Rappers

"My style is too developed to be arrested It's the freestyle, so now it's out on parole They tried to hold my soul in a holding cell so I would sell but I bonded with a break and had enough to make bail"

"But once the man got you well he altered the native Told her if she got an image and a gimmick That she could make money, and she did it like a dummy Now I see her in commercials, she's universal She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle Now she be in the burbs lickin' rock and dressin' hip And on some dumb shit"

"I fight, with myself in the ring of doubt and fear The rain ain't gone, but I can still see clear As a child, given religion with no answer to why Just told believe in Jesus cause for me he did die Curiosity killed the catechism Understanding and wisdom became the rhythm that I played to And became a slave to master self A rich man is one with knowledge, happiness and his health My mind had dealt with the books of Zen, Tao the lessons of the Koran and Bible, to me they all vital And got truth within 'em, gotta read them boys You just can't skim 'em, different branches of belief But one root that stem 'em, but people of the venom try to trim 'em And use religion as an emblem When it should be a natural way of life Who am I or they to say to whom you pray ain't right? That's who got you doin' right and got you this far Whether you say "in Jesus name" or "Al hum du'Allah" Long as you know it's a being that's supreme to you You let that show towards others in the things you do Cause when the trumpets blowin', 24 elders surround the throne Only 144,000 gon get home"

"Granted we known each other for some time but it don't take a whole day to recognize sunshine"

"The revolution will not be televised The revolution is here"

"The perseverence of a rebel, I drop heavier levels of unseen or heard, a king with words Can't knock the hustle, but I've seen street dreams deferred Dark spots in my mind where the scene occurred Some say I'm too deep, but I'm in too deep to sleep"

"I'm the truth, across the table from corporate lies Immortilized by the realness I bring to it If revolution had a movie I'd be theme music My music, you can either fight, fuck, or dream to it"

"This industry will make you lose intensity"

"Cause federal and state was built for a black fate Her emptiness was filled with beatings and court dates They fabricated cases, hoping one would stick And said she robbed places that didn't exist In the midst of threats on her life and being caged with Aryan whites Through dark halls of hate she carried the light"

"The chosen one from the land of the frozen sun, where drunk nights get remembered more than sober ones"

"Never looking back, or too far in front of me. The present is a gift, and I just wanna be."

"We got arms but wont reach for the skies"

"Be the author of your own horoscope"

"We write songs about wrong cause its hard to see right"

"I look into my daughter's eyes. And realize that I'ma learn through her. The Messiah, might even return through her. If I'ma do it, I gotta change the world through her"

"Yo...on the amen, corner I stood lookin' at my former hood Felt the spirit in the wind, knew my friend was gone for good Threw dirt on the casket, the hurt, I couldn't mask it Mixin down emotions, struggle I hadn't mastered I choreographed seven steps to heaven and hell, waiting to exhale and make the bread leavened Veteran of a cold war its Chica-i-go for What I know or, whats known"

"Tried to call, or at least beep the lord, but didn't have a touch-tone"

"Let the truth be told from young souls that become old From days spent in the jungle, where must one go To find it, time is real, we can't rewind it Out of everybody I met, who told the truth? Time did"

"Took a picture of the truth and tried to develop it Had proof, but it was only recognized by the intelligent Took the negative and positive, cause niggas got to live Said I got to get more than I'm given Cause truth'll never be heard in religion After searching the world, on the inside what was hidden?It was the truth"

"This is street rad-i-o, For unsung hero, Driving in the regal, trying to stay legal, My daughter found Nemo, I found the new primo, Yeah, you know how we do, we do it for the people.""

"I think and speak clearer since I cut the dairy out. I can breathe better and perform at a better rate, and my voice is clearer. I can explore different things with my voice that I couldn’t do because of my meat and dairy ingestion. I am proud and blessed to be a vegetarian, everything became clear."

"I went to the movies — it was Kanye, myself and John Mayer, and we went to see "Ray." We were watching it, and I was just inspired by the movie, just as a musician and as an artist, I felt inspired. We left there and went straight to the studio. Kanye started cooking up this beat and started doing this chant, like, "Go, go, go," and while we were sitting there thinking what to write, John Mayer said, "You could write about your fantasy." And I was like, "Am I going to let John Mayer come up with the concept for this joint? This is hip-hop." But John Mayer is a very talented brother and you don't know where your blessings are going to come from. He was singing, and we made him a sample on it, going 'Go.' So it all came together and now we have the song 'Go!,' which is about going to my fantasy."

"Recently, John and I got to go to Selma and perform “Glory” on the same bridge that Dr. King and the people of the civil rights movement marched on 50 years ago. This bridge was once a landmark of a divided nation, but now is a symbol for change. The spirit of this bridge transcends race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and social status. The spirit of this bridge connects the kid from the South Side of Chicago, dreaming of a better life, to those in France standing up for their freedom of expression, to the people in Hong Kong protesting for democracy. This bridge was built on hope, welded with compassion, and elevated by love for all human beings."

"Yeah boyeee!"

"Well let me tell you something, I can't be nobody but myself. Ya know what I'm saying? The thing that makes the world love Flav is Flav being himself. So honestly man, to tell you the truth: it was not hard to be myself. It was real easy."

"Well let me tell you like this, the rap scene right now has taken its own course and its own direction because you have so many rap records of all different calibers coming out. And me, I favor everybody, I like everybody and the reason why is because I want everyone to Favor Flav. If I favor one certain rapper or one certain singer then only one certain singer/rappers are going to favor Flav. So me, I'm just a friendly ghost and not only that I'm a musician. I like all kinds of music. And everybody making records right now is definitely respected by Flav and for all you new comers just starting to make records: welcome aboard."

"The simple reason why we work together is just the contrast in our voices. People try to come up with intellectual reasons for 'the noise' and it ain't nothing intellectual. We was just making BAU tapes and needed voices to cut through that shit. Flavor got a powerful trebly voice, with cut. I got some bass with treble and pitch, which also cuts. So you put me and Flavor together and it's basically like Bobby Bird and James Brown — Everybody over here? Get on Up! The Bird/Brown combination set off everything."

"What was crucial to the partnership, it should be noted, is that Flavor Flav was a clown — in the tradition of the best black comics — yet he was a clown with consciousness, empowered with knowledge of self, an entirely different persona from the "Stepin Fetchit" and "Sambo" stereotypes of subservient and uncouth black Americans. Flavor Flav was and is a fool, but a fool on a mission. On the cover of Nation of Millions, he wears a gigantic clock as a medallion — a preposterous getup — yet it is designed to illustrate, through a comic medium, that time is indeed running out."

"Who the hell is huntin' you? In the BMW How the hell they find you? 1 4 7'd you Feds gonna get you Pull the strings on the hood One Paranoid you Blazing through the Hood."

"I bongo with my Lingo, Beat it like a wing yo From Congo to Columbo, Can't sterotype my thing yo"

"Can I get Control? Do you like me Vulnerable? I'm armed and I'm equal More fun for the people..."

"All I want to do is [gunshots, cash register ring sounds] take your money... No one on the corner has swagga like us Hit me on the banner prepaid wireless We pack and deliver like UPS trucks Already going hell just pumping that gas."

"Do you know that cost of AKs Up in Africa 20 dollars ain't shit to you But that's how much they are So they gonna use the shit just to get far"

"I'm here to paint what's written on your face Cause these are the days We are losing our ways To find better ways To say what nobody says"

"Yeah manmade power Stood like a tower Higher Higher, Hello And the higher you go you feel lower, oh I was close to the edge Staying undercover, staying undercover And with my nose to the ground I found my Sound"

"I think I'm the edge finder"

"I think I just kind of thought about all the artists that I really respected throughout the - just any genre of music really and I think everybody that I respected and liked. They were just them. You know, they're people who always stuck to who they were, and were true and honest about who they were. So I think that kind of gave me a real like confidence to just stick at it. Just thinking about people like Bjork - you know, I don't know, Bob Dylan, you know artists that truly were strong in themselves."

"I'm more of a realist, than a theorist"

"I performed at a show at the MoMA. There was this big dinner there, and I was seated in this hall with the mayor of New York and all these extremely wealthy art-supporting and art-buying people. There was a piece of work hanging in the hall-it was a fan. This fan was supposed to swing by the momentum of its own propeller. So, while we were having dinner, the fan was stopped, and the guy next to me, a curator at P.S.1, said, "Look, this is what art symbolizes today." Like, that piece of art is supposed to be moving, but just to have dinner we've stopped the art. That's what New York is like today. You can't have real art happen in an institution because rich people can make the world stop. The stuff on the street is a lot more interesting."

"I used to see songwriting like editing a film or something. You can edit music like you can edit a film. Or if I was painting or making a picture or something, that night I could sit down and write a song. I think it really helps to break things up. Sometimes when you sit down to write songs, you write three or four songs in a row feeling the same sort of vibe. But if you stop in-between that time and change something, you break the pattern – you prevent yourself from unconsciously falling into a format."

