Rapper Quotes

I just kinda do what I feel. I never knew what lane I would fill, [or that] I would fill a lane at all. I didn't even really contemplate that far down the road. I just started having fun, and a lot of that came from me seeing Wayne dare to be different, and I started feeling like I can be a multifaceted rapper. I don't have to be a one-dimensional female rapper. Once I put that in perspective, it was like everything just got easier for me, because I no longer wanted to fit in anybody's box ... I just wanted to be Nicki. ~ Nicki Minaj

Everybody in hip-hop discriminates against gay people. Matter of fact, the exact opposite word of 'hip-hop,' I think, is 'gay.' Like yo, you play a record and if it's wack, 'That's gay, dog!' And I wanna just come on TV and just tell my rappers, just tell my friends, 'Yo, stop it, fam.' ~ Kanye West

As a rapper, I don't freestyle. I used to freestyle when I used to get drunk, and it didn't matter. ~ Andre Benjamin

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

Far from the richest rapper, but my biggest personal achievement thus far in my life has been retiring my mom early from her job at the Post Office. It's a tiny payback for the sacrifices she made that allowed me to chase a far-fetched dream of becoming a successful artist. I'm forever grateful, ~ J. Cole

My inspiration for writing music is like Don McLean did when he did "American Pie" or "Vincent". Lorraine Hansberry with "A Raisin in the Sun". Like Shakespeare when he does his thing, like deep stories, raw human needs.

I'm trying to think of a good analogy. It's like, you've got the Vietnam War, and because you had reporters showing us pictures of the war at home, that's what made the war end, or that shit would have lasted longer. If no one knew what was going on we would have thought they were just dying valiantly in some beautiful way. But because we saw the horror, that's what made us stop the war.

So I thought, that's what I'm going to do as an artist, as a rapper. I'm gonna show the most graphic details of what I see in my community and hopefully they'll stop it quick.

I've seen all of that-- the crack babies, what we had to go through, losing everything, being poor, and getting beat down. All of that. Being the person I am, I said no no no no. I'm changing this. ~ Tupac Shakur

I'm obviously not a rapper, and I don't have any claims to be one, really. ~ Al Yankovic

I'm a producer/rapper, so I feel like I can do anything. I can do all kinds of music. I've done all kinds of music, and I'm good at it. ~ Juicy J

Laugh with fake id's but i have permanent license of pain in eyes ~ Kjiva

People always want to feel better and be inspired. Sometimes we need it. I think the conscious rapper will always be able to live and exist. ~ Common

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

It doesn't sound anything like 'Under Pressure.' ~ Vanilla Ice

Everyone wants to label me, but I don't want to be labeled as a rapper or a movie actor. ~ Riff Raff

I never was the battle rapper. That was never my thing. I always felt like it's enough room for everybody to do their thing. I like bringing new energy, re-inventing the wheel, so to speak, every time I come out. ~ Nelly

I am a gangsta, Ms. Katie. I don't take nothing from no one. I do what I wanna do. ~ Lil' Wayne

I would never challenge any rapper to a rap-off. It's weird, I'm not that type of rapper. ~ Donald Glover

Why live for the approval of men when you can have the approval of their Creator? What can they give you that God can't? ~ LeCrae

I feel like a lot of people in the hip hop world don't take me seriously as a rapper, and I feel that first-and-foremost I came up as a rapper before I started singing. All a lot of people know from me is 'Cupid's Chokehold,' and they don't scratch the surface and see beyond that dude who sings the song about his girlfriend. ~ Travie McCoy

I've been trying to nail it into everyone's heads that I feel like I am the most versatile rapper. ~ Ludacris

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

Check it out."
Jonah removed the bubble wrap and held up the picture for his three cousins.
Dan took a step backward. The shock was almost as powerful as it had been the day before at the Uffizi. "It's perfect! It's every bit as disgusting as the real one!"
Amy nodded. "And so fast. We only called you yesterday."
Jonah shrugged. "Even the Janus take a short cut every now and then. You can do a lot with digitization these days. You break the picture down to squares and reproduce them one at a time. The other two are just as fly."
"You mean, hog ugly," Hamilton amended.
"The serpents don't help," Dan put in critically. "Live fat spaghetti. Lady, if you're thinking of a modeling career, forget it!"
The rapper clucked sympathetically. "You guys just don't appreciate the power of the visual image. The Wiz used to be like that–until Gangsta Kronikles. When you're in film industry, you understand the whole picture's-worth-a-thousand-words deal."
Hamilton rolled his eyes. "Here we go again. ~ Gordon Korman

