAchieveStageStyleHip HopRapWideHipsHopsRapperExceptionalSpectrum Author:Kim Nam-joon
“I liked hip-hop, wanted to do rap, and wanted to stand on a large stage. If you look at it in another angle... it's something that I chose.” IfsLooksWantedStageHip HopRapHipsHopsAngle Author:Kim Nam-joon
“I like my R&B, my hip-hop. But I'm old school, I don't like a lot of new stuff. Though I do like a little bit of Meek Mill. He kind of sounds angry when he's rapping so I like that part of the game.” KindLittlesSchoolGamesStuffBitsSoundLittle BitAngryHip HopRapHipsHopsMillsOld SchoolMeekNew Stuff Author:P. K. Subban
“Religion has gotten a bad rap for good reasons. Often, there are a lot of people - women, LBGT, and others - you know, hierarchical monotheism has been a real source of a type of oppression.” PeopleKnowsHas BeensRealReasonSourceTypeRapOppressionMonotheism Author:Van Jones
“I'm fascinated by rap and by hip-hop. I think there's a lot of poetry in it. There's a lot of anger, a lot of social energy in it. And I think you'd better listen to it pretty carefully, 'cause it's important.” ThinkingImportantEnergySocialCausesAngerHip HopRapHipsHopsFascinated Author:John F. Kerry
“Music was just played all around me, and I couldn't run from it. My pops, he never learned to sing, but he'd have his little drink on the side, and he'd put on the best of his hits - gangster rap or oldies - and he'd sing all day on his mic plugged up to the wall set-up. It's a trip. I've just seen that my whole life, so I've always just had a love for music. By the time I was 13, I really just jumped in it. And it's something I took on to have as a hobby.” LittlesWholeRunningSidesWallDrinkPopsRapWhole LifeHobbiesGangstersMicsOldiesGangster Rap Author:Kendrick Lamar
“I always did poetry, and [rap music is] pretty much hip-hop melody with poems.” Music IsHip HopRapHipsHopsMelodyRap Music Author:Tiffany Foxx
“Not to toot my own horn, but I'm kind of easy on the eyes, I have my own swag, I love fashion, I'm not in a relationship, I don't have kids, I can rap and I have a very bold personality, so I can compete with the guys.” KindI CanEyeKidsGuyEasyMy OwnFashionPersonalityRapHornsSwagLove FashionI Love Fashion Author:Tiffany Foxx
“I do like to dress up. I am shapely, everything about me is real and I can rap.” I CanRealDressesRap Author:Tiffany Foxx
“I'm a singer and a writer first. I started to rap by accident, being playful.” FirstsRapAccidentsSingers Author:Kesha
“Sometimes people say yo do you think rap changed you. No doubt it changed me. If I wasn't making records I'd still be hanging every night.” PeopleIfsThinkingStillsSometimesNightDoubtRecordsChangedRapNo DoubtEvery Night Author:Rakim
“90% of the people that rap are just rappers, they rap what they see, a lot of them exploit other peoples lives, I've been through it all, I don't glorify it cos when I was in jail, I wasn't like YES I'm in jail now I can say that in my rap.” PeopleI CanRapJailRapperExploitsGlorify Author:Cormega
“When I got shot I wasn't like 'yes' I got shot, now I can say that in my raps, when I got shot I said 'ouch'.” SaidI CanShotsRapOuch Author:Cormega
“Let me keep it 100% real with you, when there was park jams nobody rapped at a park jam when I was rapping and that's a fact. You can ask anybody don't just take my word for it do your research cuz it seems everyone wants to make themselves bigger than what they are.” WantRealFactsSeemsAsksResearchLet MeBiggerRapParksJamCuz Author:Cormega
“Humor is really important to me. All my favorite writers are writers I consider to be funny, including Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, even though that's not necessarily their rap.” ImportantIncludingMy FavoriteRap Author:Elif Batuman
“I'm a rapper but I don't f**k with that hip-hop s**t. You understand? I'm home, I take care of my family. I f**k with other kinds of n****s, I don't f**k with no hip-hop dudes, man. That rap s**t is fake... these rap dudes is fake.” MenKindHomeCareMy FamilyHip HopRapTake CareHipsFakeHopsRapper Author:Sean Price
“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.” IfsWayKindPeriodsBeatsHotRapSettlingRapper Author:J. Cole
