Tag: philosophy
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It seems we living the American Dream,
But the people highest up got the lowest self-esteem.
The prettiest people do the ugliest things
For the road to riches and diamond rings. -
Let me break it down for you again,
You know I only say it because I’m truly genuine:
Don’t be a hard rock when you really are a gem.Lauryn Hill, “Doo Wop (That Thing),” The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 1998
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You need to smile a lil’ bit, frown a lil’ less.
Read a couple of books, and then smoke a lil’ sess.
Get your mind right, but don’t OD,
Cause overdoin’ it ain’t doin’ it with quality.– Posdnuous of De La Soul, “Smile a Lil Bit,” from Oh No’s Exodus Into Unheard Rhythms, 2006
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Life is love, heartache and strain,
Yet the strength to overcome it all keeps me sane.OC, “Gotta Luv It,” from Ray West and OC’s Ray’s Café, 2014
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Survive the droughts? I wish you well.
How sick am I? I wish you health.
I wish you wheels, I wish you wealth,
I wish you insight so you could see for yourself.– Jay-Z, “American Dreamin,” American Gangster, 2007
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I’m like a major threat:
Cause I remind you of the things you were made to forget.– 2Pac, “Holler If Ya Hear Me,” Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z., 1993
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Truth brings light, light refracts off the mirror,
Visions of yourself and error could never be clearer.
The truth is that you ugly…
Not on the outside, but in the inside.
On the outside, you frontin’ you lovely.– Pharoahe Monch, “The Truth,” Internal Affairs, 1999
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They say I’m so low key, I’m socially awkward,
Only those that really know me are the ones that I talk with.
They smile in the light, hate in the dark,
You call it beef, to me it’s just a fuckin’ walk in the park.– Nas, “I Do It for Hip-Hop,” from Ludacris’ Theater of the Mind, 2008
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See my life is like a song, I just don’t know the words,
So as I try to hum along people say that I’m disturbed.
Stare and call me a loon, say I’m singin’ out of tune,
But my musics’ got direction so I know what I’m doin’.
Don’t know where I’m goin’ but I got to keep movin’,
Even if my next step is obscured by the present…
Gotta find the next rung on the stairway to heaven.– MURS, “18 w/a Bullet,” …The End of the Beginning, 2002.
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I will show you all you need to know.
You must hold on to anyone that wants you,
And I will love you through simple and the struggle.
But girl…you got to understand: the modern man must hustle.
Slug, “Modern Man’s Hustle,” from Atmosphere’s God Loves Ugly, 2002. More from Atmosphere… -
Your whole appearance is a lie and it could never be true.
And if you really loved yourself, then you would try and be you.Phife, “Butter,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, 1991. More from Phife. Rest in forever peace, Malik Taylor, the rapper known as Phife Dawg, who died Wednesday at the age of 45. 1970-2016. -
Dope is like a two-way street:
The addiction, both you and me, now take a seat.
Every car got a fleet, every broad get a Jeep,
Every sparkle in the club that wasn’t ours, we compete.
Poor minds, poor decision makers;
No reward…then what’s the risk you taking?Pusha T, “M.P.A.,” King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude, 2015. More from Pusha T… -
Stay far from timid.
Only make moves when your heart is in it.
And live the phrase ‘Sky’s the Limit.’Notorious B.I.G., “Sky’s the Limit,” Life After Death, 1997. More from Biggie… -
The thing that men and women need to do is stick together,
Progressions can’t be made if we’re separate forever.Q-Tip, “Verses from the Abstract,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, 1991. More from the Abstract… -
Never forget that I’m the one you thought wouldn’t make it.
I used to make money…now I just take it.Buckshot, “I Gotcha Opin,” from Black Moon’s Enta Da Stage, 1993. More from Black Moon… -
I know the price, know the risk, know the wrongs and the rights;
Still my blood flows ice…it’s just my life.Jay-Z, “In My Lifetime (Remix),” 12", 1994. More from Hov… -
You good one minute, psycho the next,
No longer lettin’ it ride…too much Jekyll and Hyde.
Then you subtweet some weeks, busy settin’ your pride.
I’m grown, don’t really need that sort of mess in my life.Joe Budden, “Playing Our Part,” All Love Lost, 2015. -
The way mothers feel for they sons, how fathers feel for they daughters;
When he date, he straight, chip off his own papa.
When she date, we wait behind the door with the sawed off,
Cause we think no one is good enough for our daughters.Nas, “Daughters,” Life is Good, 2012. More from Nas… -
A simple right or left
Can mean life or death.