I've asked about you and they told me things but my mind didn't change and I still feel the same. ~ Drake

Gangsta rappers, they call them. Not nearly as gangsta as the things that inspire them.. you know, a gangsta government that we operate under. ~ Russell Simmons

I don't really have a gimmick or a 'thing.' I'm one of the few artists who gets to be himself every day. ~ Drake

People didn't really take white rappers seriously until Eminem, because he was better than everybody. Like female emcees, you need to be like Lauryn Hill or Nicki Minaj or killing everything before somebody takes you seriously. ~ Talib Kweli

I had always been a fan of Nas, but I never met him. This is the one guy in the industry who's, like, the phantom rapper. ~ Kelis

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

People in the record business would say, Well, Pras, you know, you haven't been out in a while, maybe you should get today's hottest producer or rapper to do something. ~ Pras Michel

And still, the best of us build, and reach monetary gains. Some of us kill, but still, most of us can change. ~ Tupac Shakur

Rappers hate each other, not the labels that got rich,
Don't care about culture, they only want profit.
If your album sell slow, bet you'll get dropped quick;
Q-Tip warned us: the industry's toxic.
For reference, check out BDP's Sex and Violence. ~ Cormega

Dont blame me, I was given this world, I didn't make it. ~ Tupac Shakur

No-frill rappers: you will evaporate, disintegrate, deflate to your fate,
as the great will dominate straight to the state
Of reignin', gainin' ... So put Kane in
That category. Period. End of story. ~ Big Daddy Kane

A lot of times when people listen to music it's because they feel down, and that's when serious hip-hop comes into play. When times is hard, people can hear a rapper that inspires them to do what they [are] supposed to do. ~ Rakim

I used to be focused on being the dopest rapper in the game, and then once that became what I was, I wanted something different, and I wanted to become the best businessman in the game. I wanted to learn how to master the business like I mastered the rap. ~ Snoop Dogg

For me, performing is the biggest part of being a rapper. There's nothing like the feeling of screaming your story to people. ~ Chance The Rapper

Some of us are more concerned with our reputation than our character. The latter takes care of the former. ~ LeCrae

I don't want to be considered 'the Latino rapper.' ~ Big Pun

Being a rapper is about being cool, but being a comedian, you're not supposed to be the coolest guy. ~ Aziz Ansari

My apologies, see, I forgot my manners.
I get on the mic 'cause it's my life. You show off for girls and cameras.
You a pop star, not a rapper. A Vanilla Ice or a Hammer.
Y'all hear this crap he dumping out? Somebody get him a Pamper.
And a crown for me. The best have heard about me.
You can only spell "brilliant" by first spelling Bri.
You see, naturally, I do my shit with perfection.
Better call a bodyguard 'cause you gon' need some protection,
And on this here election, the people crown a new leader.
You didn't see this coming, and your ghostwriters didn't either.
I came here to ether. I'm sorry to do this to you.
This is no longer a battle, it's your funeral, boo. I'm murdering you.
On my corner they call me coroner, I'm warning ya.
Tell the truth, this dude is borin' ya.
You confused like a foreigner. I'll explain with ease:
You're just a casualty in the reality of the madness of Bri.
No fallacies, I spit maladies, causin' fatalities,
And do it casually, damaging rappers without bandaging.
Imagining managing my own label, my own salary.
And actually, factually, there's no MC that's as bad as me.
Milez? That's cute. But it don't make me cower.
I move at light speed, you stuck at per hour.
You spit like a lisp. I spit like a high power.
Bri's the future, and you Today like Matt Lauer.
You coward. But you're a G? It ain't convincing to me.
You talk ab ~ Angie Thomas

It's hard to watch people change, but it's even harder to remember who they used to be. ~ Wiz Khalifa

