Rappers Quotes

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

Over the years, a lot of rappers - Lil' Wayne, Ice Cube - have used my name in their songs. I'm a real touchstone of history. ~ Rodney King

If you look back, you get stuck in a year. I've seen rappers and singers get stuck in 2002 or 2005, and they can't get out. ~ Juicy J

I'm putting everything on the line in being able to express myself in a different way than rappers normally do. They might say, 'It's rap' or 'It's R&B,' but I'm stepping outside the box and making music for me and making music for the fans to understand me. I'm going the extra distance to be able to come across different. ~ Nayvadius Cash

To me, hip hop will never be right until female rappers have a stronger voice in it. ~ Queen Latifah

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

Now let me ask you all a question, what's more pathetic and sad to you? A bunch of poor black people who listen to rich black rappers rapping about their wealth, or a bunch of poor white people who listen to rich white country singers singing songs about how much they love being broke rednecks? ~ T.J. Kirk

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

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

You can count on one hand the white rappers that have made it. So I just wanted to show the point of view of an actor in Hollywood, because what could be more soft than that. Rapping about auditions and acting and stuff. I thought it was just uncharted territory to clown on, so that pushed through with Dirt Nasty. ~ Simon Rex

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

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

That's why we sing for these kids who don't have a thing, except for a dream and a fuckin rap magazine; Who post pin-up pictures on they walls all day long, idolize they favorite rappers and know all they songs; Or for anyone who's ever been through shit in they lives, so they sit and they cry, at night, wishin they'd die; Til they throw on a rap record and they sit and they vibe; We're nothin to you, but we're the fuckin shit in they eyes; That's why we seize the moment; Try to freeze it and own it, squeeze it and hold it, cause we consider these minutes golden; And maybe they'll admit it when we're gone; Just let our spirits live on, through our lyrics that you hear in our songs... [Sing for the Moment] ~ Eminem

Young kids out here see what's on TV and feel like they can start rapping. They think rappers are rich and really have their own jets and Bentleys, but in lot of cases that stuff is rented. ~ Rahki

DJs play a big responsibility of what hip-hop is doing ... At the end of the day, it's up to us to control and to own hip-hop. DJs need to challenge us rappers. They got so much power, they need to challenge us. ~ Nas

You know, fame is a funny thing, man, especially, you know, actors, musicians, rappers, rock singers, it's kind of a lifestyle and it's easy to get caught up in it - you go to bars, you go to clubs, everyone's doing a certain thing ... It's tough. ~ Eminem

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

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

All these Lil' rappers, I'm just kind of getting real irritated by it. I said, 'You know what? Drop the Lil'. Forget it. I'm Bow Wow. ~ Bow Wow

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

Few rappers realize the genre sprang from West African griots through Delta slave songs to jazz poetry and the comedic trash talk of 'the dozens.' ~ Quincy Jones

I think that Mos Def is the best actor, but when you talk about rappers in films, I don't really think the quality of the acting is most important because most rappers are put in movies because of the personality and people want to see that. ~ Morris Chestnut

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

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

I came into the rap game in 1992; my life was changing, but my group wasn't successful; I also saw the biggest rappers in the world die all of a sudden in the ensuing years, so it was a matter of conquering yourself before you can conquer the world. ~ Ja Rule

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

However, people need to understand that it ain't that deep to try and convince people of what your persona is. You are who you are, and what you are will show in time. What you aren't can be hidden, but eventually it will come to light. Long story short: rappers should never take themselves too seriously. ~ Wale

I understand what rappers are talking about. I think rap is less about educating people about the black community and more about making money. ~ Dennis Rodman

How many rappers in the game have "little" in front of their name?
Lil' Wayne, Lil' Boosie it's a lil' shame
Lil' Flip, Lil' Cease, yo they not the same
Lil' Wyte, Lil' Mama, where Lil' Zane?
Little Brother, Lil' Jon, and Lil' Fame
Real hip hop, not about your lil' chain
Lil' Keke, Lil' Kim a lil' freaky
Lil' Fizz, Illegal with Lil' Maliky
Lil' Mo, Lil' Bow Wow had beef with Lil' Romeo
A lil' teenager told me so ... ~ Ed O.G.

