Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
NPR changed my life; I don't even front.
My dad was a strict Muslim. He had a lot of rules.
I think I was made for live music. It's just great.
The one thing I had pure in my life was creativity.
The streets spoke to me in a way that religion didn't.
We gotta bring new ideas to the table and empower each other.
I want to make other people around me smarter and more powerful.
Fantastic Negrito is a persona, an incarnation in my third phase.
I like going out and looking at people, and they inspire me so much.
Just keep being yourself. Keep being yourself, and people recognize it.
I really loved the hardcore alternative vibe Prince had on 'Dirty Mind.'
Blues purists may hate what I do sometimes because it's a little dirtier.
Usually when tragedy is present, a great art movement is right behind it.
I like being photographed without glasses. I don't want to be pretentious.
Everybody agreed I had all this talent, but I didn't know what to make of it.
It's amazing: when you are challenged with less, sometimes you can produce more.
Ain't nobody more punk rock than Robert Johnson, Lead Belly, even Little Richard.
When I was born, my mother said all the nurses wanted to come see the colored baby.
I think that was always my strength. I was never a great player, but I could write.
My life, my failures. I hope that gives people the lesson to rebuild their own lives.
'In the Pines' is a very old song dating back to slavery. Lead Belly made it popular.
Your dream can die. You will probably give up. But from there, you can start everything over.
I just take things one day at a time. I'm just thankful that I have my legs, my arms, my eyes.
Exercise is good for you, so I'm always walking. I don't drink sodas or eat fast food, either.
I fear for the lives of my daughters. I am uncertain about what kind of future they will face.
That's always the time to quit - when you have nothing to say as an artist and creative person.
I always call myself a recovering narcissist. I lived my life thinking everything was about me.
I'm not interested in re-creating the same blues I love so much. I'm interested in pushing boundaries.
I knew I was an exhibitionist. I came from a huge family. I found an emotional connection being on stage.
I love the power of music and artistry and feel a responsibility having a platform to preach good things.
We should not fear what is new, but we should not throw out that which is in the past but is still valuable.
'Push back' is the word; that's what we gotta do against ignorance. I see so much of it, and it's dangerous.
Growing up in the neighborhoods I did in Oakland, you don't know the Beatles, but I started learning their songs.
I think things happen, and we have no control over them, and what you take from them is really what is important.
Slaves and the descendants of slaves created world pop culture. Let's keep it real and be very respectful about that.
I hope I contribute something useful to the human family. That's my intention. And I hope that it's useful to people.
As long as we have have predatory capitalism, we'll have guns because the gun industry loves to make money out of guns.
I want to be an artist, not be in the business of making hit records. Once I figured that out, everything became clear.
My most revered hero is Robert Johnson. His lyrics are so consistent with rap: the danger, the boldness, the creativity.
Live performance is everything. First of all, I have terrible stage fright. But beyond that, once the music starts, it's OK.
I'm in a collective with the same guys I met on the streets at 12. The greatest investments I ever made were those friendships.
I was raised on African music, Harry Belafonte, and the Boston Pops. Then I got a dose of soul and hip-hop. I related to it immediately.
I thought my story was over. But that was when I realised I finally had a story to tell - and it seems to remind people of their own story.
'The Duffler' is a very familiar story, a story about someone having something and not appreciating it until it's gone, when it's too late.
There's certain artists that are meant to have certain paths and go the way of the corporate world. And then there are artists who are artists.
I had this dream that you get this record deal, and you're a star, and everybody loves you - but I was a youngster, and it didn't work out that way.
I think once I had lived life, once I had failed enough in this lifetime and got back up a thousand times from failing, I really connected to the blues.
Art and culture are the greatest weapons against hate agendas, entrenched ideologies, and power structures that harbor and promote the business of divisiveness.
There came a point where I did give up on music, but I'm the kind of person that when I face obstacles, I become more determined. It's just something weird within me.
The idea of 'raw' music, to me, is honesty: getting people to feel you with the least amount of production possible, the shortest distance traveled emotionally, sonically.