Jay Z Quotes

We give violent movies a pass but come down hard on a rapper like Scarface, who is ultimately a storyteller just like Brian de Palma. And neither of them is responsible for the poverty and violence that really do shape people's lives
not to mention their individual choices. ~ Jay-Z

The best thing Jay-Z ever taught me was patience. ~ Rita Ora

Everything evens up, you just wait, Even a garbage can gets a steak, You ain't even a garbage can, you have faith! ~ Jay-Z

My life after childhood has two main stories: the story of the hustler and the story of the rapper, and the two overlap as much as they diverge. I was on the streets for more than half of my life from the time I was thirteen years old. People sometimes say that now I'm so far away from that life - now that I've got businesses and Grammys and magazine covers - that I have no right to rap about it. But how distant is the story of your own life ever going to be? The feelings I had during that part of my life were burned into me like a brand. It was life during wartime. ~ Jay-Z

Put me anywhere on God's green earth, I'll triple my worth.
Motherf
. I, will, not, lose. ~ Jay-Z

Jay Z and President Bush have a lot in common, that same brash confidence. ~ Saul Williams

No rapper in the world from Jay-Z to Tupac to Biggie has 100 percent love on everything they do. ~ J. Cole

Everyone needs a chance to evolve. ~ Jay-Z

If it's time to party, it's time for hip hop. I love Drake, Jay-Z, Kanye. If I'm chilling at home though, I'm listening to Massive Attack, Thievery Corporation, Radiohead, DJ Shadow. I also listen to a lot of classical. ~ Alexis Knapp

Without the work, the magic won't come. ~ Jay-Z

Brandy is one of my favorite vocalists. Jay-Z is my favorite emcee outside of Biggie. ~ Rico Love

You not feeling me, fine. It costs you nothing, pay me no mind.. ~ Jay-Z

I got mouths to feed til they put flowers on me. ~ Jay-Z

Only black people in the whole neighborhood, so let's break it down: Me, I'm a decent comedian, I'm a'ight. Mary J. Blige, one of the greatest R&B singers to ever walk the Earth. Jay-Z, one of the greatest rappers to ever live. Eddie Murphy, one of the funniest actors to ever, ever do it. Do you know what the white man that lives next door to me does for a living? He's a f*****g dentist. ~ Chris Rock

Everyone who makes music is a good collaborator at their foundation because in order to make music, you have to connect to it in a way that other people can't. ~ Jay-Z

I believe you can speak things into existence. ~ Jay-Z

Far from a Harvard student, just had the balls to do it ~ Jay-Z

The fans get to see you, and you can do great by your record if you have a great performance or a great night there. That's all part of the business. But at their core, awards shows are not really a sincere thing. For a lot of years, the artists had to pay to play their own set. ~ Jay-Z

My sound comes from my inspiration, which is people like Aretha and Jay Z and Kanye, as well as everyone from the Whitneys and Mariahs to Destiny's Child and Usher. They all inspired me growing up. ~ Jess Glynne

As I've gotten old I've really listened to a wide spectrum of music, whether it's The Carpenters, Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z or Lauryn Hill. I've kinda' run the gamut, and in listening to so many different styles, you come to take bits and pieces from all of it. ~ Brooklyn Sudano

Jay Z got Cano a big raise, but he got him an extra 30-day vacation
and it's called October, ~ Pete Rose

When you look at a guy like a Jay-Z or look at a guy like a Nas, you don't necessarily qualify them as conscious rap purely, although they are extremely conscious of the social inequities that prevail. ~ Michael Eric Dyson

And all you other cats throwin' shots at Jigga, | You only get half a bar: fuck y'all niggaz. ~ Jay-Z

One thing Jay z told me that always sticks with me, is that, the album is never how you viewed it to be. ~ Wale

For me, the challenge is just making great albums, because talent - and writing in general - is not tangible. There's no expiration date on it. At the same time, you might wake up tomorrow and be unable to write music. ~ Jay-Z

People think because I've got some success, I've made it, but in my eyes it's like, 'How long has Jay Z been in the business? How many albums has he got?' Not that I'm trying to be Jay Z, but I am trying to be around for a long time. ~ J. Cole

