black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

What people have to understand is ‘Billboard’ is a magazine. They’re like elected officials – they work for us.

Jay-Z

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
Successful people have a bigger fear of failure than people who’ve never done anything because if you haven’t been successful, then you don’t know how it feels to lose it all.
JAY-Z

Anything Bigger Done Failure Fear never People Success Successful
I listen to everything – from Sarah McLachlan and Alanis Morissette all the way down to rap like Scarface, UGK and Lauryn Hill.
JAY-Z

Country Everything Listen People Person Way
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.
JAY-Z

Aspire Complain Kid Lifestyle Made Mean Move Poor Rich
I’ve always wanted to stay true to myself, and I’ve managed to do that. People have to accept that.
JAY-Z

Accept Always Manage Myself People Stay Want
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

Juggled Live Manage Mother She Situation Tough
I try to make music with emotion and integrity. And authenticity.
JAY-Z

Authenticity Emotion Feel Integrity Make Music Something Try
I think relationships are broken up because of the media.
JAY-Z

Broken Media Relationship
I’m just making an observation. They’re crying out for the love that maybe they didn’t get at home, and they got everything.
JAY-Z

Cry Everything Home Love Make Maybe Obsevative
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 don’t profess to be a political rapper, like groups such as ‘Dead Prez’ or ‘Public Enemy’, but I think social commentary should make its way into your music. Speaking on your neighbourhood is social commentary – what happens, what’s going on.
JAY-Z

Commentary Enemy Group Make Political Profess Public Rapper Social Such Way
Nothing me and Kanye can do musically was gonna match the event of what we were trying to do. So we were trying to deliver an album and experience at one time; that was the idea for ‘Watch The Throne’.
JAY-Z

Album Country Deliver Do Event Experience Gonna Ide Match Musically Nothing People Try
My mom always taught me – you know, little boys listen to their moms too much – that whatever you put into something is what you’re going to get out of it.
JAY-Z

Always Boy Go Know Listen Mom Something Taught Whatever
The day Obama got into office, rap was less important because Obama gave kids an alternative. But will rap ever go away? No. There will always be a need for poets.
JAY-Z

Alternative Away Country Every Go Important Kid Office President
I remember the first time I saw the ‘Sugarhill Gang’ on Soul Train. I was 11 or 12. I was like, ‘What’s going on? How did those guys get on national TV?’ And then, when I was a little older, a rapper from the neighborhood got a record deal. I was shocked.
JAY-Z

First Gang Remember Show Soul Sugarhill Time Train
I don’t sit around with my friends and talk about money, ever. On a record, that’s different.
JAY-Z

Album Around Ever Friend Money Rap Record Talk

What people have to understand is ‘Billboard’ is a magazine. They’re like elected officials – they work for us.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

What people have to understand is ‘Billboard’ is a magazine. They’re like elected officials – they work for us.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Jay-Z Quotes