"OK, let's go and explore the rest of the world, and how easy is it to put together music through found objects and stuff, and people, and ideas and certain electricity, certain environments."

"Kala is about my mum and her struggle–how do you work, feed your children, nurture them and give them the power of information?"

"I saw firsthand where the music we made ended up. It turned up in sterile bullshit clubs in LA, separated from the spirit we made it in."

"It's important for communities to be put together on a different basis. It's really shitty that we're taught to be really patriotic when 99 percent of the shit that we wear and we use and eat and everything comes from everywhere all the time, and musically, it's the same."

"Nobody wants to be dancing to political songs. Every bit of music out there that’s making it into the mainstream is really about nothing. I wanted to see if I could write songs about something important and make it sound like nothing. And it kind of worked."

"They wanted me to be the face of Coca Cola. I was like 'Wow. Have you guys got any idea what you’re talking about?' Then Pepsi called me the next week. My mother-in-law called me and said 'Oh my God, Maya, they’re offering you so much money."

"I feel like I'm a fucking infomercial for issues around the world this year. I don’t want it to be like that though. I feel like for the first time I'm truly falling in love with music in its own right."

"I was never really affected by it because I don’t have the time to go up to every grime kid and explain the ideology and the lifestyle. It’s too hard....Look at Afrikan Boy, he still has that problem. You have this talent to see something and articulate something new, but you can’t because the arena to do that doesn’t exist. It’s easier to breed movements in England than really support one artist, especially in urban culture."

"I didn't want to make huge political statements; in fact, I hate preachy shit and people saying, 'This is good; this is bad.' I talk about how I see things as an everyday person in England. I was saying things that were a bit controversial, and I wanted to say that there are some opinions that aren't black and white. Things are confusing and complex. If you really want to be a good person, you understand things from all points of view and you are empathetic towards every opinion and every voice. I was like, 'I'm going to make an album about how it's difficult to make sense of living today, and that is added to by the television and the media, the person at my bank and the person at my mobile phone company.' I want to make sense of all those people and what is going on, and that is what I tried to do lyrically, and not provide a manifesto."

"I haven't heard honesty in music for so long and this is how I feel, and this is what I think. You don't even have to say words … I was just being as raw as possible. I wanted to make music that you felt in your gut."

"I feel the reason why I'm really like outspoken and stuff is because all of these things were inflicted upon me, and I never went and caused any trouble, you know? I just feel like I was kind of skipping along in some country and somebody decides to drop a bomb and shake up my life and then it's all been survival from then on. And that's the reality for thousands - and millions - of people today. Why should I get censored for talking about a life that half the time I didn't choose to live?"

"It's good. You know, it's nice coming out and actually meeting all your fans - you make this thing in your bedroom and you don't really know who is going to get it or relate to it or anything, you know? And you just pour your heart out kind of thing, and then you find out you relate to people and that's the final process of it. You know, to meet people who are actually like you and that you connect with, you know what I mean? That's kind of cool. That's the best thing about touring."

"I'm not sure, but music now should be like sonic massage. You want to really feel it, internally. The police [sic] use sound cannons at public protests that explode people’s insides with a single note – human beings have to come up with the opposite of that."

"As soon as I came to England, really, I must have about spent two or three months bouncing around the pop world trying to get an idea of what England was. I wasn't really motivated by anything else. And nothing really inspired me. I was really confused about who I was and where I stood in society, you know what I mean? You come there and you just don't know what the hell is going on. And then I remember the first house we stayed in and I watched 'Top of the Pops' and it was like- woah! It was the first music show that I saw on TV. I saw Madonna, Whitney Houston. It was amazing"

"I have to be true to that - I can't take certain things away. I do have a political background. I’m only in England, learning this language and building a life in this society, because of political reasons. Why would I deny that?"

"My approach to politics is that I never said I'm smart. But why aren't I allowed to write about my experience?"

"No one ever gives those kids the microphone and says, 'Tell us, what the fuck is going on.' They don't show them because none of them know how to talk to you. It took me 20 years to get over here, learn the language, become a pop star and say, 'Finally, I get the microphone!' This is what I was going to say if I got it when I was 10."

"I don't know which is worse. The fact that I saw it in my life has maybe given me lots of issues, but there's a whole generation of American kids seeing violence on their computer screens and then getting shipped off to Afghanistan. They feel like they know the violence when they don't. Not having a proper understanding of violence, especially what it's like on the receiving end of it, just makes you interpret it wrong and makes inflicting violence easier.""

"Google’s more powerful than any government now – people think it’s God. They’re storing all our data and one day they’re going to turn against us."

"The Third World deserves freedom of speech just like everyone else. We want to fight the battle to say what we want, whether to be serious or just make fun of ourselves. That's what "Worldtown" is about, that's what "Paper Planes" is about. It's what people in the third world live through."

"He asked my mum, 'Why would I devote myself to one woman and three children when I could be helping thousands?' She said: 'If you even have to ask that, you should go.'One of those times, when he came home, he didn't even know what I was called."

"I'm here for the people"

"Exactly! Trends picks up issues and makes them so disposable. At the time when I started making my art and my music, terrorism was getting chewed up and spat out by the fashion industry, put on the run way. Face magazine in England was doing fashion shoots with girls holding machine guns and fucking rocket launchers. Yet, when something genuine comes through that, like me, using the same language, it doesn’t apply. That’s what I’m learning because that’s what I’m about. I wanna learn what my limitations are within your value system"

"I call bullshit on any system that holds me down. If the system changed my life the way it did and it totally abused my life and my family, then I’m willing to stand up against it. My goal is to bring people into the system. If I have to use some shocking imagery or if I have to use some honest up-front language to get in and wake people up, so be it. At least, it has sparked up some discussion and young people feel like they have the right to talk. That’s all you can hope for, to induce discussion and then make people feel like they have the right to discuss political issues."

"When I come back to London, I feel really safe and familiar. But sometimes I feel like I'm on standby, waiting to go somewhere else – where something else is happening."

"I can sing about songs with gunshots in the background because I heard them. It's almost like my music has been a way to smoke out the hatred that's been bubbling underneath what's going on in Sri Lanka. If there's 300,000 people who are trapped and they're dying, it should be talked about, it should be brought to the table, and I don't see anything wrong in sticking up for 300,000 dying people."

"GAVRAS: So let’s talk a little bit about being a fashion icon. Do you think, for example, that Saddam Hussein was a fashion icon?"

"M.I.A.: No. My fashion icon is Colonel [Muammar al-] Gaddafi, and he always has been. He’s rock ’n’ roll."

"GAVRAS: Yeah, he’s the best-dressed man on the planet."

"M.I.A.: If he were a pop star, he’d be, like, Prince or something."

"GAVRAS: Well, he’s bigger than a pop star. I mean, when he came to Paris in 2007, he was supposed to stay at the Hôtel de Marigny, which is the best hotel. But Gaddafi came with a tent. It was this huge flagged tent—just him and his army guards, who were all girls. They were in these crazy leopard outfits. I mean, Gaddafi is way better dressed than any pop star in the world."

"M.I.A.: I’d love to raid his wardrobe."

"GAVRAS: I’d love to have his hair. He has very good curly, shiny hair."

"M.I.A.: He looks like he always has gel in it. Hold on. [to taxi driver] Can you pull over, please? I’m at Notting Hill Gate station."

"A. R. Rahman: "She’s a real powerhouse...Somebody played me her CD and I thought, ‘Who is this girl? She came here and knew all my work, had followed my work for ages. I said, ‘Cut the crap, this “my idol” crap. You have to teach me.""

"Aziz Ansari: "I was like a little girl at a John Mayer concert. “She stole my heart, man. It’s too much: the talent, the beauty. It’s more than this little Aziz can take.” I approached M.I.A. after her show, speaking in our native Tamil (“We’ve got a lot in common. Not a big deal.”). I said "Romba Nalla Paatu" which translates to "very good songs". She smiled, got in her car, and left. She didn’t contact me or anything after that. I guess we didn’t exchange information.” “People keep asking if she’s called me and I keep telling them no." [http://niralimagazine.com/2007/04/comedic-giant/"

"Claire Danes: "M.I.A. Sunshowers: It's impossible for me to resist dancing whenever I hear it.""

"Danny Boyle: "When I use somebody's song in a film, I like them to see the movie, if possible, so they know how it's used. She came into the cutting room and watched it. You get a lot of people giving you notes on films when you're making them, and most of them are rubbish, to be honest. People might think they're good. Well, she came in told me the film was very good, but said, "Do you want some notes?" She gave me two specific notes, both of which we included in the film, essentially saying, "If you do that there, you'll understand why he gets on the show." She's very smart.""

"David Hasselhoff: "M.I.A. is one of the hottest things around.""