I'd rather die enormous than live dormant. ~ Jay-Z

The reason I've been groundedand able to make albums, is because I've allowed my friends to come with me and voice an opinion. That's who keeps you grounded, the people who have known you longest. ~ Jay-Z

On the night he died - he was twenty-seven - Basquiat had been planning to see a Run-DMC show. When people asked him what his art was about, he'd hit them with the same three words: Royalty, heroism, and the streets. ~ Jay-Z

I will not lose, for even in defeat/There's a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me ~ Jay-Z

I come from where Mike Tyson came from. I come from right across the street from Jay-Z. I didn't have a pond in my backyard. I saw violence. ~ Tracy Morgan

If I was to stop making music tomorrow doesn't mean suddenly there is this gap. You don't get elected. The people decide where you are. Whether I'm here or not, if they want you to be at the top then the people will move me out the way. ~ Jay-Z

I smoked some weed, and that's how I finished 'Izzo.' ~ Jay-Z

Having money will make you look enticing to women even if you are not a good-looking dude. Don't believe me, go ask Mick Jagger, Donald Trump, Jay-Z and the rest of the fugly men who have all the money and get all the fine women. ~ Rebecca Scott

Never prayed to God, I prayed to Gotti, that's right it's wicked, that's life I live it. Ain't askin' for forgiveness for my sins. I gotta get my soul right, I gotta get these Devils out my life. Lord forgive him, He got them dark forces in. connected to the high power. 666. I can introduce you to evil. ~ Jay-Z

I want to work with Jay-Z. ~ Robert Wilson

Housing projects are a great metaphor for the government's relationship to poor folks: these huge islands built mostly in the middle of nowhere, designed to warehouse lives. People are still people, though, so we turned the projects into real communities, poor or not. We played in fire hydrants and had cookouts and partied, music bouncing off concrete walls. But even when we could shake off the full weight of those imposing buildings and try to just live, the truth of our lives and struggle was still invisible to the larger country. The rest of the country was freed of any obligation to claim us. Which was fine, because we weren't really claiming them, either. ~ Jay-Z

You can't turn a bad girl good, but once a good girls' gone bad, she's gone forever. ~ Jay-Z

Someone like Jay-Z does have a timeless quality, but it's much different than ours. You can look back at something like "At the Hop" by Danny and the Juniors or the music that was on American Bandstand in the 1950s-'60s. ~ Chuck D

Niggas pray and pray on my downfall, But every time I hit the ground I bounce up like round ball ~ Jay-Z

Nine to five is how ya survive, I ain't trying to survive
I'm trying to live it to the limit and love it alive ~ Jay-Z

I pimp hard on a trick, look / Fuck if ya leg broke, bitch - hop up on ya good foot ~ Jay-Z

I dumbed down for my audience to double my dollars ~ Jay-Z

Nobody from my label called any of their labels to get this done. Most of it happened very naturally. Mary and I have been friends for a long time. Then Jay-Z offered. ~ Angie Martinez

I'm cool with Jay-Z. Jay-Z is genuinely my friend. ~ Drake

Stop screamin', you know the demon said it's best to die,
And even if Jehovah witness, bet he'll never testify, D'Evils ... ~ Jay-Z

What people do in their own homes is their business, and you can choose to love whoever you love. That's their business. It's no different than discriminating against blacks. It's discrimination, plain and simple ~ Jay-Z

On the radio there's only a certain amount of artists: Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kanye, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, T.I., Mary J Blige, Alicia Keys. Other artists are achieving things that are really special, they have a hard time getting people's attention. Music has been just a little bit lacklustre. ~ Q-Tip

You can want success all you want, but to get it, you can't falter. You can't slip. You can't sleep. One eye open, for real, and forever. ~ Jay-Z

You put the right artist on the right track in the studio and leave the door open to let God in. ~ Jay-Z

I always go to my Kanye [West], Jay-Z. I go back to alot of the stuff that I know for sure that I like. ~ Jhene Aiko

The average rap life is two or three albums. You're lucky to get to your second album in rap! ~ Jay-Z