Epic fail, or nice success,
Days of pleasure…nights of stress.Ka, “Decisions,” Grief Pedigree, 2012. More from Brownsville’s Ka > -
They say signs of the end is near;
I wonder…can I walk a righteous path holding a beer?Common, “Resurrection,” Resurrection, 1994. More from Com… -
Been tested, ain’t fail: I’m tried and true.
When it’s all falling apart, my pride’s the glue.
I felt at times worthless…
Pulled shifts with shifty crime merchants,
Stained hearts, brainwashed by mind serpents.
The fact I’m still here, it’s clear it’s divine purpose.Ka, “Day 912,” from Ka and Preservation’s Days with Dr. Yen Lo, 2015. More from Ka… -
Now it’s my turn, and I am concerned
About idiots posing as kings.
What are we here to rule?
I thought we were supposed to sing.
And if we oughta sing, then let us begin to teach.
Many of you are educated…open your mouth and speak!KRS-One, “I’m Still #1,” from Boogie Down Productions’ By All Means Necessary, 1988 -
Stop walking through life as if you were blind,
You should reach for your goal cause I’m reaching for mine.MC Shan, “The Bridge,” Down by Law, 1987 -
This ain’t the world we thought it was when we as in pre-school.
Sometimes it’s hard to be cool, sometimes I feel like I’m see-through.
Sometimes I really wish…I wish that I could be you.Joey BADA$$, “Black Beetles,” B4.DA.$$, 2015. -
You a white boy in a fuckin’ droptop,
Bumpin’ 2Pac, actin’ like you hard? Stop.
Hip-hop music make the world go round,
But buying a record don’t put you down.
You listen to thugs, it don’t make you one;
Never met a Blood or Crip, but you act like one?Mystic, “Pull Ya Card,” from Da Beatminerz’ Fully Loaded w/Statik, 2004. -
And even after all my logic and my theory, I add a ‘motherfucker’ so you ignorant niggas hear me.
Lauryn Hill, “Zealots,” from The Fugees’ The Score, 1996. More from Ms. Hill… -
Make peace not war, make babies some more, Keep a smile when you travel from shore to shore.
Ghostface Killah, “Nuggets of Wisdom,” from BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah’s Sour Soul, 2015. More nuggets of wisdom from Ghost… -
I’m a true master, you can check my credentials
Cause I choose to use my infinite potential.Jeru tha Damaja, “Come Clean,” The Sun Rises in the East, 1994 -
It’s like every step bring me close to destiny,
And every breath I get closer to the death of me.
I’m just tryna carry out my own legacy,
But the place I call home ain’t lettin’ me.Joey Bada$$, “Like Me,” B4.DA.$$, 2015 -
Most people don’t make love no more,
They just fuck and they fight.
What happened to the stay-togethers?
I’m with you, and that means forever.Big K.R.I.T., “Soul Food,” Cadillactica, 2014 -
Fear is weakness, learn from what experience teaches.
Beware of leeches, the vampires, my secrets…
Never follow, cause most niggas is straight up cowards.
Take care of my body’s the temple, my mind is the power.Nas, “Self Conscience,” from Nas & Ill Will Records Presents QB’s Finest, 2000. More from Nas > -
Happiness is temporary, always has been.
I just lost one…but sometimes I win,
I always spread love…but sometimes I sin.Joey Bada$$, “On & On," B4.DA.$$, 2015 -
I start thinking:
How many souls hip-hop has affected?
How many dead folks this art resurrected?
How many nations this culture connected?
Who am I to judge one’s perspective?Common, “6th Sense,” Like Water for Chocolate, 2000. More from Common… -
My duration’s infinite, money-wise or physiology.
Nas, “Memory Lane (Sittin’ In Da Park),” Illmatic, 1994. More from Nasir Jones…1994, dj premier, east coast, illmatic, money, nas, new york, philosophy, queens, queensbridge, time -
Rap is like a set-up…a lot of games,
A lot of suckers with colorful names.
‘I’m so-and-so,’ ‘I’m this, I’m that.’
But they all just wick-wick-wack.KRS-One, “My Philosophy,” from BDP’s By All Means Necessary, 1988. More from KRS… -
Different day, same shit, same script, different plate
This the way of the world, and I’m just tryin’ ta fit in place.Oddisee, “First Step,” from Diamond District’s March on Washington, 2014 -
They’d rather see me fail than succeed,
That’s why I’m alone on my own with no team.
Don’t need no green, though I got some to spend;
In the end…all I really need is a friend.Bishop Nehru, “So Alone,” from Bishop Nehru + MF DOOM’s NehurvianDOOM, 2014 -
Some people tell me that I need help.
