Nas

What you base your happiness around?_x000D_ _x000D_ Material, women, and large paper?_x000D_ _x000D_ That means you inferior, not major.

I lay puzzle as I backtrack to earlier times, Nothing's equivalent to the New York state of mind

I see N.Y. hip-hop like I see N.Y. streets. N.Y. streets are grimy; it's a grind. N.Y. rappers are hustlers - whatever sound is in, we can adapt to that; there's nothing wrong with that.

For my hustlers, here's some motivation: He who has begun is half done.

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 live in.

You a slave to a page in my rhyme book.

I'm never gonna die, never heard of death, energy can never be destroyed only the flesh, so when you try to murder me with bullets to the head this is why you can't kill me niggaz, I'm already dead.

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

The sound of the '90s, to me, is a combination of soul and street - it's a feeling.

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

If the truth is told, the youth can grow.

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 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 those words could be based on things that's been on my mind for the past year, the past month, the past week, whatever; I write it.

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 thought it mattered to people like me.

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.

It's never been seen that a street artist go as far as I've gone - keep consistent without wanting to do a bunch of ventures outside of music to keep my face out there.

Niggas hate what they can't understand, fear what they can't conquer

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 been through it. I seen it.

We're all Africans, everyone - black, white, yellow.

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.

People afraid of criticism but I always put myself in a sacrificial position,they been know I ain't just rappin for fame