But it all came, and for me, hip-hop has done more for racial divide and racial sort of bringing together than anything in the last 30 years. Seeing people like Eminem sounding like somebody like Jay-Z and just the racial aspects of it all. ~ Michael Rapaport

If your dad died before you were born, yeah, it hurts - but it's not like you had a connection with something that was real. Not to say it's any better - but to have that connection and then have it ripped away was, like, the worst. My dad was such a good dad that when he left, he left a huge scar. He was my superhero. ~ Jay-Z

Just don't go out fighting. I don't need to know where you're going, that's your biz. But if you get yourself killed, I got ninety-nine problems and you're the biggest one of them. Rehv to John ~ J.R. Ward

Remind your self. Nobody constructed like you, you style your self. ~ Jay-Z

I don't see myself beneath Beyonce and Jay Z; I don't see myself above them. I'm in my own world, hungry to grow. ~ Ciara

Don't tell me what was said about me. Tell me why they were so comfortable to say it to you. ~ Jay-Z

We change people through conversation, not through censorship. ~ Jay-Z

I collect art, and I drink wine ... things that I like that I had never been exposed to. But I never said, 'I'm going to buy art to impress this crowd.' That's just ridiculous to me. I don't live my life like that, because how could you be happy with yourself? ~ Jay-Z

Rap for me is like making movies, telling stories, and getting the emotions of the songs through in just as deep a way. And I grew up in rap and movies the same way. ~ Jay-Z

Be true to yourself- and keep things simple. People complicate things ~ Jay-Z

I'm here to tell niggas it ain't all swell.
There's Heaven then there's Hell niggas
One day your cruisin' in your seven,
Next day your sweatin', forgettin' your lies,
Alibis ain't matchin' up, bullshit catchin' up
Hit with the RICO, they repoed your vehicle
Everything was all good just a week ago
'Bout to start bitchin' ain't you?
Ready to start snitchin' ain't you?
I forgive you. Weak ass, hustlin' just ain't you
Aside from the fast cars
Honeys that shake they ass in bars
You know you wouldn't be involved
With the Underworld dealers, carriers of mac-millers
East coast bodiers, West coast cap-peelers
Little monkey niggas turned gorillas. ~ Jay-Z

Ex-D-boy, used to park my Beamer
Now look at me, I can park in my own arena ~ Jay-Z

By the time I got to record my first album, I was 26, I didn't need pen or paper - my memory had been trained just to listen to a song, think of the words, and lay them to tape. ~ Jay-Z

It was a very intense and stressful situation. There was playing in the Johnny-pump (an opened fire hydrant) and the ice-cream man coming around and all of these games that we'd play, and suddenly it would turn just violent and there would be shootings at 12 in the afternoon on any given day. ~ Jay-Z

Like, Jay Z has some of the sickest lyrics ever, but I would never buy his CD, just because of my age and because of his age. By the time I turn that old, I ain't gonna be doing what he's doing. ~ Young Thug

I couldn't even think about wanting to be something else; I wouldn't let myself visualize another life. But I wrote because I couldn't stop. It was a release, a mental exercise, a way of keeping sane. ~ Jay-Z

Hip-hop is more about attaining wealth. People respect success. They respect big. They don't even have to like your music. If you're big enough, people are drawn to you. ~ Jay-Z

I have inherited two of the most important brands in hip-hop, Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella. Reid and Universal Music Group have given me the opportunity to manage the companies I have contributed to my whole career. I feel this is a giant step for me and the entire artist community. ~ Jay-Z

I'm pretty sure JAY Z don't wanna rap right now. ~ Young Thug

We were kids without fathers ... so we found our fathers on wax and on the streets and in history. We got to pick and choose the ancestors who would inspire the world we were going to make for ourselves. - Jay-Z ~ Austin Kleon

I think what Kanye West is going to mean is something similar to what Steve Jobs means. I am undoubtedly, you know, Steve of Internet, downtown, fashion, culture. Period. By a long jump. I honestly feel that because Steve has passed, you know, it's like when Biggie passed and Jay-Z was allowed to become Jay-Z. ~ Kanye West

