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" 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. "

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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. "

Mos Def

Loud

Black

Mind

" 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. "

" The ability to have somebody read something and see it, or for somebody to paint an entire landscape of visual imagery with just sheets of words - that's magical. That's what I've been trying to strive for - to draw a clear picture, to open up a new dimension. "

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

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

" 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. "

" Record companies are not necessarily interested in you realizing your artistic dream. The bottom line is that they got to sell records. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" When people say, 'I don't see you enough,' well just because you don't see me don't mean I don't exist, or just 'cause you haven't heard me don't mean I haven't been making noise. But if I keep making noise, you'll pick up. "

" 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. "

" I don't want to waste anyone's time or money. I want to give people some truth and positive heart lift. "

" I'm an independent thinker. And I'm not the poster child for any movement. I'm trying to support whatever's right no matter where it is. "

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

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

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

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

" 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. "

Mos Def

Focus

Passionate

" 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 know what it feels like to have the door slammed firmly in my face, so I'm cool with that. "

Mos Def

Door

Cool

" 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. "

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

" To me, playing an instrument and singing, all of these different things are just as natural to me as rhyming. "

Mos Def

Different

Natural

" 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. "

" And remember don't high post when you're far from home, and high posting when you're all alone. "

" 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? "

" You have to be an extremist to believe that you're gonna be the president of the United States and your name is Barack Hussein Obama! And he's using extreme methods, but his application is very smooth. Michelle Obama is extreme, her presence is extreme. And it's an extreme good. Extreme is not negative. "

" 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. "

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

" I'm growing as an individual, but your always growing. All of my albums are snapshots of where I am artistically. "