The ability to make somebody feel something: that's art. However you look at it, whether you're an author, a painter, a singer, a rapper, a spoken-word artist - art. ~ Wale

I'm a ghetto man who made good. I never forgot where I came from and who put me on top - God and Jack The Rapper. ~ James Brown

A lot of rappers want somebody to always sing on their records. If you can hold a note, they're gonna' ask you to come and be apart of their creativity. At that time, they were eager and on the streets selling drugs or in the studio making music. That was a big part of our lives were I grew up. ~ Nicki Minaj

I don't bang for the color or the land. I bang for the principles and for the honor. I'm bangin' for the Westside- this is in my heart, this is how I feel. ~ Tupac Shakur

Hate it or love it, the underdogs come out on top. ~ Curtis Jackson

I was competitive in the ring and hip-hop is competitive too ... I think rappers condition themselves like boxers, so they all kind of feel like they're the champ. ~ Curtis Jackson

How can there not already be a rapper named 'O'pinion'? ~ Dov Davidoff

I always knew I could rap, and in a sense I always rapped. And [I've] always behaved like a rapper. But I started to take it seriously when I recorded with the people of Brick when I started to receive some money. ~ Young Thug

I'm a pretty terrible rapper. I always have been. ~ Jenny Lewis

Sex, drugs, money, power etc. Just because you get to choose your master doesn't mean you aren't a slave. ~ LeCrae

Of course I'm going to say "I'm a thug" that's because I came from the GUTTER and I'm still HERE! ~ Tupac Shakur

Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you. I'ma let you finish. But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time! ~ Kanye West

Rap is my most used medium but I don't think I approach music like a rapper would. ~ Hoodie Allen

Guys pit female rappers against each other because female rappers - if you haven't noticed of late - are a lot more interesting than guys. ~ Angel Haze

And I learned a lot from working with this kid, and I think he's gonna be a big star. Remember the name, Tim Dark, because he has something about his voice that's different from all the other rappers, even though his style is similar. ~ Alan Vega

People in China criticized President Obama for chewing gum while entering the economic summit in Beijing. They're saying he looked like a rapper. Then again, to be fair, in China I look like a rapper. ~ Conan O'Brien

It's different, it's weird to say, 'She's a white rapper or she can't do this because she's this color - this color does this thing. These are the boxes we have, this is what it is, don't try to change it.' And it's crazy to me because I'm just not from that world, so I can't really rock with it all the way. ~ Iggy Azalea

When it came to hip-hop ... I don't know. Maybe I was insecure. You know, this is the early '90s. If you were a white guy, and you were rapping, that wasn't as accepted yet. I was scared of the quiet Northeast suburbs, so I couldn't embrace my full rapper self. ~ Charlie Day

I'm tired of being a nice guy, I've been poor all my life, but don't know quite why. ~ Tupac Shakur

And, where white women are slapped down for daring to be sexual, women of color are slapped down for daring to be anything else: Over the course of her career, Nicki Minaj has spoken about abortion rights, the need for female musicians to write their own work, the difficulty of being an assertive woman in a business setting, and the obstacles black women face in being recognized as creative forces. She is the best-selling female rapper of all time, and her success had done a tremendous amount to awaken critical and commercial interest in female voices within a genre that was largely seen (fairly or unfairly) as a man's game before she showed up. Nicki Minaj has done everything in her power to frame herself as a thoughtful black feminist voice, up to and including staging public readings of Maya Angelou poems. And yet, approximately 89 percent of Nicki Minaj's press coverage, outside of the feminist blogosphere, tends to focus on: her butt. ~ Sady Doyle

If you aim for only wealth, beauty, fame, & power, you aim too low. Humility, gentleness, gratitude, & service is aiming high. ~ LeCrae

Rappers kinda look stupid sometimes. Most of the time. I'm pretty sure I look stupid too a lot. ~ Vince Staples

When I die and they come for me bury me a g. ~ Tupac Shakur

I think more people want to be rappers than anything else. ~ Nas

I'm not just a rapper. I'm an entertainer. That's the difference. ~ LL Cool J

Rather than trying to put an end to Eminem or some other rapper, politicians should think about why they're rapping. It's easier to try to censor some kid who's swearing about poverty than it is to stop the poverty. ~ Willie Nelson

