I spread the message of hope and of unity. That's what gets me up in the morning. I can tell you what is wrong, but I can't tell you how to fix it. I'm a raptivist, not a politician. I deal in hope.
Chuck DRead
People aren't going to support an artist just because they have an audio file. They have to feel a real connection.
Interpretation
Artists need to create meaningful connections with their audience beyond just their work.
This quote by Chuck D emphasizes the importance of emotional connection in the realm of art. It suggests that mere possession of creative work, like an audio file, is insufficient for gaining support; instead, artists must engage their audience on a deeper level to foster genuine appreciation and loyalty.
In practice
In a presentation about the importance of music in society, one might quote Chuck D to emphasize the need for artists to connect with their audience.
I spread the message of hope and of unity. That's what gets me up in the morning. I can tell you what is wrong, but I can't tell you how to fix it. I'm a raptivist, not a politician. I deal in hope.
Being called Black in America is the struggle to keep us moving and breathing over bloody water. Being a Nig**r or [Ni**a] without the context of history is like drowning in bloody water, dragging down those yet knowing to swim.
Never try to make the same record twice, even when people are screaming for the same sound.
Rap is supposed to be about keeping it real and not relinquishing your roots in the community. Without that, it's just posturing. Somebody who claims to speak for the 'hood don't need no private jet.
Cause I'm Black and I'm proud_x000D_ _x000D_ I'm ready and hyped plus I'm amped_x000D_ _x000D_ Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps
So musical a discord, such sweet thunder.
Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world.
I attempt to create a form of seriocomic entertainment to either delight, enlighten, or disgust, whichever you'd like. In terms of making motion pictures, I write and direct and act. I guess you'd say I'm a filmmaker.
With vocal and choral music, first and foremost, it's the text. Not only do I need to serve the text, but the text - when I'm doing it right - acts as the perfect 'blueprint', and all the architecture is there. The poet has done the heavy lifting, so my job is to find the soul of the poem and then somehow translate that into music.
I thought the most beautiful thing in the world must be shadow, the million moving shapes and cul-de-sacs of shadow. There was shadow in bureau drawers and closets and suitcases, and shadow under houses and trees and stones, and shadow at the back of people's eyes and smiles, and shadow, miles and miles and miles of it, on the night side of the earth.
All art should have a certain mystery and should make demands on the spectator. Giving a sculpture or a drawing too explicit a title takes away part of that mystery so that the spectator moves on to the next object, making no effort to ponder the meaning of what he has just seen. Everyone thinks that he or she looks but they don't really, you know.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.