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" I began to fear that Mos Def was being treated as a product, not a person, so I've been going by Yasiin since '99. At first it was just for friends and family, but now I'm declaring it openly. "
Mos Def
Friends And Family
Person
Family
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" If you're going to do Chuck Berry, you got to, you know, go all out, and the duck walk is just kind of you know, cursory. That's like standing. "
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" But even creeps deserve to live someplace halfway decent. "
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" Good art provides people with a vocabulary about things they can't articulate. "
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" Record companies are not necessarily interested in you realizing your artistic dream. The bottom line is that they got to sell records. "
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Got
Line
" I like to read the 'Financial Times' when I'm traveling. 'Economist.' 'Ad Busters.' "
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Like
Read
Traveling
" If 'Life in Marvelous Times' can't get on the radio, then I don't need to be on the radio. "
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Need
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Life
" I have mad brims. "
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" You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions. "
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Ask
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" I was taught when there's somethin' you can change around keep quiet, you got nothin' to complain about. "
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You
Quiet
Change
" 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
Grandfather
Fair
Bad
" Twitter freaks me out. You have followers? It feels so obsessive and proprietary. "
Mos Def
Me
Feels
Out
" With guys I revere, like Marcus Garvey or Malcolm X, their look is less about style than purpose and the expression of beauty. It wasn't just about being noticed, you know? "
Mos Def
Style
Purpose
You
" 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
Peace And Love
Love
Humanity
" 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
Respect
Confidence
Music
" I got my first exposure to Islam when I was 13. "
Mos Def
Exposure
First
Got
" 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
People
Space
Now
" In the early '90s, when I really started to find my voice, I was reading a lot of books, and I was moved by the writers, like Chinua Achebe, and I wanted to be able to write rhymes that were as potent as what I was reading. "
Mos Def
Voice
Early
Like
" 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
Person
Feel
Music
" 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
Thug
Artist
Black
" I don't want to waste anyone's time or money. I want to give people some truth and positive heart lift. "
Mos Def
Heart
Truth
Time
" 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
Myself
Separation
Want
" That's what I've been trying to strive for - to draw a clear picture, to open up a new dimension. "
Mos Def
Open
New
Up
" There are a lot of people who call themselves teachers or leaders, but they're really just propagandists. "
Mos Def
Leaders
Just
Call
" I know what it feels like to have the door slammed firmly in my face, so I'm cool with that. "
Mos Def
Door
Cool
Like
" 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
Debate
People
Rude
" I feel like being into the beat of your own drum has become too prominent in the culture. "
Mos Def
Become
Culture
Drum
" 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
Love
Back
Fresh
" I don't have advice for people on how to dress. People should dress based on what they find beautiful. My best advice: Keep your clothes clean. "
Mos Def
Best
People
Dress
" 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
Joy
Purpose
Art
" 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
Eyes
Together
Space