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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

When you have a reputation for making not only good songs but great albums, that in itself creates added artistic pressure. But, at the end of the day, I guess that pressure is something I welcome.
JAY-Z

Album Artistic Create End Good Great Guess Make Only Pressure Reputation Something Song
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
I’m going to make a very bold statement: Hip-hop has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations.
JAY-Z

Anyone Bold Hip Hop Improve Leader Make Politician Race Relation Statement Very
I was a really good student. In the sixth grade, I was reading at a twelfth grade reading level. But I got bored.
JAY-Z

Bore Good Grade Raed Really Six Student Twentieth
Hip-hop has done more for race relations than most cultural icons; and I say save Martin Luther King, because his ‘I Have A Dream’ speech was realized when Obama was elected into office.
JAY-Z

Culture Done Dream Hip Hop Icon More Most President Relation Say Speech
What people have to understand is ‘Billboard’ is a magazine. They’re like elected officials – they work for us.
JAY-Z

Billboard Elected Magazine Official People Understand 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?
JAY-Z

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Everyone’s supposed to stay in their lines and be neat. ‘You’re a rapper. You’re supposed to rap, carry a boom box, wear chains, and go to the club – that’s all you do. What are you doing collecting art?
JAY-Z

Bottom Box Chain Everyone Line Neat Rapper Stay Suppose Wear
My first album was mainly dealing with street issues, and it was ‘coded’: it was called ‘Reasonable Doubt.’ So the things I was talking about…
JAY-Z

Album Call Code Deal Doubt First Issue Mainly Reasonable Stress Talk
We were living in a tough situation, but my mother managed; she juggled. Sometimes we’d pay the light bill, sometimes we paid the phone, sometimes the gas went off.
JAY-Z

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I think reviews have lost a lot of their importance now because of the Internet; everyone is experiencing things at the same time.
JAY-Z

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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 was talking about in slang, and it was something that people in the music business was not really privy to. They didn’t understand totally what I was saying or what I was talking about.
JAY-Z

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Do you know how many athletes go broke three years after they stop playing? I want to help them hold on to their money. I mean, I know about budgets.
JAY-Z

After Athletes Broken Help Hol Know Many Money Play Pressure Stop Three Year
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

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When I listen to Amy Winehouse, I believe that her heart and soul is in the music, or if I listen to other British artists like Duffy or Estelle. The aesthetic of it is different, and it’s my point of view. It’s not anything formulaic.
JAY-Z

Artist Believe Celebrity Country Heart Listen Music Other People Person Soul

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.

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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.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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