Artists can have greater access to reality; they can see patterns and details and connections that other people, distracted by the blur of life, might miss. Just sharing that truth can be a very powerful thing.
Jay-ZRead
When Basquiat was hanging out with Madonna and Fab Five Freddy, and all those worlds were colliding, people have to realize hip-hop and the arts were like this 'cause we both were outcasts: we wasn't allowed inside the galleries or inside Yankee Stadium. We were writing in the street and making music.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the connection between hip-hop and the arts, emphasizing their roots in overcoming exclusion and creating culture in marginalized spaces.
Jay-Z reflects on the unique bond between hip-hop and the art world during a time when both were considered outcasts. He points out that artists like Basquiat and icons like Madonna were part of a cultural movement that emerged from being denied access to mainstream venues. This connection is significant as it illustrates how inclusive creativity flourished in the streets and transformed both music and visual art.
Themes
Hip-HopArtOutcastCultureCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the influence of street art, this quote can showcase how hip-hop culture shaped artistic expression.
More from Jay-Z
All quotes →The most amazing feeling I feel_x000D_ _x000D_ Words can't describe what I'm feeling for real _x000D_ _x000D_ Maybe I paint the sky blue _x000D_ _x000D_ My greatest creation was you.
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Far from a Harvard student, just had the balls to do it
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I never ask for nothin' I don't demand of myself. Honesty, loyalty, friends and then wealth
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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-ZRead
I would run into the corner store, the bodega, and just grab a paper bag or buy juice - anything just to get a paper bag. And I'd write the words on the paper bag and stuff these ideas in my pocket until I got back. Then I would transfer them into the notebook.
Jay-ZRead
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