Because I first made my name as a rapper claiming South Central L.A., people often assume I'm strictly a West Coast cat. But my family was actually from back East. I was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in Summit, an upscale town in north Jersey. ~ Ice-T

You know who was on time tonight, which surprised me? Ghostface. Ghostface was early and making calls - what rapper does that? ~ Donald Glover

Yo get a real job. Rappin doesn't pay the rent, I hate the studio cause that's where all my money went. ~ Tupac Shakur

Expose foes wit my hocus pocus flows, they froze now suckas idolize my chosen blows ~ Tupac Shakur

Gangsta rappers can't fight, so they rap about guns. ~ Sean Price

All the lyrical rappers I know is broke, ~ French Montana

I'm gonna be real - there's no female rappers in the game. ~ SpaceGhostPurrp

The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th.
God bless his soul, rest in peace, kid.
It's because of him now at least I know what beef is. ~ Canibus

Depending on the story that you're telling, you can be relatable to everybody or nobody. I try and tell everybody's story. ~ Chance The Rapper

While I'm dreaming, Wake up screaming, Cuz I can hear them suckas scheming. ~ Tupac Shakur

When my Heart Can Beat No More I hope die for a principal or a belief that I have lived for ~ Tupac Shakur

What of fame? Everybody knows your name: never again are you alone. ~ Tupac Shakur

People said that way back in the early days I was probably one of the first rappers; the reason is that I couldn't sing, so I had to talk! Lou Reed was probably the one who started it all. ~ Alan Vega

George Bush doesn't care about black people. ~ Kanye West

Well, the first two days in prison, I had to go through what life is like when you've been smoking weed for as long as I have and then you stop. Emotionally, it was like I didn't know myself. ~ Tupac Shakur

Dealing with the old school rappers, you see a lot of humility. When you're new, nothing is wrong. Everything is tight. Because you're trying to hype the world into believing in you. ~ Ice-T

The whole tape [Dedication 5] is amazing. It's my favourite accomplishment [working with Lil Wayne] and I say that with thought. It's the biggest accomplishment I've made today, because Lil Wayne is probably the biggest reason why I'm sitting here right now, rapping and doing what I do. I'm a huge Wayne fan forever. ~ Chance The Rapper

In kindergarten I had to draw a picture of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I drew a rapper. I didn't really know what a rapper was or what they did - I just wanted to do it. ~ B.o.B

I wouldn't call and tell anybody on him, but I'd probably move. But I'm not gonna call and be like, 'The serial killer's in 4E.' ~ Cam'ron

I was only 11 when we filmed the pilot. The idea of a rapper being a star on a sitcom just wasn't heard of. ~ Tatyana Ali

I will hit a man with glasses. ~ Eminem

Worrying is stupid. Its like walking around with an umbrella waiting for it to rain. ~ Wiz Khalifa

Almost every rapper has a track that talks about their dreams. ~ Boi-1da

We got food stamps. Glad to get the food stamps. Why wouldn't you want to get free money? ~ Ol' Dirty Bastard

I gave him his first TV and he needs to remember that. ~ Kanye West

Even the genius ask questions. ~ Tupac Shakur

I think that's what makes a good rapper. Somebody who wants to push themselves and their audience further. ~ Donald Glover

Winner goes with the flow, History Maker against the flow ~ Kjiva

I like to quote Shakespeare. But in this case, the rapper Eminem said it best: Words are a motherfucker. ~ Jillian Keenan

My only scheme was to be a rapper. ~ Eminem

This one Corbusier lamp was like, my greatest inspiration ... I'm a minimalist in a rapper's body. ~ Kanye West

I quite liked Sharkey and George and then there was a cartoon with rapper MC Hammer in it - Hammertime - I loved that cartoon, it was genius! They don't make cartoons like that anymore. ~ Robert Pattinson

I am a singer, not a full-on rapper. ~ Cher Lloyd

If it wasn't for race mixing, there'd be no video girls. ~ Kanye West