“When I first started rapping, when I switched my style to more like a punch line style - this is when I'm like 13 years old - and I switched it to this real wordy - I was trying to rap like Canibus and like Eminem. It was real lyrical, real wordy and punch lines and, when I would come up with these punch lines and spit 'em in these cyphers, the minute the cyphers would be like, "Ohhh" and everybody would break away, it was a new feeling for me. It was like, "Oh, yo, you see what I just did?" I was addicted to that feeling, and I still love that feeling.” TryingYearsFirstsStillsRealFeelingsWould BeLinesBreakMinutesStyleCome UpRapEmsSpitLyricalNew Feelings Author:J. Cole
“I wanna show you I can out-rap your favorite rappers. I wanna show you I can out-produce your favorite producers. So I'm constantly getting better and I understand that there's always room for growth, especially in quality, sonic quality.” I CanShowsGrowthRoomsQualityProduceRapProducersGet BetterRapperYour Favorite Author:J. Cole
“One thing that I like to do is use words that have never actually been used in a rap song before. I also like to take words that have negative connotations and show their real meaning.” RealUseShowsUsedSongOne ThingNegativeRapConnotationRap Song Author:Kanye West
“In Hollywood, I think I get a bad rap for being a perfectionist. It's something that's not always welcomed in Hollywood, because you're always pushing people and you're pushing yourself to be the best that you can be.” PeopleThinkingHollywoodRapBeing The BestPushingPerfectionistPush Yourself Author:Vin Diesel
“I'm certainly not a f**king fashion consultant. Don't call me if you want to know how to dress. I just rap. That's all I really know how to do.” IfsKnowsWantKnow HowFashionKingsDressesRapCall MeConsultants Author:Eminem
“With the black male as a teenager, where you're coming from the ghettos and that kind of stuff, you've got to assert yourself, be macho, not let anybody walk over you, so that's where all this unnecessary bullshit comes from - from egos. That's why there are a lot of fights. That's how come the whole thing with rap has been violent. It's because of the male ego.” KindHas BeensWholeFightingStuffBlackWalksEgoMalesRapViolentTeenagerOver YouUnnecessaryBullshitGhettoMachoBlack MalesMale Ego Author:Q-Tip
“The hip-hop aesthetic and the way it's produced always motivated me. Alongside that I was still wanting to make great traditional songs because I've never had any desire to rap. My love of hip-hop is driven by my love of rappers, but it was built out of my love of producers.” WayStillsDesireSongBuiltHip HopRapDrivenTraditionalProducersHipsHopsMotivatedRapperAesthetic Author:James Vincent McMorrow
“I think poetry workshops get a bad rap. I'm sure some aren't good, but in general, I like the format. I try and keep mine pretty informal. Sometimes we have wine or sake, and we read aloud, and we talk.” ThinkingTryingSometimesMinesWineSakeRapFormatWorkshops Author:Elaine Equi
“I wanna feed 5,000 like Jesus, I wanna build a community center where the homeless and less fortunate can come take a shower, get a hot meal and a change of clothes. Maybe not new clothes but some clean clothes. Those are my goals, my raps and goals haven't changed. I'm about helping somebody, I use my celebrity status for the good of mankind. That's what I do, so for all the Hip-Hop people, if they just pull from me the gold, they're missing so much.” PeopleIfsHelpingUseJesusGoalCommunityMankindMissingHavensChangedClothesGoldHotCleanHip HopRapHipsFortunateMealsHopsShowersHomelessLess FortunateNew ClothesCommunity CentersCelebrity StatusClean Clothes Author:Mr. T
“What came first I would say was the producing. I was a huge fan of Pharrell Williams and around that era, when I was in high school, the producers started getting recognition for all the dope beats: Dr. Dre, Timbaland, and all these dope producers.I also started rapping. I wanted to be Eminem, and that's why I still have those qualities in my music, and that's why I'm able to be so versatile - sing, rap whatever. But really my number one thing is singing.” FirstsStillsAbleWantedSchoolNumbersQualityOne ThingFansHugeBeatsSingingHigh SchoolRapProducersRecognitionErasDrsDopeVersatileDr Dre Author:Kevin McCall
“I don't listen to much rap, really. I can rarely listen to a whole record of it, because musically, it's very formulaic, and oftentimes it doesn't have the best hooks on every track. I like my music to be very musical.” MusicalTrackRapHook Author:Nellie McKay
“In terms of content, a lot of rap is crap, with all the sexism and homophobic bullshit. It's incredible how rappers are always preaching nonconformity - you know, "I'm just gonna go my own way and be my own man and blah blah blah" - but they're the first ones to do so many things that they have to do. They have to do that hip-hop thing, a certain way of walking, and it's so conformist.” MenTermWalkingIncrediblesRapSexismRapperPreachingBullshitCrapNonconformityConformistHomophobic Author:Nellie McKay
