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" I don't mind being black. I'm black out loud. It's more than the people that they are, it's the condition that they represent. "

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" All the things that are worth doing, take time. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" I can't control what people think. I'm not trying to manipulate people's thoughts or sentiments. I write all the time. You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions. It's machine-like how things are run now in hip-hop, and my ambitions are different. "

" 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. "

" I believe the projects were a social experiment; we were laboratory rats stacked on top of each other, and people just knew, inherently, that there was something wrong. There's not a lot of regard for the property by the residents. "

" Bob Marley performed the 'One Love Peace' concert in Jamaica with the two different warring political sides. There's always been that in black music and culture in general. It's no surprise because black music is such a reflection of what's going on in black life. It's not unusual for hip-hop. "

" If Islam's sole interest is the welfare of mankind, then Islam is the strongest advocate of human rights anywhere on Earth. "

" I'm just an artist and I'm doin' what I like to do. "

" You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions. "

" I have mad brims. "

" 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. "

" My presence speaks volumes before I say a word. "

" 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. "

" If 'Life in Marvelous Times' can't get on the radio, then I don't need to be on the radio. "

" I didn't want to have to deal with having any moniker or separation between the self that I see and know myself as. "

" I got my first exposure to Islam when I was 13. "

" I've always loved rhyming. I love language. "

" I was taught when there's somethin' you can change around keep quiet, you got nothin' to complain about. "

" I'm a passionate person. I'm a lot of things, like most people are. Most people are dynamic. The focus is not on me though, I'm a screen. The aim is to always keep myself in the position where the screen is clear. "

" I just don't think it's very dignified to ask people to like you. You can just wind up being somebody's ottoman. "

" What I take from writers I like is their economy - the ability to use language to very effective ends. "

" Focused. I'm a hustler. And my hustle is trying to figure out the best ways to do what I like without having to do much else. "

" 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. "

" Good art provides people with a vocabulary about things they can't articulate. "

" 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. "

" I've been fortunate with my acting career. A lot of scripts come to me. I don't mind auditioning if something that requires that, but I haven't had to in awhile, which is a nice place to be 'cause I've been on quite a lot of auditions in my life. "

" I'm retiring the Mos Def name after 2011. I'm actually doing it. "

" 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. "

" You're not gonna get through life without being worshipful or devoted to something. You're either devoted to your job, or to your desires. So the best way to spend your life is to try to be devoted to prayer, to Allah. "