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

I've done movies where I've had to cast actors and teach them to rap, and cast rappers and teach them to act. ~ Craig Brewer

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

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

What's bad for the culture is wack rappers that get held in high regard like they're some great thing because it's the flavor of the month, but everybody knows they can't rap. I don't think it's hard, even for somebody who's not hip-hop, to know that that's not good. When you put them up against somebody that can really rhyme, you go, "Okay, I get it. This is what it should sound like." ~ Ice-T

I want to do films and have my name mentioned next to Wes Anderson and Quentin Tarantino. I don't want my name mentioned next to other rappers at all. ~ Tyler, The Creator

For years I've been seeing my young brothers wearing Scarface T-shirts, John Gotti T-shirts, Rick James T-shirts. We don't have any icons or idols to look up to, just rappers and professional athletes. ~ Lamar Odom

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

I'm not saying that hip-hop needs gay rappers or anything, but they need to stop being so close-minded because that will just cause the genre to fail. Look at pop. Pop doesn't discriminate against people. Look at Lady Gaga, y'know what I mean? ~ ASAP Rocky

'Rapper's Delight' was done in 17 minutes. Just one take, no mistakes, and it went to press from there. The record went platinum in 8 days. ~ Big Bank Hank

You guys are always going off about how much money you have. Do you realize what's going on in this world right now?' All these black rappers? African rappers? Talking about how much money they have. Do you realize what's going on in Africa right now? It's just like, you guys are disgusting. Talking about billions and billions of dollars you have. And spending it frivolously, when you know, the Motherland is suffering beyond belief right now. ~ Asher Roth

A lot of rappers been putting out a lot of sub-par visuals. I feel like the visuals could be better. ~ ASAP Ferg

I have a Rolex, but no diamonds. Rappers wear diamonds to compensate for a lack of fashion sense. I don't even have pierced ears - I'm not into that; it's too much. ~ ASAP Rocky

When I grew up I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly. The female rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot ... and I thought that to have the success they got, I would have to represent the same thing. When in fact I didn't have to represent the same thing. ~ Nicki Minaj

The reason why rappers are living in - you know, driving in Mercedes-Benz's and living in neighborhoods is because they're selling their music, not just to the black community, but to the white community. ~ Eric Bolling

My record label always says you shouldn't talk about money because it makes people extremely uncomfortable. Refugees can't talk about money. Rappers can talk about money; refugees can't talk about money. ~ M.I.A.

Biggie was a lyrical genius: he was a musical painter with words. As he rapped, you would see the picture come to life as you heard his story. You hear a lot of rappers rap; you hear a lot of singers sing, but you don't see the movie in your head the way you do when you hear Biggie rap. ~ R. Kelly

I would suggest that teachers show their students concrete examples of the negative effects of the actions that gangsta rappers glorify. ~ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

I love when rappers have a off-beat, very abstract timing, and he certainly did.And any rapper who really approaches rapping with the art form of songwriting melodically - I know a bunch of rappers who actually go in before they write the lyrics and come up with the melody. And you can hear and feel that difference so much when that's the case. ~ Solange Knowles

I looked at the rap community like street kids wanting their own brand. But now I look at that period with the rappers in the 90s as a trend of the moment. What it taught me was never to follow a trend, because trends move on. ~ Tommy Hilfiger

I relieve rappers just like Tylenol ~ Big Daddy Kane

So please take a seat if you really can't stand it, got success in my pocket and these rappers in a panic ~ Drake

For a while, the genre seemed to be just about sex and crime. Rappers are storytellers; the stories don't need to be true! ~ Lauryn Hill

It's like they want to shut rappers down. They want to silence us. The Supreme Court says it's OK for a white man to burn a cross in public. But nobody wants a black man to write a record about a cop killer. ~ Ice-T

I've always been jealous of rappers, because they can fit so many words into a song and tell a story with lots of details. But when you're a songwriter, you have to fit the words to the melody and you can't fit as much in. I'm just a big fan of storytelling. ~ Skylar Grey