“I do think there's a great deal of politics mixed in rap. Their reference to the real world is much better than most, particularly a lot of women who seem like all they do is sing about love. Love is such a fleeting emotion. It's such a small part of the things you do in your life. I don't understand why that's all they concentrate on, except that that's what they're encouraged to do, because if you keep thinking about love, you'll be less of a challenge. I like that about rap. It's got power to it.” ThinkingWorldRealChallengesLove IsEmotionLove YouRapReal World Author:Nellie McKay
“It's unfortunate that some people do not see what entertainers do in the background, but many of us do so much work with causes. You know some people have chewed me out, saying things like, "Oh why could you post pictures in your dresses and meanwhile they killing black men on the street?" I'm thinking, excuse me do you know what I did today? Do you know what I'm doing right now while I'm reading this post? So I think a lot of celebrities get a bad rap because people see the surface.” PeopleThinkingMenTodayReadingBlackKillingExcuseRapUnfortunateExcuse MeDoing Right Author:Tichina Arnold
“It's like a paradox. For one side, being popularized rap got better and the other side of it got worse. It's very pop and it's very different now. When you make it as pop and as soft as it is, it lacks its integrity. It lacks its accountability. It lacks a lot of other things that came from that dangerous time in hip hop.” DifferentDangerousIntegrityHip HopRapAccountabilityParadoxBeing Popular Author:Ice T
“It really really sunk into me when I went to Europe and they take rap so much more serious than we do here. That was the first time I ever heard rap considered folk music. And sometimes somebody will make you understand like, "Hey, what you doin' is serious, don't play it lightly 'cause it's changin' my life."” SometimesSeriousFirst TimeRapFolk Music Author:Ice T
“I think creativity is something that best happens when you have clear parameters. If you're not confined by anything then it's meaningless. You've got to rap over the beat, or you've got to color within your canvas. You pick the canvas size first. That makes most sense to me.” ThinkingCreativityRapMeaninglessCanvas Author:Riz Ahmed
“Coming into this, making music, I knew that was something that was going to be held over my head. Okay we get it, you're openly gay, but do you know how to rap? Can you really rap and deliver? And I feel like I have that pressure put on me that other artists don't. A lot of people don't have to focus on being so lyrical and actually putting on shows. Before anyone was gonna tell me I was bad, I was gonna prove that I was good.” PeopleArtistFocusGayProveOkayRapLyrical Author:Cakes da killa
“I like to consider myself a student of hip hop. There's a certain level of certification and wit and craftsmanship that comes with rapping. As rap progresses - it's a young genre - it's becoming way more mainstream, crossing over to different lanes. I feel like it's losing its essence in a way, because it's getting commercialised. I want to keep it fresh and keep it progressive, but I also want to respect the foundation of what rap is about.” DifferentProgressStudentsLosingHip HopRapWitProgressiveCraftsmanship Author:Cakes da killa
“For you to be able to rap fast and fit many words into a bar, that's what rap is about, the showmanship. That's the thing we're kind of losing now. I'm not saying that the music now is horrible. I mean, I don't listen to it. The showmanship and creativity in rap is what made it special and what made it different.” KindMeanDifferentCreativitySpecialFitLosingRapHorrible Author:Cakes da killa
“The advancement of style is the cornerstone of hip hop. There is no correct or conservative way to make rap music. Rap is and must remain the answer, the alternative, to the conservative approach of making music.” StyleConservativeHip HopRapRap Music Author:El-P
“I've always been surrounded by music. The arts have been in my life for a long long time. It was just always around. I can remember as far back as third grade, me rapping, pencil on the desk rapping type s**t. So I always had a passion for it.” LongArtRememberPassionRap Author:Eskeerdo