I don’t have time for the news clippings. I got my own mission.

I’ve been called everything. Gangsta rap. I’ve been called conscious rap. You know, everything. Whoever feels like calling it whatever they want to call it, that’s on them.

Working with great people makes you great; you learn a lot and it also gives you the experience and confidence to move on with your own career.

We’re all Africans, everyone – black, white, yellow.

‘Stillmatic’ is the rebirth of ‘Illmatic,’ my first debut album to come out in 1994. ‘Stillmatic’ is me coming full circle in my career and with everything, and just bringing pure hip-hop back.

Every generation witnesses atrocities. People in power try to fulfill prophecy.

Hip-hop is bigger than the South; hip-hop is bigger than New York.

When I say ‘hip-hop is dead,’ basically, America is dead. There is no political voice. Music is dead.

The things that I have said when I was young and curious about whatever the subject matter was, I respect those – those are growing pains. Even if you make mistakes, I go back to...

When you’re a teenager, you want to meet a lot of girls – you want to get the most girls. You don’t know anything about respect; you don’t know anything about being faithful and loyal...

Africa has been going through so much for so many years; it’s time that it stands up the way other nations are standing up.

There was a side of me that knew I was gonna change the game, but I didn’t know how many people would respect it.

DJs play a big responsibility of what hip-hop is doing… At the end of the day, it’s up to us to control and to own hip-hop. DJs need to challenge us rappers. They got so...

Hip-hop is making a lot of noise. It should get some more spotlight.

I talk about life, and I make universal music with an American style – and that’s what I do.

I definitely have plans to do more collaboration albums in the future. I’m a big fan of Common. I’m a big fan of Scarface; I’m a big fan of so many people, from Jeezy to…...

When you have a daughter, you want to protect her from the things that I’ve seen out there, you know, the things that’s out there that ain’t good for her. It’s a crazy world we...

Hip-hop is really standoffish. It’s really competitive and it’s really about who’s number one all the time. Sometimes it gets out of hand.

Anybody I’m dating, I don’t want them to talk about my music. I don’t talk about my music to them.

You can’t please everybody. You’d be crazy if you’re trying to. So take some time out to do some things for yourself.

I’ll always love rap, no matter what’s going on.

I’m just little me, an American who wants to see his country do better.

I think I’ve had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I’m that guy. I’m still blessed with the opportunity to make music and pass out a...

Once you make it to your point of making it, you’ll appreciate the struggle.

I love the art world, I love art galleries, I love what it means – I love art.

I had a pretty public divorce. They’re not easy – divorces – and it took me a long time to really get through.

Man, me and Biggie were the biggest artists in New York. When he passed, I was so messed up. My attitude was messed up about him dying. There was an East-West thing back then, and...

My record company had to beg me to stop filmin’ music videos in the projects. No matter what the song was about, I had ’em out there.

‘Life Is Good’ represents the most beautiful, dramatic and heavy moments in my life.

You know, rap is sort of like a form of talking, right? So it’s like you can hear, you know, the slaves doing it. You can hear, like, you know, Africans and Jamaicans doing it...

Hip-hop is the streets. Hip-hop is a couple of elements that it comes from back in the days… that feel of music with urgency that speaks to you. It speaks to your livelihood and it’s...

I want to sound like an instrument. I want my voice and my words to marry the beat. I go with the rhythm of it and the words start to come to my mind and...

Let’s not forget, art can sell. You ain’t gotta front all the time on your records.

With age comes common sense and wisdom.

N.Y. hip-hop is ok, but we gotta become brave again; we have to be brave enough and do something new – that’s what New York is about… New.

I never stood for any president in my life, never voted, before Barack Obama. It changed my life to vote. It starts there with me. I never cared for politics before Barack Obama. I never...

GaGa is one of my favourites. Her voice is incredible and she’s fearless and she’s ahead of the game. She’s ahead of the entire game, and I admire that.

I just enjoy life now. I just enjoy every morning I get to wake up.

I love PBS! I grew up on it. If I had to say which channels were good, I’d say, you got your PBS, your History Channel, your Discovery.

I think the hip-hop purists are purists through and through. They’re here to criticize all of us. That’s just how it is. We as MC’s criticize each other. That’s the nature of hip-hop.

Calling Michelle ‘Obama Barack’s baby mama?’ Tell me, is that acceptable? But the Obamas aren’t the only targets. Fox’s pattern of race-baiting and fear-mongering regularly focuses on black leaders, black institutions and ordinary black people.

No matter who you are, black, white, green, there’s going to be things in your way, you know what I mean?

I don’t get jealousy, I don’t get how people hate each other – I never did.

Hip-hop artists, especially the older ones, are the ones who knew hip-hop was a worldwide phenomenon before the mainstream caught on, so hip-hop artists are forward thinkers. We want to stay with the new.

The flaws, the mistakes I make – that’s the real me.

I think marriage is a beautiful thing. I’m still a supporter of it.

I like the way hip-hop is now. It’s grown up enough so that it can get involved with politics if it feels like it.

Unfortunately, man, a lot of places in America have to deal with unnecessary violence. Somebody like me who knows it firsthand and could relate… I had a best friend killed, plenty other friends killed. I...

No one’s promised anything. You could have the biggest record on radio and sell no records.

Anybody can be a rapper, but not anybody can be a classical artist.