What if Eminem was black? would he have sold five mil.
Or would he be 1 out of 5 million rappers with no deal? ~ Fredro Starr

Rappers shouldn't have to file taxes because they itemize everything they own in songs. ~ Damien Fahey

You know, Castle's the kind of guy that when he meets somebody, that's a connection for him. He remains connected to the people that he meets. That's the kind of guy he is, be they criminals, gangster rappers, mafia guys, art thieves, whoever it is, he nurtures those relationships. ~ Nathan Fillion

I'm a minimalist in a rapper's body. ~ Kanye West

I've been on the songs of all these rappers that put out an album, and my music is still better. ~ Future

Nas is one of my favorite rappers because you don't get any of that flashy stuntin'; you get the real, just raw bars. The way he tells stories and his vibe, I think we would make great music together. ~ Juicy J

You can have a phenomenal booth artist and he can get in there and be a technician in the booth and it won't translate on the stage. I think that's what makes emcees emcees. Some rapper dudes are great rappers but it don't translate on stage. ~ Joell Ortiz

I want people to follow their dreams, yes ... but I'm not interested in telling young black kids how to be rappers ... I want to show them that there's so many other paths you can take, besides a rapper or basketball player. ~ J. Cole

Out, out, thou strumpet Fortune!" I cried with all the venom of Charlton Heston.
Oberon asked.
"It's a Shakespearean word for whore."
<"Cool word! It rhymes with trumpet. And pump it. Why didn't the Black Eyed Peas use it in their song? Aren't rappers always looking for cool new rhymes? They should kick it old school with the Bard.> ~ Kevin Hearne

You can't speak for the people unless you're able to walk amongst the people. And how many of these rappers out here actually hang out with regular people? ~ DMX

For me rappers and dancers are poets and artists and often times the most interesting performances are given by them. ~ Ice Cube

I still very much appreciate the storytelling of the best rappers. ~ Alex Turner

Another thing rappers, I admire your rebellious spirit, but materialism is a form of mental slavery. Slow down on the jewelry, pick up a book. ~ Dov Davidoff

All rappers predominantly sound the same and want you to think their meanest person in the world, and that they're all gangster and all that. My acting allowed me to be playful and crazy, and it helps me tell stories and all that. I think it's a good time; rap needs that kind of stuff. ~ Nicki Minaj

Why can't rappers just say nice things? Like I wanna take your clothes off and hang them up in the closet real nice. ~ Ellen DeGeneres

You know who we hear about all the rappers from? The bus drivers. ~ Dan Auerbach

I feel like people mislead themselves when they tell themselves they're into me because of the lyrics. From my vantage point, people aren't into me because of the content, because of the lyrics. Because there's a million of rappers who have great content. ~ Talib Kweli

Rich people are so eccentric, and I don't think people really realize. Especially by the turn of the century, they were living like rappers, and there was no income tax. They are some of the most fascinating people, and I am endlessly fascinated. ~ Riki Lindhome

What role models do kids have nowadays?Some ridiculously overpaid footballer prone to childish tantrums?The morons in the Big Brother house,perhaps? Or maybe the various gun-toting rappers who regularly delight us with their expletive-ridden vocabulary and eccentric attitude to women? ~ Frank Chalk

Rappers are in danger
Who will use wits to be a remainder? ~ O.C.

When I first got into the rap game, I had an early dream of unifying rappers. ~ Ice-T

Do what the fuck makes you happy. Because in the end, who's there? You. ~ Tyler, The Creator

Recently, a judge of the prestigious 2014 British Forward Prize for Poetry was moved to observe that "there is an awful lot of very powerful, lyrical, and readable poetry being written today," but we need education, because "we have lost the sense that poetry sits halfway between prose and music - that you can't expect to read it like a novel."

