Top 231 Quotes & Sayings by Rakim - Page 2

I know how to read music, watching my mom and listening to Mom play music.

One of the main reasons why it didn't work out for me and Aftermath is because I felt my music should sound one way, and they felt it should sound another. But, I learned a lot from watching Dre, and when I left California, I knew it was time for me to get my own label.

I'm not a mainstream artist. But I've seen my kids being born; I've seen them take their first steps, I've seen them grow up and start school. That's worth more to me than any umpteen million dollars.

Music, life, a lot of the things that we go through in the world, a lot of questions that we have about the world inspires me.

We gotta let hip-hop grow. We gotta let it go through its different phases throughout the different places that's accepting it.

It's hard to have fun and make a fun album when you know that it's something that you need to say.

People always tell me that they grew up with me - like I'm their brother or uncle or some other family member. That keeps me going.

I stick to my guns - that's what keeps me going as an artist. Stevie Wonder never changed from what he wanted to do, and each new album that came along was dope.

I was an underground artist, but the underground status was successful. Coming from where I came from to see where rap is now, now artists are selling from a million to eight million copies.

I'm more of a wordsmith, so I like taking different words and trying to see what I can do with them - as many things as possible.

My kids listen to rap, so I try to keep up with as much as I can.

I was an athlete in college - a quarterback, a leader - so people telling me what to do doesn't work.

My thing was, I loved music. I played music: I played the saxophone. So the little bit of music knowhow I had, I tried to implement that in every thing I did, from my style, my cadence, the way I tried to pause and stagnate it; that all came from John Coltrane and listening to jazz albums. Trying to rhyme like a jazz player.

Lil Wayne is doing his thing, and so is Drake.

To me, sometimes things outside of rap inspire me to rap.

You've really got to appreciate an artist that's really outspoken and feels like his music can change the world.

I try to make my flow sound like a John Coltrane solo.

New York is responsible for bringing that raw, that real gritty hip-hop, because we... originated it.

There are certain things that I wish people knew - certain things that I feel I started and certain things that I'm responsible for. Sometimes you wish people knew where a certain style of rapping came from or who was the first one to say whatever.

Sometimes I write from the end of the verse to the beginning of the verse.

I had nothing but respect for Pac.

I don't believe in writer's block. I'll get stuck, but being stuck, I'll still write a verse. If you know where you're going, you can always start from there and work your way back.

I'm definitely one of them artists that loves putting the track on and having fun with it, but in my own way.

As a young artist, especially in rap and at that time that I came out, originality was big.

I was heavily influenced by Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee, Grandmaster Caz, but I kind of wanted to take it somewhere else.

I'm not in that state of mind that I was back in '86 - hip-hop is not in that state of mind that it was back in '86. Times change. I change.

I'm very smart with my paper! I stopped buying things for myself a long time ago - now I just buy things for my kids or my wife.

When I started rhyming, my favorite rhythms were from John Coltrane and some of the things he did on sax. And certain rhythms that I hear on drums, I try to emulate with my words, dropping on the same patterns that them beats or them notes would hit.

Everything derives from the mind. From sex to the way you want people to perceive you to anything in life, it all derives from the mind. If people start realizing this and get deeper into themselves they'll realize there's nothing that they can't do.

Everything becomes too normal after a while.

Sometimes I can't believe half of the love that I get.

I love listening to old records to keep nostalgic feeling; it allows me to not lose the love for hip-hop.

Stay wise and the mind is untouchable.

Once you start making money you have to put things into perspective.

Timeless, so age don't count in the booth When your flow stay submerged in the fountain of youth

I seen her in the subway, on my way to Brooklyn. "Hello, good lookin, is this seat tooken?" On the A Train, pickin at her brain, I couldn't get her number, I couldn't get her name. I said, "I still like your style and fashion, But I hate your hot sadiddy attitude wit a passion. Is it because brothers like to hawk a lot? Is it because your sign don't talk a lot?" She turned away, no play, I said, "OK, You don't really look good, I hope you have a bad day."

The physical was never the best part of the body.

When you get to know your self, you get to know everyone and everything on the planet.

I don't work out too much. I just do some pushups when I feel the right hook is getting a lil weak.

You can look in a book of wrong and learn more right. If you're reading a book that has all wrong in it , you're learning what not to do.

I try to keep myself out of the unnecessary bullshit.

I'm just an addict, addicted to music Maybe it's a habit...I gotta use it.

I start to think, and then I sink Into the paper like I was ink When I'm writing, I'm trapped in between the lines I escape when I finish the rhyme.

So I start my mission- leave my residence Thinkin how could I get some dead presidents

Back in the day, music imitated life. Now it's the opposite way around: life is imitating music. It's like whatever the rappers say, people think that that's how we're supposed to be; but back then, we kind of looked at the streets, and we made music for that.

I just try to do me and stay out of harms way.

Let's travel at magnificent speeds around the universe What could you say as the Earth gets further and further away Planets are small as balls of clay Astray into the Milky Way, world's outasight Far as the eye can see, not even a satellite Now stop and turn around and look As you stare in the darkness, your knowledge is took! So keep starin' soon you suddenly see a star You better follow it, cause it's the R.

It 's amazing how Allah made the mind to the point where we almost alike me and you, we almost see the same. But we got different aspects of things. Certain things are what they call common sense. Allah made it like that meaning there's only one mind, be we all occupy it. Some of us dig into it a little deeper. Some of us are lazy on it. There's only one right and one wrong.

What's powerful about the mind, the mind comes through every physical and when the physical goes the mind still exists.

You can't win for losing.

Teach the youth to speak the truth, show them what peace can do

Take 7 emcees put em in a line And add 7 more brothers who think they can rhyme It'll take 7 more before I go for mine And that's 21 emcees ate up at the same time.

I think half of our life is written out for us and things happen the way their supposed to happen.

Allah's blessings is like everyday. I can't do nothing without mentioning ALLAH or one of his words. I can't do nothing without coming across one of his blessings or doing something and be like that's Allah talking to me or something happen to me and I say Allah gave me that.

The mind is one of Allah's best designs.

Not follow me but follow the lyrics.

I get a craving like I fiend for nicotine. But I don't need a cigarette, know what I mean?

It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at.

Thinkin' of a master plan Cause ain't nothin' but sweat inside my hand.

It's a bold statement but I think people need to read between the lines.