I view my hair and clothes as functional art.
Erykah BaduRead
I'm free. I just do what I want, say what I want, say how I feel, and I don't try to hurt nobody. I just try to make sure that I don't compromise my art in any kind of way, and I think people respect that.
Interpretation
This quote expresses the importance of personal freedom and authenticity in creative expression without harming others.
Erykah Badu emphasizes the significance of being true to oneself and maintaining artistic integrity while navigating life. She articulates a philosophy of living freely, expressing emotions openly, and prioritizing one's unique voice and art, all while being considerate of others. This embodies a balance between self-expression and respect for those around us, highlighting the value of genuine creativity and the respect it garners.
In practice
In a motivational speech about pursuing one's passion.
I view my hair and clothes as functional art.
Hip-hop was created out of necessity. We needed to create some digitized things to help us understand what we were feeling.
Hopefully my music is medicine, some type of antidote for something or some kind of explanation or just to feel good.
Hip-hop is not something we do, it's something we live. It's the way we dress, the way we talk... everybody bobbing to the same beat. It's a culture, and you have to find your own place in that culture. Top 10 or Top 40 can't dictate that. They can only dictate what's marketable.
We as Black people have to tell our own stories. We have to document our history. When we allow someone else to document our history the history becomes twisted and we get written out. We get our noses blown off.
Vegan food is soul food in its truest form. Soul food means to feed the soul. And, to me, your soul is your intent. If your intent is pure, you are pure.
I've always felt that the quality of the voice is where the real content of a song lies. Words only suggest an experience, but the voice is that experience.
When done right, music should breathe, be alive. It's not about getting it perfect, it's about capturing lightning in a bottle.
But most commonly, it's one poem that I work on with a lot of intensity.
A good poem looks life straight in the face, unflinching, sincere, equal to revelation through loss or gain.
Beauty is perfect in its imperfections, so you just have to go with the imperfections.
But the star thing I can live with. The music I can't live without. And that's how it lays out for me, you know. I got as big an ego and enjoy the attention.
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