"Leighton Meester: "I like fun music, too, like M.I.A. She has good things to say.""

"Kat Graham:"

"Mike Nichols: Interviewer: Are you going to the afterparty? Nichols: I don't know, is there another party, after the party? Interviewer: Yeah. After your dinner. Nichols: I didn't know that. I don't think I'm invited. Interviewer: Do you listen to M.I.A.? Nichols: Yes! [at MoMA "Party in the Garden" 2008]"

"Romain Gavras:"

"Ruben Fleischer: "..The principle idea behind M.I.A.'s artwork is to have pretty heavy/political ideas, but to present them in a poppy candy-coated wrapper. So someone might buy her painting because it is pretty to the eye, and not necessarily consider that it is a rebellious image that she is presenting. However, after they've had it for a while, they might start to think - why do I have a pink tank on my wall? … I think that ["Galang"] is a very successful video in that we have true images of revolution playing on MTV. However, because there's lots of pretty colors and a pretty girl dancing, no one blinks an eye. Hopefully we have succeeded in subconsciously starting the revolution." May, 2005 [after directing music video for "Galang"]"

"Spike Jonze: "I met her right before she put out her first record, in 2005, and she insisted she wasn't a musician. To this day, she doesn't consider herself a musician. She has this wide range of talents and influences — she's a Sri Lankan refugee who didn't speak a word of English before she was 10, yet she's also a child of Chuck D and the Pixies and Fight Club and MySpace. There are no borders for her. She made me realize that you don't have to be from the West to have a favorite Biggie song. We are all listening to the same music. Last summer she was performing in Philadelphia, and she showed up at the venue, and it was an armory building. She felt kind of weird about it and decided she wasn't going to perform there unless she acknowledged that, so she found a group of Army veterans against the Iraq war and had them come and speak as her opening act. That's her mission — it's personal and evolving, focused but totally spontaneous. She's always for the underdog. And no matter how many times she's on the Grammys, she'll always see herself as the underdog.""

"Alicia Keys:"

"Amy Lee of Evanescence: "She's so freaking powerful and awesome...I love her voice because it's weird, almost like she doesn't care.""

"Anthony Kiedis: "I'm very keen on M.I.A., I think she's a rocking live performer.""

"Avril Lavigne: "MIA sticking her middle finger out at Super Bowl is obscene? How about almost 50 million Americans living in poverty. That's obscene.""

"Beastie Boys"

"Big Boi of OutKast: "Sooo 2 girls can kiss on TV, but M.I.A can't flip the middle finger, GTFOH""

"Chris Brown: "Was in the studio with the incredible M.I.A and Polow!! Amazing artist! ReAl talent.""

"Christina Aguilera: "I just can't, 'cause I really want you guys to be surprised and to experience firsthand what I'm talking about or what I'm not talking too much about. Too soon in the game, but wrapping everything up now... I got a chance to sort of write with M.I.A. - artists that I really love.""

"Chuck D: "She is the future of music, and the future is here.""

"Feist: "I met Maya Arulpragasam about four or five years ago in England when I was on tour with the rapper Peaches, who was also my roommate. We stayed with Justine Frischmann, from Elastica, and she and Maya were roommates. Maya wasn't making music back then; she was making clothes and videos and art, spray-painting jackets. A couple months ago, I was at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, and I saw her onstage, and it was just amazing. I can't stop listening to her new album, Arular (XL/Beggars U.S.). "Pull Up the People" is a song that's always rotating through my head. I didn't know I needed sunshine-dancehall-booty music until I got her record.""

"Havana Brown (DJ): "I love M.I.A, her music is so unique and brave." (November 2010)"

"James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem: "Yeah, I did [meet her at South by Southwest], she was incredibly sweet and really nice. It was really funny: She played, and I don't know what it sounded like 'cause I was on the side of the stage which just sounds like chaos because you don't hear what the PA's doing. She came off and I introduced myself, "Hi, I'm James, I hear we're doing a buncha shows together," and she said, "Really? You still wanna do shows after that shitty show?" Which I thought was great." May 2005"

"John Legend: "M.I.A. is killing it right now. Great beats. Distinctive voice.""

"Jon McClure of Reverend and the Makers:"

"Justine Frischmann: "In terms of the music scene today, I still think that Maya's work [MIA] is interesting. But I'm the wrong person to ask. I live in rural northern California where there are coyotes wandering in the streets. And I don't own a TV." July 2011"

"Kanye West:"

"Katy Perry: "I love M.I.A., but I don't think she likes me. I know how people who are anti-pop but are really pop feel about popstars" [August 2010, Rolling Stone]"

"Kim Gordon: "I went to see M.I.A. play at Mount Holyoke, and it was a hall filled with girls, and they were going crazy. I could hear the beats more live, the record is so dense. I like her lyrics. I like that her music is rhythms upon rhythms. It escapes genre. I wouldn’t even call it a hip-hop record, I’d just call it M.I.A. She had this great footage of tribal dancers and these two young girls dancing onstage who were amazing. “Kala” (Interscope) has great grooves — it’s very colorful, lots of texture and density. The rhythms aren’t generic. They’re intuitive and organic.""

"Kreayshawn: "The only show I saved all my money to go see was MIA.. Twice!!""

"Krist Novoselic of Nirvana: "There's much to admire about the rapper M.I.A. She's a working mom, a dynamite performer, and a writer of songs, like "Bucky Done Gun," that command you to give the volume knob a twist. And with her outspoken political views and heart for her homeland, Mathangi Arulpragasam [sic] reflects the global consciousness of the information revolution....An ethnic Tamil, M.I.A. is a member of the minority that makes up the northern part of Sri Lanka, a country governed by the majority Sinhalese since the end of WWII. The Sinhalese-controlled government and Tamil's rebel fighters had been involved in a decades-long civil war until the rebel leader was killed and their fighters routed, thus putting an end to the conflict. M.I.A. has been giving interviews regarding the humanitarian costs of the military action, including the 300,000 displaced ethnic Tamils, many living in overcrowded camps. This reminds me of my situation in the early 1990s during the war in the former Yugoslavia. I had emerged from obscurity to play bass in the biggest band in the world. Being of Croatian heritage, I found myself speaking out about the war in the Balkans. (I lived in Yugoslavia in 1980 and have visited many times since.)...One person's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. We can toss this back and forth, but in the meantime too many innocents suffer. The Sri Lankan government has said that M.I.A. should stick with music and not worry about politics. It doesn't matter if she's Tamil or Sinhalese, M.I.A. is the most famous Sri Lankan in the world. She has the right to speak. I didn't know about Sri Lanka and the trouble there until M.I.A. made me aware. Her work can be political, but that aspect never seems overbearing. Thank you, Mathangi Arulpragasa, for bringing my attention to what's going on in that part of our world. And a big thanks for the great tunes as well!""

"Lady Gaga: "My fellow hardworking female art student. Just like me, her song [Paper Planes] took almost a full year to climb to the top. But we worked hard, and we did it.""

"Mike Shinoda: "On our first Fort Minor tour, Styles of Beyond were touring with me. [Bucky Done Gun] by M.I.A. was practically the theme song that tour. I think our crew was sick of hearing it! At any rate, I think that's what one of my favorite things about music is: those times when hearing a song reminds you of a time in your past, when it connects you directly with the memory every time you hear it. Good song.""

"Missy Elliott:"

"Nas: "Her sound is the future.""

"Nelly Furtado: "I have heard bits of the M.I.A Album and it is so cool..what a flow, what a style...and girl can dance!!!" [Listening to album Arular during the recording of Loose.]"

"Nicki Minaj: "I love M.I.A. … Based on that first video she put out ['Born Free'], She's not doing stuff for the mainstream applause, and I applaud her for that. She's a creative being and you're either gonna love it or hate it but you have to respect it. And I love her. When she hit me to do a record with her, I thought I had died and gone to heaven." Minaj also recalled the first time she heard "Paper Planes," when she thought, " 'Who is this bitch!?' I thought those were like the sickest lyrics. And then when I'd watch her videos, she doesn't give a fuck. That's what we want more of, we want people who don't give a fuck.""

"Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls:"

"Melody Thornton of Pussycat Dolls:"

"Patrick Wolf: "I've just fallen in love in the last couple of days with her work. She's great. I love "Bird Flu". I met her recently, and I'm a very, very big supporter of her work, and her attitude and what she stands for.""

"Peaches: "I first met M.I.A. as Maya in America way back in 2000 [laughs]. And she was a great videographer and she was also making her own films and her own clothes. I think that you can transfer your creativities to all different areas. She was a videographer, she made me clothes, she has a creative mind, and a passion and a drive.""

