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You make your first album, you make some money, and you feel like you still have to show face, like ‘I still go to the projects.’ I’m like, why? Your job is to inspire people from your neighborhood to get out. You grew up there. What makes you think it’s so cool?

Jay-Z

I think that’s what happened to the record business when ‘Napster’ came around. The industry rejected what was happening instead of accepting it as change.
JAY-Z

Accept Business Change Happen Industry Instead Record Reject Think
It’s hilarious a lot of times. You have a conversation with someone, and he’s like, ‘You speak so well!’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean? Do you understand that’s an insult?
JAY-Z

Conversation Hilarious Like Lot Somehow Speak Time Well
The average rap life is two or three albums. You’re lucky to get to your second album in rap!
JAY-Z

Album Average Life Luck Rap Second Thre Two
I have no idea what my teacher’s intentions were – whether she was trying to inspire us or if she actually thought visiting her Manhattan brownstone with her view of Central Park qualified as a school trip.
JAY-Z

Actual Brownstone Idea Inspire Intension Qualify School Teacher Thought Trip Try Visit
You don’t have that fear. So why do you think people get stuck in those boxes? It’s that fear of going back down.
JAY-Z

Back Boz Down Fear People Stuck Think
We have to stretch out the audience. It can’t be this narrow – we have to stretch out the point of view.
JAY-Z

Audience Narrow Out Point Stretch View
Your job is to inspire people from your neighborhood to get out.
JAY-Z

Inspire Job Neighbourhoodm Out People
If I go into a studio and find my truth of the moment, there are a number of people in the world who can relate to what I’m saying and are going to buy into what I’m doing. Not because it’s the new thing of the moment, but because it’s genuine emotion. Its how I feel. This is how I articulate the world.
JAY-Z

Find Go Moment Number People Relate Say Studio Truth World
I came into this music business at 26 years old. I was a fully developed man at that point. At that age, I didn’t have anything to prove.
JAY-Z

Age Anything Busines Develop Fully Man Music Old Point Prove Six Twenty Year
People wanted to make products based on our child’s name, and you don’t want anybody trying to benefit off your baby’s name.
JAY-Z

Anybody Baby Benefit Child Make Name People Want Product Try Want
I’m hungry for knowledge. The whole thing is to learn every day, to get brighter and brighter. That’s what this world is about.
JAY-Z

Brighter Day Every Hungry Knowledge Learn Thing World
I’ve got a nice collection of paintings – a Basquiat, a black-and-white Warhol that’s like a Rorschach test, and I commissioned Takashi Murakami to do a ten-foot joint for me. It’s almost like the explosion in Hiroshima with his famous skeleton head. There’s a wall above my fireplace reserved for it.
JAY-Z

Collection Commission Country Nice Painting Person Test White
All my businesses are part of the culture, so I have to stay true to whatever I’m feeling at the time, whatever direction I’m heading in.
JAY-Z

All Business Culture Direction Feeling Heading Part Stay Time True
As kids we didn’t complain about being poor; we talked about how rich we were going to be and made moves to get the lifestyle we aspired to by any means we could. And as soon as we had a little money, we were eager to show it.
JAY-Z

Aspire Being Complain Going Kid Lifestyle Made Move Poor Rich Talk
I would run into the corner store, the bodega, and just grab a paper bag or buy juice – anything just to get a paper bag. And I’d write the words on the paper bag and stuff these ideas in my pocket until I got back. Then I would transfer them into the notebook.
JAY-Z

Anything Bag Come Grab Juice Paper Run Store
I’m just saying the producers and people who work on music are getting left out – that’s when it starts getting criminal. It’s like you’re working hard, and you’re not receiving. In any other business, people would be standing before Congress. They have antitrust laws against this kind of behavior.
JAY-Z

Accomplish Criminal Get Left Lost Out People Produce Say Start Transition When Work

You make your first album, you make some money, and you feel like you still have to show face, like ‘I still go to the projects.’ I’m like, why? Your job is to inspire people from your neighborhood to get out. You grew up there. What makes you think it’s so cool?

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You make your first album, you make some money, and you feel like you still have to show face, like ‘I still go to the projects.’ I’m like, why? Your job is to inspire people from your neighborhood to get out. You grew up there. What makes you think it’s so cool?

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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