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" I have an acquired taste for language, yet it is seldom an actual focus of mine. "

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" The only reason I've been so critical of hip-hop is because I've always been aware of the effect that it has, and the reflection that it gives of the African-American community. "

" I remember back in the day when Chuck D called hip-hop the 'black people's CNN.' Well now, hip-hop is more like Fox News. It's biased, and highly suspect. "

" I didn't ever want to make a rap album. I considered it too limiting. Now that's exactly what I've gone and done. "

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" I am hoping for peaceful transition into a new age. Obama has already played a great role in initiating us into that vision. If he were to be harmed in any way, it would spawn the birth of a million Obamas. "

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" I was always making up rhymes. But I never thought that poetry would become my life. "

" My father's a preacher, my mother's a teacher, thus I rhyme. "

" Hip-hop is still cool at a party. But to me, hip-hop has never been strictly a party; it is also there to elevate consciousness. "

" There's no doubt in my mind that 'Slam' is going to be huge. It's a film about the power of language. People are going to see this and get blown away. "

" More people than ever are slowly but surely turning their ears toward poetry. "

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" What's wrong with hip-hop is the system that controls the definition of it. There needs to be more balance on the airwaves. "

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" The downfall of the industry seems to actually be good for art. I think the industry will find their way once the focus shifts from its greed-based origins, downsizes, and begins to support creative visions that speak to our times and shifting ideals. "

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" The most powerful political voices are those with a different way of seeing and processing the world and the sounds that emanate from it. "

" I think it's a mistake where rap music is these days. It doesn't seem to be able to look out of the ghetto and that's ultimately unfortunate, because it defines our limitations. "

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" I've always been inspired by a lot of work coming out of the UK. "