"Richard X: "It's very much who tickles my fancy," he says, although he's been lucky to meet a couple of "kindred spirits" - including Kelis and M.I.A""

"Santigold:"

"Sleigh Bells:"

"Solange Knowles: "I went to a M.I.A. show and I thought the best moment of her show, is she literally invited anyone who wanted to onstage, just the energy of, you know, being with the crowd, and its people who love your music, it feels really good." September 2008, Jimmy Kimmel Show"

"Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree:"

"Teddy Geiger: "That's that MIA thing. She has the bombs, they'll make you blow. Simple as that!""

"Thom Yorke: "I really try to limit [listening to other people's music while working on new songs], but M.I.A.'s first record really seeped in. M.I.A. takes this complete block and chop repeat, chop repeat, chop, not finished [method]. Which really reminds me of that thing of just picking up a guitar and the first three chords you write and being like, yep, that's good. Stop. End. Not sort of sitting there fifteen hours later agonizing over the hi-hat sound. That seems to be what happens with programming and electronica a lot of the time. You can feel the pain going on.""

"Timbaland: "We wanna go to the world. The world is 'Big Pimpin'.' 'Big Pimpin' ' is an international hit, so we wanna do 10 of those. Meaning, some of the songs gonna sound like M.I.A. would rap on some of the beats. You gonna be like, 'Whoa!'""

"Trent Reznor: "The only thing that I play in my car right now is Arular by a girl named M.I.A., the most innovative artist in years." (2005) [Reznor subsequently wanted to collaborate with M.I.A. in 2005, and added her songs "Pull Up The People", "Hombre" and "Galang" to the setlist of Pre-Show Music played at Nine Inch Nails Lights in the Sky concert tour (2008 - 2009). 2005,"

"Vampire Weekend:"

"Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips: "The new M.I.A. I like the "Born Free" single with the Suicide sample. I didn't like the video that much. But I like her. I think she's a badass. She's a freak. She's cool. She's intense. I think she gets a bit too bitchy sometimes, but I don't care." - on what he was listening to, July 2010, Rolling Stone"

"Carri "Cassetteplaya" Mundane:"

"Donatella Versace: "Her music and style seemed so fresh and innovative. She is a total artist." [for Designer's Musician Muses (2011)"

"Eric Daman and Meredith Markworth-Pollack: "Vanessa is a breath of fresh air. She’s the Lower East Side, Raising Victor Vargas home-girl. One night we saw M.I.A. in concert wearing a sequin sailor suit and were like “Omigod, she is so Vanessa.”" [on M.I.A. being the inspiration for the costumes of character Vanessa Abrams on television series Gossip Girl."

"Jean-Charles de Castelbajac: "I have collaborated with M.I.A. for four years but I also like Metronomy and Ebony Bones. There are a lot of talented people around." 2010"

"Karl Lagerfeld: "Nowadays people give the middle finger quite quickly - it's not the best behaviour. Everybody does that, what's new about that? It's just become a bad habit. People in magazines are 50% bimbo and 50% pregnant women" February 7, 2012 [on M.I.A. flipping the middle finger to the camera during the 2012 Superbowl half-time show]"

"Kesh: "I appreciate M.I.A.. A real artist.""

"Luella Bartley: "She had an unabashed in-your-face craziness that I loved, admired, and identified with.""

"Ryan McGinley: "We had to basically rig a truss for this swing; it was a major production to make sure it was safe. I tried it out. M.I.A. might have gotten there and said, 'I'm not doing this; this is too crazy.' But she got on and just started swinging like it was something normal. "I remember her saying, 'If I'm going to go out, this is an awesome way to go.'""

"Anthony Napolitan: "I think I have a thing for female singers; I like the way they sound. MIA is a very unique one at that. [Paper Planes] is an all-time favorite for me. I just like it!""

"Only in America could you find a way to make a healthy buck And still keep your attitude on self-destruct."

"This just in: they ain't even worth the worry Lying on their first birth and couldn't even hurt a Smurfberry Hear ye, hear ye! How dare ye Go up against the king who do his thing tri-yearly? They're too carefree with their mouths around here Off with his head, and display it at Town Square"

"Type to just blank and don't show much pitty When I'm in the city I always keep a dutch with me Touch her titty till she ask me where the trees is at Or tell me don't squeeze that rats wanna tease a cat"

"The way a lotta dudes rhyme their name should be 'knob shiner' For a buck, they'd likely dance the Jig or do the Hucklebuck To Vik it's no big deal, they're just a buncha knuckle-fucks."

"Confirmation of your worse fears Ever since his first years had a thirst for beers."

"Remember me God? clean Timbs with emery board' he only came to save the game like a memory card ooh shrewd, alot of crews is too rude and it's way too many 'let's not and say we do'-dudeshe said 24-7 I be on call he use his vacation days to watch Babylon fall"

"But back at the lab he found the sleestack was right Not only was it three cracks of light between white The test show lactose, ambisol, lecithin Five types of aspirin and other kinds of medicines."

"That's for him to know, for they to never find out About the kidnap, blind fold, and the blind mouse The coroner report say he simply signed out, oh and I know Y'all wanna see a wine-o? bring the wine out Cat wit a dead mouse is how he catch the phrase and, pause, plays wit it Kill it, and eat off it for days, kid it"

"Listen up, new drink, named it after Chong's daughter triple shot of 'gac, with the chaser of bong water V a strong supporter come on, bring the slaughter."

"Great balls of fire, guess who just crawled out the mud the mire That could make you trust a motherfuckin' liar A real shuck n' jiver, Vaughn never been a duck n diver He spit on the mic, yuck, saliva Hold it like a drunk driver hold a CB on a sharp turn Still clutchin' his chest from the heartburn What's your handle? I need a Zantac, ock and thanks before I blank into anyphylactic shock""

"Stick 'em up chump, you know what this is do the right thing you might live to see your kids all he said was 'c'mon don't shoot!' so shook I think he shit his sean jean suit 'why you starin?' run your chain like an errand and your girls earrings, and what you wearin' survival tactics for when things get too gritty he feels it's his duty to the people of the city just so long as nobody get hurt it keep your average citizen on point and alert" 'ok miss, come up off that bracelet just got your hair did don't make me waste it' so, go to hades get the devil for his stash but no old ladies unless you're sure they carry mad cash like the one from the liquor store he watched her for weeks now, ready for the quick score before he told her whore get on the floor she pulled out and let off like quick draw mcgraw damn yo, he lucky, she barely nicked the camo he would've let her have it, if he had the ammo it's all in good fun, true, moral of the story, son duke: senior citizens'll bust their guns too"

"(How far?) The distance was light-speed He went to see a buddy who said he had some white weed In case it might need, it didn't mean much For in his lean clutch was the elusive green Dutch"

"One day, he plan to put in a runway With enough land for his own projects and gun play Section 8 penthouse, maid look like Faye Dunaway Alotta y'all assed out like gay runaways" ...Gooey gum drops, who he got his style from, his pops? you gotta give the bum some props ask ya sister, her beat box is more thicker Doom, that nigga detox with malt liquor Villain for hire, admire the sound Make sure The Price Is Right before he come on down!" ...The way alotta clowns get down is unnatural This flows flipped like 'oranges, apples' Rhymes like limes to a Lemonade Snapple Leave her at the chapel, don't eat Scrapple"

"Tripping off the beat kinda, dripping off the meat grinder Heat niner, pimping, stripping, soft street minor China was a neat sign of trouble with a script, digits Double dip/bubble lips, subtle lisp midget Borderline schizo, sort of fine tits though Pour the wine, hold the grind, quarter to nine, let's go"

"Do not stand still, both show skills Close but no crills, toast for po' ills, post no bills Coast to coast Joe Shmoes flows ill, go chill Not supposed to overdose, no 'doz pills"

"The mask is like Jason They told the place not to let the basket type case in He could be some kind of wacko Waiting for the chance to heat the pipes like a crack hoe"

"If I had a dime for every rhymer that bust guns I'll have a cool mil' for my sons in trust funds"

"What up? To all rappers, shut up with your shutting-up and keep a shirt on, at least a button up. Yuck. Is they rhymers or stripping males? Out of work jerks since they shut down Chippendale's."

"What we have here is a failure to communicate If you gonna hate, might at least get your rumors straight about Doom the Great, a lot more confident Came a long way since the days we had to rhyme for rent It was time well spent, vented Spelt and dented, hell-bented and heaven-scented"

"Looked like Apollo Creed after he fought with Rocky Rhymed in a broken english slang, not cockney Thirteen, his first queen wore hot knock knees Had to tell her pops, yo stop cockblockin B"

"Nobody wanted to dance, when i had a lot of time on my hands, now i have a lot of hands on my time, and everybody wants to be a friend of mine, wo wo."

"She was, fine as fuck I wanted to sex the ho up. She said "let's hit the parking lot so I can sick your duck.""

"Don't want to meet your daddy, just want you in my caddy."

"I bust raps like the boys bust gat shit."

"It took you momma nine months to make it, but it only took that nigga thirty minutes to take it."

