What I Take From Writers I Like

With Guys I Revere, Like Marcus Garvey Or Malcolm X, Their Look Is Less About Style Than Purpose And The Expression Of Beauty. It Wasn't Just About Being Noticed, You Know?

Make Today's Solid Ground Out Of Yesterday's Quicksand.

Mos Def Is A Name That I Built And Cultivated Over The Years, It's A Name That The Streets Taught Me, A Figure Of Speech That Was Given To Me By The Culture And By My Environment, And I Feel I've Done Quite A Bit With That Name. [but] It's Time To Expand And Move On.

Good Art Provides People With A Vocabulary About Things They Can't Articulate.

Record Companies Are Not Necessarily Interested In You Realizing Your Artistic Dream. The Bottom Line Is That They Got To Sell Records.