…Some people can fuck off and go to hell.B-Real, “Illusions,” Cypress Hill’s III: Temples of Boom, 1995. -
Everybody looking at you crazy,
What you gon’ do?
Lift up your head and keep moving,
Or let the paranoia haunt you?Kendrick Lamar, “I,” 2014. More from K.Dot… -
Murder isn’t a crime when you just killing time.
Oddisee, “Killing Time,” Tangible Dream, 2013. More from Oddisee… -
I never asked to be born, and death’s no question.
The sun’s still shining off the same old lessons,
Then why does life feel like an educated guess?
And my thoughts are like meals…I’m a sucker for the seconds.Oddisee, “Own Appeal,” Tangible Dream, 2013. More from Oddisee… -
You can’t tell a motherfucker what to do with his life,
Niggaz tend to live trife…so I react with the mic.Lil Dap, “Speak Ya Clout” from Gang Starr’s Hard to Earn, 1994. More Gang Starr quotes… -
And through our travels we get separated, never forget:
In order to survive, got to learn to live with regrets.Jay Z, “Regrets,” Reasonable Doubt, 1996 -
Most rappers these days is actors,
And I can’t keep watching the same movie.Mick Jenkins, “Jazz,” The Water[s], 2014 -
We could fight the fuss till we get like friends,
Or somebody bite the dust and we split like ends.
Even in our wildest moments, girl, I’m on it cause you’re worth it.
Practice makes perfect, so we fightin’ for a purpose.A$AP Rocky, “Wildest Moments (Remix),” from Jessie Ware’s Devotion, 2013 -
You see, if you ever wanted to ever be anything,
There’d always be somebody that shoot down any dream.
There’ll always be haters, that’s the way it is:
Hater niggas marry hater bitches, and have hater kids.Kanye West, “Bring Me Down,” Late Registration, 2005. More gems from ‘Ye -
See, it really ain’t about if you eatin’ or not eatin’.
It’s freedom or not freedom. Breathin’ or not breathin’.
Another day, another way, another dollar spent;
Gotta make a revolution out of fifteen cent.Dead Prez, “The Grind,” from Erykah Badu’s Worldwide Underground, 2008. Read more Dead Prez quotes… -
My life is a blunt to the head, a prayer for the dead,
Run around hustlin…scared of the feds.
They said death is eternal sleep,
But the only thing is you ain’t really sure if you prepared for the bed.Styles P, “My Life,” A Gangster and a Gentleman, 2002 -
There comes a time in every man’s life when he’s gotta handle up on his own.
Can’t depend on friends to help you in a squeeze,
Please…they got problems of their own.Slim Kid Tre, “Runnin’”, from Pharcyde’s Labcabincalifornia, 1995. More Pharcyde quotes… -
You got to give a damn
If you do not give a fuck.Andre 3000, “High Schoolin’,” Light It Up Soundtrack, 1999. More Outkast quotes… -
Don’t clock anybody, let them all clock you,
Don’t be down with anybody, let them all be down with you.
Stay self-managed, self-kept, self-taught,
Be your own man; don’t be borrowed, don’t be bought.Heavy D, “We Got Our Own Thang,” Heavy D & The Boyz’ Big Tyme, 1989 -
You don’t know about hell unless you walk through it;
Can’t recognize the devil’s face unless you talk to it.Apathy, “School for Scoundrels,” 2012 -
I switched my motto:
Instead of sayin’ ‘Fuck tomorrow,’
That buck that bought a bottle
Coulda struck the Lotto.Nas, “Life’s a Bitch,” Illmatic, 1994. Plenty more Nas quotes > -
People ask for God, ‘till the day He comes,
See God’s face…turn around and run.
God sees the face of a man,
Shaking his head, says “He’ll never understand.”Dice Raw, “Understand,” from The Roots’ …and then you shoot your cousin, 2014. More lyrics by The Legendary Roots Crew… -
I’d rather make one righteous dollar on my level
Than make a million dollars spittin’ rhymes for the devil.KRS-One, “True School,” from DJ Jean Maron’s True School, 2014 -
A thug changes, and love changes,
And best friends become strangers.Nas, “The Message,” It Was Written, 1996 -
I’m livin’ in times where my daughters are found around
Kids who can’t afford thinking caps…
But always found drinkin’ raps and eatin’ off beats,
Claimin’ laws of the streets. But who made the laws?
Everybody playin’ rebel with no sign of a cause.Posdnuos, “Held Down,” from De La Soul’s AOI: Bionix, 2001. More from De La Soul… -
Could hate a person, but in fact it’s not worth it.