"Ya white tee, well to me, look like a night gown, make ya mama proud, take that thang two sizes down."

"Daddy Fat Sacks B-I-G B-O-I, its that same motherfucker that put them knuckles to your eye."

"You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather"

""Forever" never seems that long until you're grown"

"I stand in the blistering heat as the epitome of the anti-hero Stitchin' up my injuries and flippin' imagery , mixing toxins 'til I'm lost in the synergy"

"I hibernate through the winter and wait for the summer madness Stout on my breath and a bad case of desert mouth."

"Son of the Devil, I turn wine into water"

"Believe me I bleed on the vinyl and CD"

"Gazelle accelerate away from my Puma shoes, it's like Noah's Ark, embarking two by two"

"Selling eighths to an eighth of the population, giving them a proper education Teeth chatter when I walk past hearts of glass... shatter, I shape planets out of dark matter"

"The Fine Print"

"Anti-Matter"

"I Hear Voices"

"Vaudeville Villain"

"Lactose and Lecithin"

"A Dead Mouse"

"Modern Day Mugging"

"Change the Beat"

"R.A.P. G.A.M.E."

"Meat Grinder"

"All Outta Ale"

"El Chupa Nibre"

"That's That"

"Hooks is Extra"

"Who's got the most whips, gats and cash? If you'd ask the villain he'd say who gives a rat's ass?"

"Just remember all caps when you spell the man name"

"Don't talk about my moms yo, sometimes he rhyme quick sometimes he rhyme slow, or vice versa. Whip up a slice o' nice verse pie, hit it on the first try, Villain...the worst guy."

"How Doom hold heat, and preach non-violence? Shhh, he 'bout to start the speech, c'mon, silence!"

"After rocking parties they depart in a jalopy, watch the drop top poppy"

"Got more soul (sole) than a sock with a hole."

"Easy as pi, three point one four, one more one false move and they're done for"

"If I had a dime for every rhymer that bust guns, I'd have a cool mill' for my sons in trust funds."

"Dub it off your man don't spend that 10 bucks. I did it for the advance the back end sucks."

"And since when the rap game had to do with killin a cat, what type o' chitlins is that?"

"And we'll be right back after these messages, fellas grab ya nuttsacks chicks squeeze your breastsess, we ain't all that grown it's still funny like goin to the store with your own rainbow money, since that had an insane flow sonny"

"[Us] Fuck the news, fuck the critics, and fuck their views, and if you sit and let it happen then fuck you too."

"[Stolen Memories]Life is so good its like I stole the memories."

"[Truman Show] We think that we see/ but we can't see the half/ we think we learn/ but we can't do the math."

"[Better Days]We pave the streets/ To walk between us, we pay for these/ Lock the doors and teach our kids to be neighbourly"

"[Broken Record] Truth is ain't much has changes /Still seems that Kraft Dinner sucks the same."

"[Never Enough] A funny thing about the money thing is/ You need a little bit/ Then a little more than a little bit"

"[Never Enough] Take Love/ Any form of the word, many shapes of/ So perfect, Hollywood ending/ All you need is love, go and ask John Lennon/ Love make a man ill, make a man kill/ Make a man take a stand making mountains out of ant hills"

"[Never Enough] Stupid mother fucker asked what do I make/ I make music that makes stupid mother fuckers think straight"

"I apologize for every choice I might have made to hurt your feelings or your health or ever bothered someone else your style of living is your choice and we all want a different kind so please love all your faults I'll do the same with what we find."

"To be friends you got to be strangers first."

"You either love me or hate me in peace and war."

"I try to really understand every aspect of the most high; for me, the most high is Allah... I live my life by Islam."

"Fuck that! Look at shorty, she a little cutie yo (yeah) The way she shake it make me wanna get all in the booty yo (whoo!) Top miss, just hit the bangin' bitches in videos (huh?)"

"It’s an appropriate title. It’s called Rolling Papers, like the papers that you roll, the papers that I roll, the papers that we smoke. But it’s deeper than that too. I thought of this before I even started recording the album and before it was a full idea. It’s not just about the weed thing. It’s bigger than that. My career really took off when I started smoking papers.The second reason I called it Rolling Papers is when I left Warner Bros., I sort of got my ‘rolling papers.’ I got my contract, fucking rolled up, and smoked. And I was able to walk and I was able to leave and I was able to do my thing and I was able to capitalize off that. So that’s another pair of papers that I really needed in my life.The third reason why I named it Rolling Papers, I quit writing a long time ago. I stopped physically writing it down or putting it in my BlackBerry or iPhone. I write notes down, but I don’t write whole verses, so it was like saying goodbye to the paper. The paper’s rolling out too. So everything is real natural. The first thing that came to my head is how I really, really feel. I feel like this is my most natural sound. I paid the most attention to this shit when I did it. I was real focused. I was real keyed in on this shit when I was working on it and I didn’t use any paper, except for [the rolling papers]."

"Sometimes we waste too much time to think about someone who doesn’t even think about us for a second."

"Yeah, Uh-huh you know what it is,(black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow)"

"And you and got nothin' on but the t-shirt I left over at your house the last time I came and put it on ya."

"We smoked out, with no roof on it, them people passin' so we smash on it"

"I was blessed by God with a talent to express myself through the art-form called music, I eventually found love in it and had no other choice than to embrace it and ever since, I’ve come to enjoy it; I feel like I was born to do it and I really want to continue to make music. To me, it’s sort of like life because I can relate it with everything that happens around me."

"Don't judge me from my looks or the way I dress, judge me wit what I do, cuz I don't impress people!!"

"It all has to do with my feelings, my mood or state of mind. Most times my experiences, things I desire, it could be good depends on how the listener’s level of perception is structured."

"Take a little rewind back to 1999, It's not the same place don't look front, better look behind"

"Uh, cause everyday she's struggling she be hustling day and night I don't think you know how it feels when you're an orphan yeah"

"aii, see Plenty money, means plenty honey na so dem say money is the root of all evil but nowadays na di fruit of the tree weh deh bless people"

"You a naughty girl and you're so fine Liking em strings on your waist line You mi desire, you ah hotter than fire Gal I like di way you shake yuh behind"

"Dirty wind, I like the way you dey wind And the way you dey do You fit make Timaya go mad So fine girl, pull down your skirt ah"

"Anyway I be, holding this mic And I'm restless Lyrical bars, it comes quick like my first sex I'm raw, no latex I aint a slave, I'm a grown man Fvck the chains and the necklace Gat bad chicks everywhere, Casablanca Noah flow, leave you in a state like Bayelsa I poo in your mouth, you can talk that shyt Guns like a cinema, it got clips"

"Bad boys making moves like a magician always on their hustle like a tactician see the streets, me I say you be average man one blood, one nation, African"

"My Nigerian girl I love you everyday in any way no be material girl, and all the way she no dey play"

"You used to dealing with basic bitches, Basic shit all the time. I'm a new classic, upgrade your status From a standby to a frequent flyer."

"I'm so fancy, You already know. I'm in the fast lane, From L.A. to Tokyo. I'm so fancy, Can't you taste this gold? Remember my name, 'bout to blow."

"Walk a mile in these Louboutins, But they don't wear these shits where I'm from. I'm not hating, I'm just telling you. I'm tryna let you know what the fuck that I've been through."

"Let ya hair down and shake that shit, shake that shit, shake that shit. Sweat it out, go nuts in this bitch. Dip it, spin it, and watchin' my hips; I see you watchin' my hips."

""After the scare, after the storm"

"In love with the money, I ain't ever letting go"

"And I get high with my baby"

"Pay attention to how we move things"

"Baby, take a look at my life Let's drop the top on my ride, baby Yo, nigga ain't hittin' that right Come roll with me for the night, baby"

"I'm sipping on you like some fine wine, though And when it's over, I press rewind, though"

"All fast money, no slow bucks No one can control us"

"I wake up in the morning, all I think is flip Count a couple hundreds, flip a couple bricks Time to hit the plug now, need another flip Counting all this money, got me filthy rich"

"I love the weed, blow that odour"

"I want you to be mine, again, baby I know my lifestyle is driving you crazy Aye, I cannot see myself without you"

"Married to the money, I ain’t never let go"

"Cannot keep you out my brain"

"This is something you should know, I don't ever chase no hoes I spotted you, you had that glow; watch me pull out all this dough"

"Never really cared what the fuck these niggas think"

"Monty: Counting all this bread, I don't talk to feds"

"And everybody got they opinions But they ain't got no money"

"Name another nigga that you know that could do it like me"

"My niggas stack their money just to spend it 'Cause, when you die, you cannot take it with you"

"And right after we sex, I don't leave I just hold her I don't leave, I just hold her"

"Have you ever had a dream so real That you felt the life you live was fake"

"Man, I just followed the same formula. I feel like if something ain’t broke, you don’t fix it. I’m gonna give the fans what they want, so I’m giving them what they want. I have a couple of different flows on there. But it’s gonna be the same Rubba Band Business that people love, that was banging in the clubs and stuff like that."

