Tag: lyricist lounge

  • God gave us music, so we play with our words.

    Talib Kweli, “Manifesto,” from Lyricist Lounge, Volume 1, 1998. More Talib Kweli quotes
  • From open mics to solutions, I got a collage of answers,
    And a 10-point program, just like the Black Panthers:

    1: First, respect yourself as an artist
    If you don’t respect yourself, then your rhymes is garbage.

    2: Make sure your crew is as tight as you
    Cause when them niggaz fallin off, they gonna bring you down too.

    3: Understand the meaning of MC
    The power to Move the Crowd like Moses split the seas.

    4: Know your shit and don’t ever be blunted
    If you don’t know what your words mean, then your rhymes mean nothin.

    5: Kick facts in the raps, and curse with clarity
    What’s a curse when language is immersed in vulgarity?

    6: We gonna fix industrial poli-tricks
    Shit, they made an art form out of ridin dicks.

    7: We soldiers for God needin new recruits
    So if you rhymin for the loot, then you’s a prostitute.

    8: Acknowledge that you need food on your plate
    In order to say your grace, make sure your business is straight.

    9: We buildin black minds with intelligence
    And when you freestyle, keep the subject matter relevant.

    10: Every MC grab a pen
    And write some conscious lyrics to tell the children.

    Talib Kweli, “Manifesto,” from Lyricist Lounge, Volume 1, 1998. More Talib Kweli quotes