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" I like to read the 'Financial Times' when I'm traveling. 'Economist.' 'Ad Busters.' "
Mos Def
Like
Read
Traveling
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" 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. "
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Thug
Artist
Black
" What I take from writers I like is their economy - the ability to use language to very effective ends. "
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Like
Economy
Ability
" I got my first exposure to Islam when I was 13. "
Mos Def
Exposure
First
Got
" I'm just an artist and I'm doin' what I like to do. "
Mos Def
Doin
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Like
" 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
Me
" 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'm trying to get low. People's personalities can get in the way of their own work. "
Mos Def
Trying
People
Own
" 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
" Reckless capitalism kills black people. "
Mos Def
Reckless
Black
Capitalism
" You have to experience life, make observations, and ask questions. "
Mos Def
Experience
Ask
You
" 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. "
Mos Def
You
People
Say
" 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 don't hate nobody. I hate certain conditions that are inflicted upon the people - and they're helpless with it. "
Mos Def
Hate
Certain
People
" Twitter freaks me out. You have followers? It feels so obsessive and proprietary. "
Mos Def
Me
Feels
Out
" Good art provides people with a vocabulary about things they can't articulate. "
Mos Def
People
Good
Vocabulary
" Record companies are not necessarily interested in you realizing your artistic dream. The bottom line is that they got to sell records. "
Mos Def
You
Got
Line
" 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
" 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. "
Mos Def
Love
Life
Reflection
" 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. "
Mos Def
Life
Place
Nice
" 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
" You want to know how to rhyme, then learn how to add. It's mathematics. "
Mos Def
Mathematics
You
Learn
" To me, the job of the artist is to provide a useful and intelligent vocabulary for the world to be able to articulate feelings they experience everyday, and otherwise wouldn't have the means to express in a meaningful and useful way. "
Mos Def
Artist
World
Me
" 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
" Hip-hop is the last true folk art. "
Mos Def
Art
Last
Hip-Hop
" 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. "
Mos Def
People
Thoughts
Time
" I was taught when there's somethin' you can change around keep quiet, you got nothin' to complain about. "
Mos Def
You
Quiet
Change
" 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
" 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
" I have mad brims. "
Mos Def
Mad
" I feel like being into the beat of your own drum has become too prominent in the culture. "
Mos Def
Become
Culture
Drum