"Man, I love music. I looked up to producers like Barry White and Isaac Hayes. You know, I was about those guys. Dr. Dre, Michael Jackson, looking at those guys, how they came up, looking at all those guys I feel like I’m one of those guys. I’m one of those legendary guys just like them. I’ll never go anywhere. I love music. I love making music and working with different producers and getting the rappers and stuff like that. I signed TM88 to my company, you know? It’s been successful. He produced "XO Tour Llif3," which sold over four million copies."

"And I got some other producers I’m working with right now. I got YK 808, I got Deedotwill, I got other up-and-coming artists. I stay working with different people. I like overlapping and vibing with different producers, and that’s just how I’ve always been, man. Even when I was with Three 6 Mafia. I used to always just search for new talent and work with new talented people. I just think that’s what it is. I love making music. I don’t like to stay in the same place -- I’m not that type of person. But I still keep my roots. I still keep my sound."

"I’m executive producing Suicideboys. I’m executive producing their new album. I’m doing a lot of that. Me and A$AP Rocky got a lot of great records we got coming out. I just stay busy, man. I just adapt with times. That’s just who I am. I move forward. Even working in the studio, the equipment changes. The mixing boards -- people used to make their beats on MPCs and W30s and SP100s. Now, people are making beats on computers."

"I always adapt to everything that’s going on. If a new iPhone 8 is coming out, I gotta get it. If a new computer is coming out, I gotta get. Everything that’s new. I don’t live in the past. I just don’t. I still have my sound. I still have my flow. Everything sounds like the stuff that I created from back in the ‘90s. All the flows, I created all of that. I created everything. Everything you hear on the radio, it’s the Three 6 sound so I keep that sound but I still stay relevant. I don’t dwell in the past. My mind is not in the ‘90s, even though I’m a bigger star in the ‘90s -- I’m not in the ‘90s. Some people be stuck back in time, in their prime, in their moment, but I always move forward. A lot of people ask me that. I just move forward."

"In your eyes I saw my destiny today is like I wanted you made me love, taught me to be happy."

"The 23-year-old took to manage, for efficiency, and risking gained experience, his mother disappointed, do not know what does, but it's conformed with what happened."

"I handed in their game, without thinking about anything it was late when I realized my wrong attitude.. Sad when you love who else wants to deceive you."

"I thought that I was dreamin' when you said you love me."

"The blinds wide open so he can See you in the dark when you're sleepin' Naked body fresh out the shower You touch yourself after hours."

"There's just some magic in truth and honesty and openness."

"Dreaming of what is today the value ta in the car in pen bitch, riding armored afraid of assault, of his own offspring father murdering for food for family."

"The revolution will not be televised."

"You will not be able to stay home, brother. You will not be able to plug in, turn on, and cop out."

"The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox."

"There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers on the instant replay."

"SWAT teams, battering rams, and no-knock warrants (immortalized by Gil Scott Heron and written about by James Baldwin), all predate contemporary hyper-militarized police forces."

"Simply speechless. Thank you very much!."

"I have learned to daydream, I have had the opportunity to see my friends grow together with me, but I have not been able to see myself grow up. Sometimes it is difficult to recognize a #TBT with a great meaning behind it. Think as an adult and dream as a child, but never forget who you are and why you are daydreaming."

"Comfort zones, after all, are the enemy of growth."

"Unhappiness is simply when the picture in your head doesn’t match the picture in front of you."

"I read something one day: “If someone can’t actually kill animals themselves to eat meat …,” which really put me over the top. I can’t remember where I read that, but I wouldn’t. I think a lot of people live life through convenience. … I don’t think that I fully realized until I stopped eating [meat] how much it was a part of society and how much it was affecting me. … Like anything else, you’ve been indoctrinated from day one. … when you stop eating meat, you stop supporting slaughtering animals. … people need to be more responsible for everything around them, you know—animal rights."

"We've put animals in categories. There's bad ones — rats and whatever — and there's beautiful ones like dogs and fluffy ones. And that's just gross. Man should love all animals equally and realize it's part of their family."

"We try to portray ourselves as a very egalitarian society, the land of the fair go…But I think that we are quite segregated. And class exists in Australia – it’s much more slippery and hard to get your hands on than in other places where it’s more structured and stratified. But it’s there."

"I’ve always grown up as an in-betweener…Malaysian hyphen Australian, between really a working-class town, ‘struggle town’, and a really privileged private school, between secular and religious – even Queanbeyan is known as part city, part country."

"I think Australia’s sense of itself is very insecure, very shaky. And what I see around us is constant simmering tension and some kind of violence beneath the surface of this country."

"People think of hip hop as a very angry art form and in many ways that’s true – there is a certain type of danger and aggression – but there’s also a coolness and a funkiness from back where the breakbeats started. I was drawn to its ability to allow you to let free the tempestuous emotions within you, whether they be anger or pain. All of us have those emotions and feelings within us and there was something about the chunky, bodily beats of hip hop that drew me into expressing myself in that way…"

"I said what I understood and I said what I was able to say."

"'From seven years old, from day one of the abuse, Michael told me that we loved each other and this was love, this was an expression of our love.'"

"'And then he would follow it up with, "but if you ever tell anyone what we are doing both of our lives and careers would be over"'."

"'I have never forgotten one moment of what Michael did to me, but I was psychologically and emotionally completely unable and unwilling to understand that it was sexual abuse.'"

"'And for the first time in my life, I began to realize that my completely numb and unexplored feelings about what Michael did to me might be a problem and maybe I need to speak to somebody about it.'"

"'The idea that I would make all of this up and put myself, my wife, my son, my entire family through this extremely stressful and painful experience all for money is incomprehensible.'"

"'I've lived in silence and denial for 22 years and I can't spend another moment in that.'"

"'I'm never going to go away with this for the sake of money. I'm never going to be silenced for money. That's not going to happen.'"

"I scribble on oak trees Pretty please you can sing my syllables credible My cordon bleu sonnets you just wishing they edible"

"You can't rap, my friend You're white and you're from Fulham Please put down the mic there's no way you can fool them Don't be stupid, you won't get that far Turn your back on hip-hop, bruv, and go and play guitar"

"It's worse by the day now, every time I lay down words come alive in my head and they play loud It's like they can't find a way out Wanna pull the plug on their party, it's starting to worry me, can't get to sleep when I wanna do How would you feel if your lyrics just followed you everywhere you went from the street to the bed and repeated through the night everything you said Tried so many things, pen and a pad by the side of my bed but it's sending me mad Every time I recline, I decline to opine but there's always a rhyme at the back of my mind... Sentences now they form in queues... And my mind won't stop cos I always gotta finish it"

"First we made the wheel Then we made the car Then we made the bomb Now it's all gone wrong"

"She's electric, she's the current running through my veins She's a siren, hearing voices that I can't explain Now I should be thinking it over Instead I'm calling her over Now she's here and she won't go quietly I should be thinking it over Instead I'm calling her over Now she's here but she won't go quietly"

"I don't know why it happened so fast When I tried to speak your language I'm happy you laughed 'cause I'm hardly a linguist spoke through kisses cos you didn't speak English and it was hard to distinguish love at first sight or holiday romance? Don't care, I was lost in the moment I really should'a missed that flight"

"Two lives, living two lives I don't know which side of me is where the truth lies I'm living two lives, living two lives I got two sides of me try'n'a do right I got one on each shoulder both saying "I told ya" One is saying "Go" and the other's saying "No, no, no.""

"Start to think it could be fizzling out Kinda shocked because I never really had any doubts Look into your eyes, imagine life without ya And the love kick starts again"

"Time might fly girls may cry lights may die but the skies don't lie It'll all make perfect sense if you follow me Come follow me now"

"If we don't kill ourselves, we'll be the leaders of a messed up generation If we don't kid ourselves, will they believe us if we tell them the reasons why? Did we take it too far (take it too far)? Did we chase the rabbit into Wonderland, lose a hundred grand, Will they understand it was all to stay awake for the longest"

"I've never been afraid of the highest heights or afraid of flying now I've never been afraid of the wildest fights not afraid of dying But now I want off this ride cos you're scaring me and I don't like where we're going I need a new funfair cos you're scaring me and I don't like where we're going And now you're gonna miss me, I know you're gonna miss me I guarantee you'll miss me Cos you changed the way you kiss me"

"Cos we're starving We're hungry for more of the good stuff Thirsty for more of the bad stuff When you gonna show us the way?"

