God gave us music, so we play with our words.
Talib Kweli, “Manifesto,” from Lyricist Lounge, Volume 1, 1998. More Talib Kweli quotes
Tag: Reflection Eternal
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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 -
Just because no one can understand how you speak,
Don’t necessarily mean that what you be sayin is deep.Talib Kweli, “Good Mourning,” from Reflection Eternal’s Train of Thought, 2000 -
These niggaz ain’t thugs, the real thugs is the government.
Don’t matter if you Independent, Democrat or Republican,
Niggaz politickin’ the street, get into beef,
Start blastin’…now a new cat is executive chief.Talib Kweli, “Ghetto Afterlife,” from Reflection Eternal’s Train of Thought, 2000 -
Nowadays rap artists coming half-hearted,
Commercial like pop, or underground like black markets.
Where were you the day hip-hop died?
Is it too early to mourn? Is it too late to ride?Talib Kweli, “Too Late,” from Reflection Eternal’s Train of Thought, 2000 -
We speak the love language, they speak from pain and anguish.
Some don’t love theyselves, so they perception is tainted.Talib Kweli, “Love Language,” from Reflection Eternal’s Train of Thought, 2000 -
A flower that grow in the ghetto know more about survival than the one from fresh meadows.
Talib Kweli, “Love Language,” from Reflection Eternal’s Train of Thought, 2000