Quotes About Rap

People need to realize that because black people have been established in the U.S. for a lot longer than in the U.K., the culture's a lot more embedded. We will get there with how comfortable they are with rap in the mainstream, but we're way behind them.

Personally more so than shock, I think, rap music has to be born of rebellion.

My son Darrel could recite 'Straight Outta Compton' at two years old. He loved it! You can expose your kids to anything as long as you sit there and explain it to them.

I would write down the lyrics to 'C.R.E.A.M.' in Korean - not translating it, but phonetically writing out each word. I didn't know what they were saying, so I would just write everything down as I heard it. I would recite it and imitate it like that. That's how I started to write my own raps.

I just wanted to be the best MC. I wasn't about owning a Bentley. I wanted to be recognized as the illest MC.

To me hip-hop is a culture and I became an MC to be recognized as a dope lyricist. That's what I wanted to be recognized as. So when I'm writing rhymes I always take it very seriously.

I can't freestyle or else I'll just start saying anything, so I'll write the song first and then record. I'll rap to the producer and he'll make the beat off my rap.

I used to do stand-up when I was in high school. But I was also making beats for this rap group, and when we got a record deal, I sort of stopped doing the comedy and focused on the music instead. When that ended, I decided to go back to school, take broadcasting, and start my show on public-access TV.

Shady's great; I love Shady Records.

People said that way back in the early days I was probably one of the first rappers; the reason is that I couldn't sing, so I had to talk! Lou Reed was probably the one who started it all.

Poverty brings people to drastic measures and that's what the hardcore gangsta rap scene is about. It's called freedom of expression. People should be allowed to express what they've been through, what they've been able to familiarize themselves with.

I just want everybody to have fun. When I came into rap, that was my whole inspiration. That's what rap used to be about.

I like Ludacris; I think that he's a complete artist. I think that he makes great records; I think that he is a great lyricist and at the same time I think he knows how to have fun.

Anything that Havoc or I do is always going to point back to Mobb Deep.

Me and Dre go back so far - a long 30 years - even before N.W.A. The way we talk to each other now is the same way we talked when we first met. No big heads, no ego stuff.

When I write, I like squeezing as many words as possible into each bar - I've listened to the Fugees and Lauryn Hill for as long as I can remember, so probably a big chunk of it subconsciously comes from that.

I'd want to collaborate with Eminem, of all people. Maybe even Lauryn Hill.

I'm a huge fan of Drake. Anything he puts out is great to work out to.

I love Snoop - I grew up with his music - but I never thought for a second that we'd work together.

The music is just real powerful when Mobb Deep and Nas work together.

I worked with Ty Dolla Sign, YG, Nipsey Hussle, Metro Boomin - I build relationships, and I try to stay afloat with everyone who is hot or cool, period.

My taste for rappers is very high. I've only worked with, like, Pac and Jay-Z and Scarface.

RZA is one of the most unique individuals and rap artists that I have worked with.

I don't see myself working with Lil Pump. He goes crazy though. We have two different sounds, but he goes hard.