"Need to tell myself I don't care Need to tell myself you're not there Need some air, need some space Need some air The way I'm feeling I just don't care. This is Starship Trooper living on a whole other planet Reboot computer"

"I gotta get out of this habit we're in The weekend comes and we're at it again Sayin' it won't but it's happened again, slackin' I worship the ground you walk on but you're dragging me down We never had a day go by we were sober Sittin' in a cold room wide awake And now I've gotta say goodbye to the sofa See, I gotta go, can't hide away"

"Throw your stones (Wo-oh-oh-ohhh) We can hold our own (Wo-oh-oh-ohhh) I don't need no microphone"

"I got someone waiting at home for me staring out the door and I'll wanna stay in the zone till three all those calls ignored tomorrow she'll probably disown me happy no more keep falling into shadows. I'm playing in the shadows all night long So good to play with bad girls (I'm still young) They keep on saying hello I know what they want You'll find me in the shadows"

"If we're meant to be together, change the way you see the weather Live for now, forget forever"

"And I love being under the influence, under the influence of you And your voice sounds like it's an instrument Everything you say rings true"

"A song in my head and it won't leave me alone, I should have followed my friends, by now they're probably at home all warm and tucked up in bed Instead I'm stumbling home on my own with no charge on my phone in the east end of London"

"Maybe we should take another roll of the dice Can't believe we both let it fade away I want to stay for another day If you want to save us, give me a signal, anything will do"

"And I'm happy to admit that I lied and I'll admit that I ruined you're life You could never admit if you tried and you're so wrong, and you're so wrong And I'm happy to admit that I lied and I'll admit that I ruined you're life You could never admit if you tried that you're so wrong Until you stop lying to yourself I'll never stop lying to you And until I stop crying to myself, I'll never cry in front of you I'll fight the tallest giants and break the rules of science But I'll never stop lying to you and I've never said a word so true"

"I'm missing my halo Where did today go? Why does it rain so much when it says so? Let me show you all the beautiful things What do they know? Come taste the rainbow Always gonna live like it's my last day"

"There's light at the end of the tunnel There's fight at the heart of a struggle Your smile should've told me you're trouble No more, no more, no more You owned me when I told you I love you you buried all my worth with a shovel Your smile should've told me you're trouble No more, no more, no more No more goodbyes (So long, so long, so long now) No more white lies You used to be the one true thing in my world You told me that you loved me. You're in love with yourself Shoulda listen to my mother You messed around the others now you're dead to me I've been sleeping with the enemy"

"Wash the kisses off my neck and lock my past in the basement I've found your perfect replacement I've found something, never need your nothing again I've found something, never need your nothing again I've found something, never need your nothing again I've found something, never need your nothing again"

"Don't speak Don't speak no more Cos your eyes do the talking Don't speak Don't speak no more Cos your eyes do the talking You don't have to say nothing Say nothing Cos your eyes do the talking"

"Everything I promised you was there but I was late. Broke in two I used to blame the substance So confused but I carry no substance Lost in a cave like Sons of Mumford Kept moaning zoning in the comfort Now I blame myself Went downhill just to up my numbers You only need one, what's the point of hundreds? And I never did ask. (You said the answer would be "Yes".) I killed us, had tools to build us a castle but I never played chess Bad guess, made the wrong move Queen takes King, now I've been removed: out the back door like a famous actor Cut us in half like stupid tax laws"

"I gave up one day Such a stop one day I would stop one day, I was fallen I wake up one day, give a fuck one day I'm in love 'cause I hear you calling Nothing I can say to make you understand I guess I just have to call it The Evolution of Man The Evolution of Man The Evolution of Man It's better better It's better better It's better better that you didn't know the truth I'm getting better I'm getting better I'm living bigger"

"Lately, I'm shedding my snakeskin You know I've been changing for you lately It's time to make a fresh start It's time to make a fresh start"

"Impossible's possible I know 'cause I lost it all I know the price of my ego It's lethal I still got the hots for you"

"Standing in the light till it's over, out of our minds Someone had to draw a line We'll be coming back for you one day We'll be coming back for you one day"

"You don't have to whisper You don't have to whisper no more Just scream and we'll take you to heaven Scream and we'll light up the world If we can make the whole world hear us then I can see the whole world changing I wanna make the whole world hear us Would that be so crazy? If we can make the whole world hear us then I can see the whole world changing I wanna make the whole world hear us Would that be amazing?"

"Another lesson learnt Another page is turned Give in to your desire, say goodbye or play with fire Play with fire you'll get burnt Another lesson learnt Another page is turned It's time I have to fly and then you say those precious words Stay with me Stay with me Stay with me, stay with me for just one more day"

"If only I could fly away Revel in the moonlight Try to find a good life Find a way to break the chains Find a way to break the chains Struggle just to hear the call It's easy now, easy now Heaven is a mile away I'll burn it all and leave today"

"When life throws us obstacles and nothing seems fair at all impossible's possible 'cause you take us there Feelings ain't optional And these are our chronicles Impossible's possible And you take us there And true love isn't scared True love isn't scared True love isn't scared True love isn't scared"

"I may grow old but I'll never, grow, up (We may grow old but we never grow up) (We may grow old but we never grow up) (We may grow old but we never grow up) (We may grow old but we never grow, never grow)"

"[Her] When I look at you, yeah, there'll never be a day where I'll be afraid. When I look you, yeah, there'll never be a day when I doubt myself. [Him] I can't breathe, my heart's on fire, but you make me feel like life's just fine. Even when I'm looking in the mirror and I feel like I can't get by, I know that everything is gonna be okay from deep in your eyes."

"I for one, and one lasting reason, tell my kids the stakes Break the rules and go smash some records Make 'em learn your name (don't tell 'em) Even when they say you can't, you know you're Genghis Khan Break some hearts, respect the love and be big in Japan Fuck the beef, slow cook the brisket Take some risk, embrace the misfit Rock and roll, don't limp or be scared Look, go and change the way you kissed it Even if the leader of your generation messed up Run the world, down your drink, smile a bit, then rest up"

"And then you stepped into my life and changed my rainy day, ay ay. Now every rule I live my life by I can safely say It's all for you babe, I'll tell them straight It's all good today though we'll make mistakes And then come Tuesday we'll still be best mates"

"Ooh, I said I'd never let you down, You said you'd never let me down, And now I gotta let you let me leave. Ooh, I said I'd never let you down, You said you'd never let me down, And now I gotta let you let me leave."

"You'd like to meet her, take her home, fill her up with your testosterone but you won't get a chance to score There's a reason she wears her shades indoors (Why?) If you look closely there's something not right with her jaw She's chewin' her face like a carnivore with a piece of meat, and furthermore remove her glasses from her face: this female's lost in space Lost her sight, her eyes ain't right, eyeballs painted black not white"

"This was a strictly a one-nighter to delight us we both knew this must stay quiet It was vital we couldn't forget though We never let go we just held on tighter See I'm a lover not a fighter so I didn't fight the fact that I more than liked you"

"If only I had a Ferrari Then I'd be a Ken doll and she'd be Barbie We could ride together with the roof rolled down With the whole town jealous of my girl and my fast car"

"Hit the first stage of the hibernation This perfect darkness is a weird sensation Escape from a nation of twisted creatures where their features are lost in accrued stagnation Like a treasure chest I rest in a cave I have to be brave, there's too much to crave 'cause it hurts me dearly to leave the scheme Will I see more clearly when I lose the team?"

"World's getting hotter, not a lot you're gonna do Armageddon ensues and the rivers rise up (Chorus) There's all these monsters at work and they're burning burning burning They keep their hush (hush) they'll never stop earning Earth's needing us, it's just that no-one gives a flying fuck Why give a damn if the world's still turning, huh?"

"When the lights go out come and hunt me down, keep me in your line of sight Be my predator, I'll give in to ya Take a taste, do what you like Show me how to love ya Show me how to get you high Show me how to love ya I just wanna rock you right"

"To-ing fro-ing never knowing if I'm coming or I'm going living in the fast lane but our heartbeat's slowing"

"Now I'm going into darkness trying to find my light my heart is like an eclipse every hour's midnight Feel like time is running out I need to break free cos I'm going into darkness and you're the only one who can't see"

"Oh darling, let's stay up all night Drinking whisky, telling stories, I can keep you satisfied Oh darling, let's stay up all night Drinking whisky, telling stories, I can keep you satisfied Oh darling, let's stay up all night Drinking whisky, telling stories, I can keep you satisfied"

"Pushing my buttons again, want for your loving again Pushing my buttons again, want for your loving again, yeah Pushing my buttons again, want for your loving again Pushing my buttons again, want for your loving again It was like slow motion when you walked into the room. I sat there frozen, just sat back, enjoyed the view. If this the ocean you're some undiscovered species. You saved me from myself that night, believe me. Had so many questions on my mind. Where the hell you been all of my life? Straight out from the darkness to the light. You're the answer. You're the answer to the meaning of my life."

