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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

When Basquiat was hanging out with Madonna and Fab Five Freddy, and all those worlds were colliding, people have to realize hip-hop and the arts were like this ’cause we both were outcasts.
JAY-Z

Basquait Celebrity Collide Country Hand Out People Person Those Word
I’ve always believed in good music over bad music. I believe in two sorts of musics. And the lines that separate us, I don’t believe in that. That’s for people who need to easily define what they’re hearing. Me, I’m cool with everything and anything I’m hearing that’s music. It comes under one definition for me.
JAY-Z

Always Bad Believe Good Music Over
Your job is to inspire people from your neighborhood to get out.
JAY-Z

Inspire Job Neighbourhoodm Out People
We wasn’t allowed inside the galleries or inside Yankee Stadium. We were writing in the street and making music.
JAY-Z

Allow Gallery Inside Make Music Stadium Street Writing Yankee
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 think the problem with people, as they start to mature, they say, ‘Rap is a young man’s game,’ and they keep trying to make young songs. But you don’t know the slang – it changes every day, and you’re just visiting. So you’re trying to be something you’re not, and the audience doesn’t buy into that.
JAY-Z

Game Kemp Try Make Man People Problem Song Think Young
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
If you look at my career and you look at the span of my work and the things I have done, as far as to garner fame, you’ll see that I have turned down more interviews than I do. Or I turn down more things than I do.
JAY-Z

Carrer Fame Garner Interview Look More Out Span Thing Turn Work
When you’re accustomed to wealth, you don’t show it, right? That’s why the white kids in school could wear bummy sneakers; it’s almost like, ‘Don’t show wealth – that’s crass.’
JAY-Z

Accustomed Bummy Kid Right School Show Speaker Wealth Wear
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
Excellence is being able to perform at a high level over and over again. You can hit a half-court shot once. That’s just the luck of the draw. If you consistently do it… that’s excellence.
JAY-Z

Again Being Count Excellence Half Hit Once Over Performance Shot
My passion is music, you know, and music influences culture, influences lifestyle, which leads me to ‘Roc-A-Wear’. I was forced to be an entrepreneur, so that led me to be CEO of ‘Roc-A-Fella’ records, which lead to Def Jam.
JAY-Z

Influence Know Lead Lifestyle Music Passion Wear
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
The burden of poverty isn’t just that you don’t always have the things you need: it’s the feeling of being embarrassed every day of your life, and you’d do anything to lift that burden.
JAY-Z

Always Being Burden Day Embarrass Every Feeling Life Need Poverty Thing
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
No one came to our neighborhoods with stand-up jobs and showed us there’s a different way. Maybe, had I seen different role models, maybe I’d’ve turned on to that.
JAY-Z

Came Different Job Neighbourhood Our Show Stand Way

I was a really good student. In the sixth grade, I was reading at a twelfth grade reading level. But I got bored.

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I was a really good student. In the sixth grade, I was reading at a twelfth grade reading level. But I got bored.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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