A few years ago, the New York Times published an op-ed of mine, about learning poetry by heart. The response to it confirmed that people of all ages think about poetry as a kind of inspired music, embodying beauty and insight. On one hand, poetry has always flowed from music, as rap and hip-hop remind us big-time. Rappers know how poetry walks and talks. So we have music, or deeply felt recitations of poems that belong to collective memory. On the other hand, we have overly instructive prose poems, as well as the experiments of certain critical ideologies, or conceptual performance art. These aspects seem to represent the public, Janus face of poetry. ~ Carol Muske-Dukes

Rhyme patterns are nothing without meanings to the words. A lot of rappers can do those flows, but the raps aren't really about anything - which is cool sometimes, but to have the flow and the message is one of my favorite things. ~ J. Cole

I mean people are sexist and racist and homophobic and violent. But I don't think of the rappers as being any more sexist or racist or homophobic than their parents. Certainly less, in all those cases, less homophobic or racist or sexist, and then less gangster than our government. It's stuff that people normally don't speak on, subjects they don't speak on, and ideas they kind of keep to themselves. ~ Russell Simmons

Rappers on their sophomores ... actin' like they boss lords.
Fame's such a funny thing for sure when niggas start believing all those encores. ~ Pusha T

I try to really capitalize off of what other rappers really can't do. There are opportunities that rappers I love simply can't get, because ... you know ... I don't have the tattoos; I have a different image. ~ Drake

There are so many rappers now that it's cluttering our culture. 90% of the time at a show there are more artists in the crowd than there are fans - it's too much. Too many people try to give you CD's. ~ Statik Selektah

The L.A. rap scene is popping again because rappers stopped saying 'West Coast.' Nobody says that anymore. Fans of L.A. music were reaching and saying, 'This is West Coast music,' because nobody else liked it. ~ Schoolboy Q

I wrote and produced millions and millions of selling records, so my publishing company alone was worth millions of dollars. I didn't have to work anymore in life because when the rappers started sampling ... I'm the most sampled artist in history. ~ Rick James

You have rappers saying "stay off drugs, go to school" - empty verbal behavior. I think all of this became institutionalized in the early '90s. And it's become more and more solidified, more and more entrenched. ~ Carl Hart

I was one of the richest rappers in 2008. But it was definitely a strange feeling. ~ Will Ferrell

For so-called conscious rappers, it is an opportunity to rap about ways to educate others about African American history, politics and even relationships: all of which would be missed if society merely focused on the "hook" and ignored the influence. ~ Carlos Wallace

There has been an effect of business rap on the output of today's rap music. But I don't think that's the modern day rapper's fault. ~ M.I.A.

Rappers use words that rhymes, But When Lil Wayne Used Rhymes They don't really mean nothing. ~ Kadda Sheekoff

I remember rap music. We used to party and dance off of it. Today it's all about a whole different angle ... Rappers are going against each other, and it's more of a bragging, boasting thing. ~ Flavor Flav

I was so obsessed with 2Pac. He was one of the first rappers I heard. "Dear Mama" was one of the first tracks I ever memorized. ~ Shwayze

I was making crappy beats since I was, like, 17 or 18, using Florida rappers, where I'm from. Then I started DJ'ing because I just wanted to have a new job. ~ Diplo

Rappers are usually rapping about knowledge they think people need to get by in the world. If there's no movement that gives the idea that the knowledge people need is how to take over the system, what they see is that people need to know how to hustle; people need to know how to survive. ~ Boots Riley

Rappers spit rhymes that are mostly illegal,
MC's spit rhymes to uplift their people. ~ KRS-One

It is crucial that rappers have the chance to express the truth that is in their heart. ~ Russell Simmons

I see N.Y. hip-hop like I see N.Y. streets. N.Y. streets are grimy; it's a grind. N.Y. rappers are hustlers - whatever sound is in, we can adapt to that; there's nothing wrong with that. ~ Nas

I think rappers are the fall guy because some of us don't have the wits to point the finger back. The thing is when you take a whole generation and whip them out, string the mothers out and put the fathers in jail - the reason I know respect is because my father is the mediator between me and my grandfather. I'm the mediator between my son and my father because I'm old enough to understand where my father is coming from and young enough to understand what my kid is trying to do. When you whip out the mediator the kids run wild and the old people are scared of them. ~ Nelly