The day Obama got elected, the gangsta became less relevant. Jay-Z More Quotes by Jay-Z More Quotes From Jay-Z I couldn't even think about wanting to be something else; I wouldn't let myself visualize another life. But I wrote because I couldn't stop. It was a release, a mental exercise, a way of keeping sane. Jay-Z exercisewaythinking If I don't show the world growth, how are we going to grow? Jay-Z growthshowsworld You shared one of the most intimate things that ever happened to you - falling in love with someone who wasn't brave enough to love you back. Your relieving yourself of your 'secret' is as much about wanting to honestly connect as it is about exhibition. We are all made better by your decision to share publicly. Jay-Z falling-in-lovedecisionlove-you When I listen to great music, the first thing I wonder is what people were saying when this came out of the speakers in the studio. I want to know what happened when they played it and said, "This is the one!" Jay-Z wantpeoplefirsts If I was to stop making music tomorrow doesn't mean suddenly there is this gap. You don't get elected. The people decide where you are. Whether I'm here or not, if they want you to be at the top then the people will move me out the way. Jay-Z determinationmeanmoving Well I'm not just gon' go and do rap songs. I wanna touch, and maybe help, and see what I can do in these areas.' As I start looking around me, looking at things in ways that I can become helpful, starting at the first thing, water. Something as simple as water. Jay-Z rapsimplesong Which is the other reason hip-hop is controversial: People don't bother trying to get it. The problem isn't in the rap or the rapper or the culture. The problem is that so many people don't even know how to listen to the music. Jay-Z raphip-hoppeople It was a weird mix of emotions. One day, your best friend could be killed. The day before, you could be celebrating him getting a brand-new bike. Jay-Z one-dayemotionfriendship When you listen to an album, it shouldn't feel like, "That's the girl song," "That's the club song." I shouldn't know what you're thinking while you're making the song. I don't want to know what the artist is thinking. Jay-Z girlartistsong And through our travels we get separated, never forget: Jay-Z rapregretorder Growing up, politics never trickled down to the areas we come from. But people from Obama's camp, and Obama himself, reached out to me and asked for my help on the campaign. We've sat and had dinner, and we've spoken on the phone. He's a very sharp guy. Very charming. Very cool. Jay-Z growing-upphonespeople And now we're lethal, infected with D'Evils Jay-Z evil Never prayed to God, I prayed to Gotti, that's right it's wicked, that's life I live it. Ain't askin' for forgiveness for my sins. I gotta get my soul right, I gotta get these Devils out my life. Lord forgive him, He got them dark forces in. connected to the high power. 666. I can introduce you to evil. Jay-Z soulevildark I like a girl who spend a little cash for her shoes. Jay-Z cashshoesgirl A poet's mission is to make words do more work than they normally do, to make them work on more than one level. Jay-Z missionspoetlevels What people do in their own homes is their business, and you can choose to love whoever you love. That's their business. It's no different than discriminating against blacks. It's discrimination, plain and simple. Jay-Z gaysimplehome I spring train in the winter, around early December... Jay-Z rapperwinterspring I'm a person that works off of music. I let the music dictate the direction. Jay-Z personal-growthpersons I'm gonna fight, and I'm gonna make something out of nothing. That's pretty much the American dream. So, for me, the realization that I could speak to people like that came first on a small scale. Then it just started happening. I started having this vibration. Jay-Z fightingdreampeople It was a very intense and stressful situation. There was playing in the Johnny-pump (an opened fire hydrant) and the ice-cream man coming around and all of these games that we'd play, and suddenly it would turn just violent and there would be shootings at 12 in the afternoon on any given day. Jay-Z ice-creamfiremen