Never know how long you’ve got on this earth, kid.Large Professor, “In the Sun,” First Class, 2002 -
Question religion, question it all,
Question existence until them questions are solved.Jay-Z, “Heaven,” Magna Carta Holy Grail, 2013. More Jay-Z quotes… -
And I’m not sure why I’m infatuated with death,
My imagination is surely an aggravation of threats…
Maybe cause I’m a dreamer, and sleep is the cousin of death,
Really stuck in the scheme of wondering when I’mma rest.Kendrick Lamar, “Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst," good kid, m.A.A.d city, 2012. More Kendrick Lamar quotes… -
You don’t really get why I’m so pissed?
Understand this:
I’m an artist, and I’m sensitive about my shit.Tech N9ne, “Fragile,” Something Else, 2013 -
If you ain’t using all the talents God provided you with
For the betterment of Man, understand,
You ain’t nothing but a waste.Talib Kweli, “State of Grace,” Gravitas, 2013. More Talib Kweli quotes… -
My feet might fail me, my heart might ail me,
The synagogues of Satan might accuse or jail me,
Strip, crown, nail me, brimstone hail me…
They might defeat the flesh but they could never ever kill me.
They might feel the music but could never ever feel me.Jay Electronica, “Better In Tune With the Infinite,” 2014 -
It seems to me like all these people claim to be the victim,
Acting like the whole entire world is out to get them.
Stand up on your own,
And prove that you are grown,
Because the life that you save may be your own.Lee Majors, “Maybe,” from Da Bush Babees’ Gravity, 1996 -
Why is the world round?
Why do the suckas bite?
Why do the freaks come out at night?
Why they paint Jesus white?
I sit and wonder why we breakin hip-hop laws,
Doing videos in houses that we know ain’t yours.Lee Majors, “S.O.S.,” from Da Bush Babees’ Gravity, 1996 -
How can they say feeling good is an addiction?
But the world is full of shit, so I don’t listen,
In fact, ‘we livin’ to die’ is a contradiction.ScHoolboy Q, “Oxymoron,” Oxymoron, 2014 -
On the real, fuck your opinion.
I made it this far, and you broke.Troy Ave, “Classic Feel,” New York City: The Album, 2013 -
Just ‘cause you got money don’t mean you made it.
Just ’cause you make it, don’t give you the right to be on that fake shit.Talib Kweli, “Another World,” 12", 1999. More Talib Kweli quotes… -
What if somebody from the Chi that was ill got a deal on the hottest rap label around?
But he wasn’t talking ‘bout coke and birds, it was more like spoken word,
Except he’s really puttin’ it down.Kanye West, “Through the Wire,” The College Dropout, 2004. The highly influential debut album was released 10 years ago, on February 10, 2004. More Kanye West Quotes… -
Life is something you can’t borrow and give back;
Here today and gone tomorrow…just like that.E-40, “The Story,” Tha Hall of Game, 1996 -
Two wrongs don’t make it right, but it damn sure makes us even.
Sticky Fingaz, “2 Wrongs,” from Onyx’s All We Got Iz Us, 1996 -
My old soul remains forever young…
I’ve done it all, and still I’m doing shit that I ain’t ever done.
See, it depends on your definition of winning;
I ain’t started from the bottom, I started from the beginning.Oddisee, “Tangible Dream,” Tangible Dream, 2013 -
…I’ve never had a dream in my life,
Because a dream is what you wanna do, but still haven’t pursued.
I knew what I wanted, and did it till it was done.
So I’ve been the dream I wanted to be since Day One.Aesop Rock, “No Regrets,” Labor Days, 2001. More Aesop Rock quotes… -
You can take back all the things you give,
But you can’t take back the days you live.
Life is to some people who’ve been on earth
Livin’ every single day for what it’s worth.
I live life just how I please,
Satisfy one person I know: that’s me.Too $hort, “Life Is.. Too $hort,” Life Is… Too $hort, 1988 -
I got a lot of things to do, a lot of money to make;
I got no time for you and all the moves you fake.JuJu, “Props Over Here,” from The Beatnuts’ Street Level, 1994 -
Play the game for my people, stay in charge of your dreams.
Keep your vision focused, get wise, and largen your C.R.E.A.M.AZ, “New Life,” Pieces of a Man, 1998. More AZ quotes. -
Now I don’t want to be a dopeman, listen:
I didn’t have a dime, a nickel, penny, a pot to piss in.
See, all my clothes had holes and they fit tight,
Pray to God cause it’s hard trying to live right.
