Jay-Z Quotes

Jay-Z
Jay-Z
American Musician
Born: Dec 4, 1969
Good Me Music People Think You
Related authors: Bob Dylan Dolly Parton Frank Sinatra Juice Wrld Kanye West Lil Peep Nipsey Hussle YoungBoy Never Broke Again
I'm a mirror. If you're cool with me, I'm cool with you, and the exchange starts. What you see is what you reflect. If you don't like what you see, then you've done something. If I'm standoffish, that's because you are. Jay-Z
Me You Mirror Reflect Starts See Something Exchange Like Because Done Then Cool
Politics - I still think it's a bunch of liars and a bunch of self-interest. It's not about the people: it's about themselves and their rise to power. They are voting on things based on whether they will have the support of the people when they vote next time. They don't have the balls to say, 'I believe in this. I don't care what happens.' Jay-Z
Politics Time Vote People Voting Care Will Power Believe Think Liars Say About Rise Support Self-Interest Still Balls Bunch dont Care Happens Whether Themselves Next Next Time Based Things
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
You Luck Once Draw Consistently High High Level Able Excellence Perform Over Hit Just Being Again Shot Level
Belief in oneself and knowing who you are, I mean, that's the foundation for everything great. Jay-Z
Great You Everything Oneself Knowing Mean Who Belief Foundation
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. You look at someone like Gandhi, and he glowed. Martin Luther King glowed. Muhammad Ali glows. I think that's from being bright all the time, and trying to be brighter. Jay-Z
Time Day Knowledge You Every Day World King Every Think Ali Hungry About Martin Martin Luther Someone Martin Luther King He Like Look Learn Get Trying Being Muhammad Muhammad Ali Gandhi Whole Bright Brighter Thing Luther
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
Failure You People Fear Lose Never Feels Know Because How Been Than Done Anything Bigger Then Successful Successful People
I've never looked at myself and said that I need to be a certain way to be around a certain sort of people. I've always wanted to stay true to myself, and I've managed to do that. People have to accept that. Jay-Z
Myself People Way Stay Stay True Never True Looked Sort Accept Around Said Always Wanted Certain Certain Way Need
Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk. Martin Luther King walked so Obama could run. Obama's running so we all can fly. Jay-Z
Walk Fly King Run Obama Running Martin Martin Luther Martin Luther King Could Parks Walked Rosa Rosa Parks Sat Luther
I treat people based on who they really are, not the name. Everyone has to be respectful and be a human being. No one's above... That's how I carry it with anybody. Jay-Z
People Human Being Treat Everyone Respectful Carry Above Name How Human Anybody Being Really Who Based
Your job is to inspire people from your neighborhood to get out. Jay-Z
People Inspire Job Neighborhood Out Get Your
Racism is taught in the home. We agree on that? Well, it's very hard to teach racism to a teenager who's listening to rap music and who idolizes, say, Snoop Dogg. It's hard to say, 'That guy is less than you.' The kid is like, 'I like that guy, he's cool. How is he less than me? Jay-Z
Music Home Me You Racism Listening Teenager Say Kid Rap Rap Music Guy He Like Well How Very Than Snoop Dogg Taught Teach Hard Less Who Cool Agree
I think relationships are broken up because of the media. Jay-Z
Broken Think Relationships Because Up Media
That's why this generation is the least racist generation ever. You see it all the time. Go to any club. People are intermingling, hanging out, having fun, enjoying the same music. Hip-hop is not just in the Bronx anymore. It's worldwide. Everywhere you go, people are listening to hip-hop and partying together. Hip-hop has done that. Jay-Z
Music Time You Together Generation People Listening Club This Generation Worldwide Everywhere Out Bronx See Having Having Fun Partying Hip-Hop Least Go Same Any Done Hanging Just Anymore Fun Why Ever Enjoying
They say a midget standing on a giant's shoulders can see much further than the giant. So I got the whole rap world on my shoulders, they trying to see further than I am. Jay-Z
World Say Further Giant Rap See Got Am Than Trying Midget Much Shoulders Standing Whole They Say
It wasn't until sixth grade, at P.S. 168, when my teacher took us on a field trip to her house that I realized we were poor. 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
Teacher Inspire School Thought Field Took Visiting Trip No Idea Park Idea Qualified Until House She Were Trying Grade Sixth Intentions Manhattan Whether Central Central Park Poor Realized Us View Her Actually
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... 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
Music Saying Business People First Doubt Music Business Totally About Something Mainly Talking Understand Dealing Issues Privy Really Reasonable Slang Street Things Album
I was forced to be an artist and a CEO from the beginning, so I was forced to be like a businessman because when I was trying to get a record deal, it was so hard to get a record deal on my own that it was either give up or create my own company. Jay-Z
Beginning Own Record Record Deal Give My Own Like Forced Because Deal Up Get Trying Artist Either CEO Create Hard Businessman Company
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
Money Made Rich Complain Kids About Could Lifestyle Had Soon Talked How Were Get Any Going Being Moves Little Poor Means Little Money Show Aspired Eager
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
Buy Words Corner Back Paper Paper Bag Run Would Pocket Write Bag Stuff Ideas Until Got Juice Grab Get Just Store Transfer Anything Notebook Them Then
No, I'm not interested in politics. I have zero interest. I have interest in hope and people. Jay-Z
Politics Hope People Not Interested Interest Interested Zero
Hip-hop from the beginning has always been aspirational. It always broke that notion that an artist can't think about money as well. Just so long as you separate the two and you're not making music with business in mind. At some point, it has to be real when they touch it, when they listen to it. Something has to resonate with them that's real. Jay-Z
Music You Business Money Mind Resonate Long Beginning Think Broke Some Be Real About Touch Something Point Well Always Making Hip-Hop Real Been Artist Listen Just Them Separate Notion Two
I didn't go to many movies. My mom would make a family outing and bring chicken in the theater. Smell up the whole place. The most impactful movies were 'Godfather II' and 'Scarface'. I loved the human complexity, and those movies are so well shot. Cinematic greatness. I really stopped going in my early twenties. Jay-Z
Mom Family Smell Cinematic Those Complexity Would Outing Most Well Make Go Were Up Chicken Greatness Godfather Going Human Stopped Loved Place Theater Movies Shot Really Many Whole Twenties Bring Early
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? What are you talking about? Wait a minute, you're getting out of the zone.' People hate when people cross lines. Jay-Z
Art You Hate People Rapper Wait Club Everyone Boom Rap Out Collecting Carry Stay Wear Minute About Cross Supposed Box Talking Doing Go Lines Getting Chains Neat Zone
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
Music Good Me People Believe Everything Define Definition Easily Musics Good Music Bad Over Sort Always Lines Hearing Anything Us Separate Who Cool Believed Two Need
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
Business Change Think Record Record Business Instead Industry Napster Around Accepting Came Happened Happening Rejected
Companies that pretend to care about music and really care about other things - whether it be hardware, whether it be advertising - and now they look at music as a loss leader. And we know music isn't a loss leader; music is an important part of our lives. Jay-Z
Music Care Leader Important Other Our Our Lives Pretend About Part Know Look Advertising Important Part Loss Whether Really Companies Now Lives Things Hardware
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