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

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

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

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

" 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. "

" Hip-hop is the last true folk art. "

" 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. "

" 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'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. "

" You want to know how to rhyme, then learn how to add. It's mathematics. "

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

" I never had any ambitions of being a movie star or anything like that, but you know, this is nice. "

" I began to fear that Mos Def was being treated as a product, not a person, so I've been going by Yasiin since '99. At first it was just for friends and family, but now I'm declaring it openly. "

Friends And Family

" 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. "

" I'm inspired by playwrights, novelists, poets: The value of language has been a lifelong passion of mine. I enjoy it. I'm good at it. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" 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. "

" That idea of peace and love toward humanity shouldn't be nationalistic or denominational. It should be a chief concern for all mankind. "

" Twitter freaks me out. You have followers? It feels so obsessive and proprietary. "

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

" Reckless capitalism kills black people. "

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

" There are a lot of people who call themselves teachers or leaders, but they're really just propagandists. "

" 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. "

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

" I have mad brims. "

" But even creeps deserve to live someplace halfway decent. "

" 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 don't rap like nobody, I don't try to sound like nobody. "

" I feel like being into the beat of your own drum has become too prominent in the culture. "