Waiting on the train, can’t hang with the street gangs,
Making me insane, putting rain on my whole brain.
But the train means change to better thangs;
Can’t live with the negative and ghetto pains.
Can’t be late, can’t wait to get to where we’re going,
Almost ten to four and I’m sure that the train is showing.
But I ain’t sure where it goes, I don’t really know it,
But I got faith, that’s all it takes to get to where we’re going.2Pac, “The D-Flo Shuttle,” from Digital Underground’s Sons of the P, 1991. More 2Pac Quotes. -
I can’t relate to livin’ less than great.
Large Professor, “Stress (Extra P Remix),” from Organized Konfusion’s Stress 12", 1994 -
Niggas out here buyin’ hoes bags n’ shoes,
But couldn’t buy their kid a new coat for school?
Damn.Troy Ave, “My Grind,” New York City: The Album, 2013 -
I got a head full of headaches, a heart that’s full of woes.
I’m constantly singin’ them down home blues, and not many people knows
That leaves me with a twisted view of the whole wide world as I know it…
And I guess I got no choice but to be a poet.Aceyalone, “Headaches & Woes,” All Balls Don’t Bounce, 1995 -
You’re living up in Heaven, but I know you’re mad as Hell.
MF Grimm, “Do It For the Kids,” 12”, 1998. More from MF Grimm. -
All I need is one life, one try, one breath, I’m one man.
What I stand for speaks for itself…they don’t understand.Nas, “One Mic,” Stillmatic, 2001. More from Nas. -
Do the math: You never settle for less than the whole if you knew the half.
Talib Kweli, “Violations,” Gravitas, 2013. More Talib Kweli quotes -
Up against Goliath, to bring butter home.
I’m David on pavement, sling another stone.Ka, “Up Against Goliath,” Grief Pedigree, 2012 -
You download it for free, we get charged back for it.
I know you’re saying, “They won’t know, they won’t miss it,
Besides, I ain’t a thief, they won’t pay me a visit.”
So, if I come to your job, take your corn on the cob,
And take a couple kernels off it, that would be alright with you?Andre 3000, “What a Job,” from Devin the Dude’s Waitin to Inhale, 2007 -
The world is kinda cold and the rhythm is my blanket.
Q-Tip, “Verses from the Abstract,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, 1991 -
What’s better than tripping is falling in love.
What’s better than Letterman, Leno, Fallon, and all the above?
What’s better than popping bottles trying to ball in the club?
Is the first caveman pops with his son, ball and a club.
What’s better than paper is balling it up.
What’s better than followers is actually falling in love.
What’s better than frolicking, follies, fallin in mud?
Rolling in green pastures, wandering, following love.
What’s better than eating is feeding your fam.
What’s better than meetings is missing meetings to meet with your fam.
What’s better than leaning and needing your Xan?
Is hitting your zan dreaming a dream could mean leaving the land.
What’s better than yelling is hollering love.
What’s better than rhymes, nickles, dimes, dollars, and dubs?
Is dialing up your darling just for calling her up.
There ain’t nothing better than falling in love.Chance the Rapper, “Interlude (That’s Love),” Acid Rap, 2013 -
Be a king? Think not.
Why be a king when you can be a God?Eminem, “Rap God,” The Marshall Mathers LP 2, 2013 -
Pain is joy when it cries, it’s my smile in disguise.
Pusha T, “Pain,” My Name is My Name, 2013 -
I’ve been layin’, waiting for your next mistake,
I put in work, and watch my status escalate.Guru, “Work,” from Gang Starr’s Moment of Truth, 1998 -
Why do I need ID to get ID?
If I had ID, I wouldn’t need ID.Mos Def, “The Questions,” from Common’s Like Water for Chocolate, 2000 -
Every time I write these words they become a taboo,
Making sure my punctuation curve, every letter here’s true,
Living my life in the margin, and that metaphor was proof.Kendrick Lamar, “Poetic Justice,” good kid, m.A.A.d city, 2012 -
And as for the critics, tell me I don’t get it.
Everybody can tell you how to do it, they never did it.Jay-Z, “Already Home,” The Blueprint 3, 2009 -
Others tell like it is, while I tell it how I would like it to be.
Cee-Lo, “The World I Know,” from Slam The Soundtrack, 1998 -
What you base your happiness around?
Material, women, and large paper?
That means you inferior, not major.Nas, “No Idea’s Original,” The Lost Tapes, 2002 -
I live by the beat like you live check to check.
If you don’t move your feet then I don’t eat,
So we like neck to neck.André Benjamin, “Elevators (Me & You),” from Outkast’s ATLiens, 1996