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" There's consciousness in my music, and my music comes from a conscious place. And when people say that, I certainly take it as a compliment. But my job, in terms of selling my music, is to be universal and to try to get it to everybody. "

Talib Kweli

Music

Job

Compliment

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" When I look at the arc of my career, my focus is on lyricism, right? I own that. "

" I think hip hop is a dance music that's rebellious by nature. "

" Young kids should be doing music that has shock value. They'll grow out of it. "

" I am not a prisoner of conscious, but people try to make me one sometimes. It is both a gift and a curse. It's a high honour but can create limitations - I have to be fluid. "

Talib Kweli

Create

I Am

" So I think hip-hop is moving and is going to continue to move in the direction of rappers just being honest with themselves, whether you're talking about Common and Mos Def or Nas and 50 cent. "

" Even an independent label is looking for a hit, they're not looking for a record that's not gonna do well. "

" Things are fluid in this world, and if you don't remain fluid, you get lost in the sauce. "

" I tour whether I have album out or not. I tour more than any other hip-hop artist. "

Talib Kweli

Hip-Hop

Tour

" Homosexuality in hip-hop is an extension of homosexuality in the black community. The black community is very, very conservative when it comes to homosexuality, and I don't mean conservative in the good way, like we're saving money. I mean very intolerant. "

" I think hip-hop is no more misogynistic than America is as a society. I just think hip-hop is a lot more brash, a lot more bold, a lot more loquacious. There are a lot more words that go into a hip-hop song than go into a regular song. "

" That's what hip-hop is: It's sociology and English put to a beat, you know. "

" Ain't nobody making music to not be heard and the easiest way to be heard is to be on the radio, but you should never compromise who you are, your values or your morals. "

" We're in an illusion about what our role is in world politics and foreign affairs, and our policies are killing and destroying and doing a lot of things that we are not aware of. "

" You know, there's a lot of activism that doesn't deal with empowerment, and you have to empower yourself in order to be relevant to any type of struggle. "

" People can be inspired the way I've been inspired by music. "

" I will never do a record without some sense of responsibility. "

" Hi-Tek is on three or four songs on the new record. "

" War is not civilized. "

Talib Kweli

Civilized

War

" I'm not an artist that has a big, huge radio record that's going to be on BET. "

" You make knowledge relevant to life and you make it important for children to learn things that will really relate to things going on in their lives, and not abstract. "

" People consider Black Star a great album, and I think it's a classic album. But the fact is, both me and Mos Def have made better albums since Black Star. "

" The materialism, the brashness, the misogyny - everything in hip-hop is amplified. Misogyny is a good example of something that is completely amplified in hip-hop. I do think there is more than enough of a balance, though, for fans who are willing to search it out. "

Talib Kweli

Balance

Enough

" I'm a fan of Bjork, a fan of Premier, you know, those are the first two names that come to my mind. You know, I've learned a lot from every person I've collaborated with, from Madlib to Jean Grae and Hi-Tek, to Mos to DJ Quik, to even somebody like Jermaine Dupri. I've taken something important away from every experience. "

" The problem with our role is Americans live in a world of illusion. "

" Being called 'conscious' is a great thing to be, but it's the connotations and preconceived notions that come with the buying audience about what conscious music can be. "

" Hip-hop is a vehicle. "

Talib Kweli

Vehicle

Hip-Hop

" The responsibility of an artist is to be honest with themselves. "

" As an artist, I have to be a leader of my fans, not, like, follow them. Because if I chose to follow them, you know, they could do it. You know, it's me who's doing it. "

" I don't go into any album with pressing issues. I just try to write songs. "

" Honestly, you have to take care of yourself. That's probably something I have learned on the road. "