Either love me or leave me alone.
- jay-z ~ Jay-Z

The most amazing feeling I feel
Words can't describe what I'm feeling for real
Maybe I paint the sky blue
My greatest creation was you. ~ Jay-Z

Identity is a prison you can never escape, but the way to redeem your past is not to run from it, but to try to understand it, and use it as a foundation to grow. ~ Jay-Z

My tears is tatted, my rag in my pocket / Im just looking for love, I know somebody got it ~ Jay-Z

Successful people have a bigger fear of failure than people who've never done anything because if you haven't been successful, then you don't know how it feels to lose it all. ~ Jay-Z

For me, being with Obama or having dinner with Bill Clinton ... It's crazy. It's mind-blowing, because where I come from is just another world. We were just ignored by politicians, by America in general. ~ Jay-Z

Boxing is a glorious sport to watch and boxers are incredible, heroic athletes, but it's also, to be honest, a stupid game to play. Even the winners can end up with crippling brain damage. In a lot of ways, hustling is the same. But you learn something special from playing the most difficult games, the games where winning is close to impossible and losing is catastrophic: You learn how to compete as if your life depended on it. That's the lesson I brought with me to the so-called "legitimate" world. ~ Jay-Z

I can think of no one more relevant and credible in the hip-hop community to build upon Def Jam's fantastic legacy and move the company into its next groundbreaking era. ~ Jay-Z

I use a lot of double meanings. I hide 'em like Easter eggs. ~ Jay-Z

Housing projects can seem like labyrinths to outsiders, as complicated and intimidating as a Moroccan bazaar. But we knew our way around. ~ Jay-Z

When you step outside of school and have to teach yourself about life, you develop a different relationship to information. I've never been a purely linear thinker. You can see it in my rhymes. My mind is always jumping around, restless, making connections, mixing and matching ideas, rather than marching in a straight line. That's why I'm always stressing focus. My thoughts chase each other from room to room in my head if I let them, so sometimes I have to slow myself down. ~ Jay-Z

I'm a person that works off of music. I let the music dictate the direction. ~ Jay-Z

Man I'm high off life. Fuck it, I'm WASTED ~ Jay-Z

If lyrics sold then truth be told/I'd probably be just as rich and famous as Jay-Z. ~ Talib Kweli

Life is for living, not living uptight, see ya somewhere up in the sky. ~ Jay-Z

DMX wasn't checking what his fans were saying to him on Twitter or Facebook. Jay-Z is on a boat in Saint-Tropez. I'm hands-on. Girls write to me like I'm their diary. That's a huge responsibility. I don't take it for granted. ~ Theophilus London

To be truthful, Jay-Z wouldn't have a quarter of the records sold today if it wasn't for the white people buying his records. ~ Vanilla Ice

You go to any Jay-Z concert, and he plays his hits. Comedians don't have hits. You have to have a whole brand-new hour. You have no hits to rely on. It's the hardest thing. ~ Aziz Ansari

I don't know if I have a 'Greatest Album Ever.' I really liked 'The Blueprint' by Jay-Z. The production on that album was really great. 'All I Need' was the first song I used for walk-on music in 2002 for my second time ever on stage, so that means a lot to me. ~ Hannibal Buress

I'm a fan of Jay-Z, I'mma always be a fan of Jay-Z. ~ T-Pain

Can I hit it in the morning with out giving you have of my dough? ~ Jay-Z

Leave a mark they can't erase, neither space nor time. ~ Jay-Z

Cough up a lung where I'm from marcy son, aint nothin nice ~ Jay-Z

I listen to 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Stereophonics, Arctic Monkeys; also the musical Oliver - I can sing every tune. ~ Wayne Rooney

There's the gift, there's the spirit, and there's the work-all three have to come together. If one of those things is off, it can stop you from becoming who you were meant to be. ~ Jay-Z

And now we're lethal, infected with D'Evils ~ Jay-Z

The Nets' a stone throw from where I used to throw bricks
... So it's only right I'm still tossing 'round Knicks. ~ Jay-Z