My mom used to be concerned 'cause I would never go outside. And when I'd go outside, I'd have friends, but I just was always in the house listening to music, practicing DJing all the time. Then my uncle got a keyboard, drum machine, so I'd just be in the house at 12, 13, just, like, messing up his presets. And my mom was like, 'My son is strange.'

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

Categorized in : Son Time Mom Music

For the future, be true to yourself. If you're gonna be influenced by someone be influenced by them. Don't cop them so much that you're a clone. No one wants to deal with a clone. There's not that much more substance in being a clone, but definitely be influenced by people...take what you can from that and sculpt it into your own situation. In doing so, you'll be happy and I think your people will be happy listening to what you do.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

listening people thinking

There's the shared imagery between hip-hop and comics, with some producers and emcees taking on super hero personas.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

emcee hip-hop hero

There have been a lot of hip-hop artists who have made a difference to people's lives, spreading the message of the struggle and representing for those who have overcome adversity.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

adversity artist struggle

I am the ambassador to the world. I use music to talk to the world - to try to unite masses. To try to spark conversations. To try and evoke legislation to change that'll really be for the people. That's behind-the-scenes kind of thing for me. And that's what the music is for me.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

trying people world

Hip-hop was the culture that I grew up with; I am part of this culture.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

hips hip-hop culture

That's always been the process of our music, in a sense, keeping it simple, not being so heavy that you are beating people over the head, it's just weighted down and it's like, "oohhh I can't relate." People are able to relate because we talked about things that everyone has experienced, it doesn't matter your race or genre. Music was your mainstay. There was something in our element of music that connected.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

race simple people

I do think that hip-hop has a relationship with comic book culture, and Kung Fu movies too, for that matter.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

hip-hop book thinking

When you are creating something artistically and are speaking to or representing a culture that you know truthfully, you are doing a good job.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

creating jobs culture

Take emceeing, one of the foundations of hip-hop culture. A guy grabs a mic, steps up on stage and becomes a spokesman; the voice of the people. If anything, that might be the strongest similarity between hip-hop and comic books, with super heroes, like many rappers, fighting to make a change.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

fighting hero book

I think that any story that intends on being culturally authentic and true to life experiences will be a great story. Even if that culture isn't a hip-hop-centric one.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

true-life hip-hop thinking

In 2016, the conversation of the black experience is so broad, and it's very raw. I mean, c'mon, we have a black president. That's a major thing, and there are so many other significant occurrences that have come from the '60s and '70s up to now.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

black president mean

Much of hip-hop, like comic books, is fantastical by nature, too.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

hips hip-hop book

The basic idea of a hero rising up to represent an oppressed or disenfranchised group of people is as true to hip-hop as it is comic book lore.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

hero book ideas

The DJ still has the relationship with the people, I believe. I don't know to call the DJ 'the ambassadors' or what, but we still are connecting the dots, getting the good stuff and passing it on to the people. DJs still have relevance, even with the technology that elevates the DJ beyond being a selector.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

good technology relationship people

Discipline is not consistency, and the reason why I say that is - like, for an example, making prayer five times a day, that establishes routine and consistency. That I can do. And having certain fundamental consistencies in business, can do. But time management, outside of that, that's where that's a challenge.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

day business prayer time

Because I express myself through the music, I want to be responsible in that expression and how it carries on well after I'm here. But that's just me.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

myself me music want

That's the beautiful thing about being an artist, is you can take risks and take chances and hopefully be secure enough to just keep going with it if you fall flat on your face.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

face you keep-going beautiful

Corporations always are controlling things, and we have the ability every day to do something about that. Every day.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

every-day day things always

Some people become artists for whatever reasons. Some of it's frivolous. And I don't think there should be any shame on that, but I think there comes a point in life where you want to offer more.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

think you life people

Here in America, our use of time is not harmonious with humanity's better spirit.

Ali Shaheed Muhammad

better humanity time america