"Only one place we wanna be Only need the crew plus me Don't know who we're gonna see but I heard they play a couple CDs Eight quid for a G&T Probably gonna spill it on my jeans Don't really care, honestly 'cause I only need the crew plus me We stay (all night) All day (all night) UK (all night) Okay (all night) Just vibes (all night) We slide (all night) All day (all night) All night (all night)"

"You and me just click Just click, just click You and me just click You and me just click You and me just click You and me just click"

"It's just something I do Don't wanna kiss and tell I'll make it up to you And do it so well I can't do many things But one thing that I do For you, it's true I do it so well"

"'Cause we About it It's deep How we found it Sleep I doubt it When the sun hits your eyes and I'm with you"

"Run to, run to, run to, run Run together into something Run to, run to, run together into something new. Run to, run to, run to, run Run together into something Run to, run to, run together into something new."

"And we're all daydreaming now Escape to another world Live for another day Escape to another world Don't have to be told Don't have to grow old"

"Ask yourself what you really want from life Don't follow that crowd"

"No point standing alone No point wondering why No point getting it if you don't level it Gotta look 'em dead in the eye No point sitting at home Better just believe you can fly No point singing it if you're not ringing it Gotta look 'em dead in the eye"

"Take a bag with your clothes and leave your keys by the door 'cos she never wants to see you no more Never should have listened to the serpent You shot yourself in the foot again Take that sad little face and leave your pride at the door 'cos she never gonna touch you no more Never should have listened to the serpent You shot yourself in the foot again Face looks jaded Clothes look faded Keep walking on, my friend"

"Take my hand and don't let go Take my hand and don't let go oh no Come with me Temptation Avenue"

"How could I forget the day we met I had to date you, A couple months we were in love... Like Ross and Rachel, It went deranged, and then the chains... To leave, I hate you, It was kinda like that film where the Attraction's Fatal. You smash a plate, I slam the gate, (Yeah!, yeah!) You get irate, I turn up late, (We stuff our ammo) You scream and shout, I lock you out, (Who's in trouble now?) We call a truce and then we're back where we started. It's all good when we're on our best behaviour When the will turns sour it's like a scene out of Braveheart, Dark like Darth Vader, But still I love her, We fight, but there's light at the end of the tunnel."

"We been living in a world full of free love and the limit is the sky if we team up yeah, we run the world, we run the world"

"And it goes and it goes And it goes and it goes I got ten bags of funds, some rum and some dubstep Head off into the sunset, one step ahead of the game They've been attacking my brain, they ain't done yet Count to 100, open my eyes and it's fine again No sign of them, back in the open I'm hoping I'm reaching utopia Coping without her but it's all for the best No mess, let me digress One day soon, find room in my head to let another special person fully immerse themselves And we'll merge our worlds so perfectly This is paradise, certainly"

"Since my birth, there has been no freedom in this country. Here, bought judges ruin people’s lives."

"We brag about fictitious victories over the USA, old military exploits, but today we have nothing to be proud of. People are stuck in the past."

"There are a lot of problems up here. Policemen should protect the people – and here, when you see them, you get fucking scared. There’s no freedom of speech, too. Even when people want to say something, they get scared and keep silent. There’s no change among authorities – Russia is moving back to the USSR, the Stalin times. Poverty is still the main problem."

"I know what it feels like when you survive on your grandparents’ tiny pension, what it feels like when your mother gets religious and literally loses her mind because of it."

""That´s my way and i go"."

"I tell every 18-year old who wants to rap that if they spend just one hour understanding what music publishing is, what IP is, what royalties are, and what their rights are, they will do more for their music than the three hours they spend on YouTube figuring out how to mix a new drum pattern. The entry barrier to music is virtually nonexistent now because of technology. That makes musicians vulnerable and means they need to be IP savvy."

"These days, as an artist, you can tour and if you prove to a brand that your free download attracted thousands of eyeballs, then brand endorsements become an option. These channels open up new income streams. Then you look at streaming platforms and you realize they're not really paying anybody and won't ever be your main revenue source. Streaming is like a business card; it's a way to get people familiar with your music while you take advantage of other channels to make money."

"The problem I have with streaming it is that it doesn't take account of different audiences and markets. It doesn't distinguish between a popular musician whose (millions of) fans are willing to only pay two cents for a stream and a jazz artist whose smaller fan base is willing to pay two dollars to listen to their work. As things stand, the jazz artist can't take advantage of it."

"My passion to live out every single dream I have ever had is what keeps me going. It is also nice to be seen."

"Everyone has their own perception of the word ‘success’. To you, success could mean hit tracks, to me success could mean being able to complete a full song for self or for another human being."

"I wouldn’t do any of the things that I do if I didn’t find them fulfilling. Every goal/ project serves its purpose."

"My environment influenced me. The music I listened to influenced me. My mother influenced me."

"I have learnt a lot from gaining recognition from the public eye. No one teaches you how to handle these things but you pull through, regardless. I have remained the same person over the years. Sometimes, I do get upset, calm or crazy. I am still me and I have grown up which is what change is all about."

"If you are not surrounded by good people insecurity starts to creep in. That is how everybody here is. They are always looking at other people instead of focusing on what they are out there to accomplish"

"We need to embrace all kinds of music. We can’t all focus on high -life because it’s what is reigning right now. It’s okay to have one or two hi-life songs and make them timeless but let’s embrace other genres of music."

"Confidence is sexy, not pride. There is a very thin line between pride and confidence. When you are confident, you look better, you feel better, you communicate better, and everybody loves that. If you are not confident you will be sad and angry all the time and guys don’t like that .It’s not about just the looks. No matter how big or small you are, confidence is what drives anybody close to you"

"never make a decision when you are desperate because that is a mistake most of us make."

"Because if you want to make it in life, you need no conscience and if you have conscience you won’t do anything. But I don’t mean you have to be bad, I mean you have to be able to live your life. If you are too afraid to grab life, it will be hard for you and you will be nowhere to be found. So if you know what is good for you, live life to the fullest because no one knows tomorrow"

"I like a man who is himself; who doesn’t try to impress me. I am more attracted to a person’s soul than the physical; that lasts longer. I think we are attracted to people for different reasons. You may be attracted to someone for money and I don’t see anything wrong with that. Different people serve different purposes."

"I just live my life one day at a time. Again, my mental disposition is to constantly choose peace and respect for all I encounter."

"Nothing is a coincidence. Everything I am today, I (have) always desired to accomplish."

"When your actions come from love, you never quit. And at times, the experiences become documented as art."

"“In the past, I concerned myself with timing and I was always anxiously pleasing people. In that mindset, I gave up many times. Now I follow what gives me joy and I share it with the world and leave the rest""

"“I only concern myself with myself.”"

"“I don’t pay attention to comments that don’t serve me,”"

"A couple weeks ago I officially joined the @rocnation management family! It’s been overwhelming to see your reaction to the news since I announced it two days ago and to see what this means to so many of you! All your messages really touched my heart. I’m excited for this new adventure, @kailynash my badass manager and I am soooo ready and excited to build the foundations of our wildest dreams. I feel unbelievably blessed to be where I am in my life right now and it’s all thanks to your support. Cheers to all of you to female energy and team work. Let’s goo."

"I have to sacrifice my privacy for a greater cause."

"In Africa, we are very spiritual: here, if you talk about God, it's considered an affront. Even Catholics are afraid to say they are. France and Belgium are among the few countries in Europe to have a discourse on the veil."

"I want to be an example of a Black woman who succeeded on her own, against all odds."

"Your slow motion is better than No Motion"

"To say something is impossible is to fear. I have no space for the word impossible. I don't tolerate it. Sometimes it gets me in trouble, but whatever it is, I will face it."

"The music don’t stop, it sings to an action. Who are you? Better know your reaction."

"I do see myself as a preacher for the streets. That’s where I’m from. I don’t only talk about the struggles, I also talk about the beauty of it. It’s not always negative."

"Everything I make, I want to make it evergreen and put in my pain, my all. That’s what I believe is art."

"Success is really a challenge more than an honor, because you don’t want to succeed and lose interest in what made you succeed...This success means maintaining it, or growing it. The real beauty is not in the results, it’s in whatever contributed to the success; the people that helped you, or the habits that got you there. The paper, the money, they’re bonuses, man."

"I don’t think people should box artistes into one style of music. That singular act kills creativity. I, for instance, may have the skills to explore other areas and put my artistic prowess to the test. Putting me in one style of music will kill my creativity. In fact, this act of saying this artiste belongs to this space or that space alone kills creativity, and we must put a stop to it."

"I believe there are musicians who can fit perfectly into different genres or styles and still deliver perfectly. Let us not harbour the mentality that a musician has to chart just one path. What if exploring other genres is what will work for them?"

"I don't rush to make quick songs. I take my time with my music, crafting each one carefully. My goal is to make music that people will love for a long, long time."

""I believe as an individual, I have a social responsibility to make a difference any way I can"."

"We have serious issues in this country but at the end of the day we only have ourselves to blame."

"Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out."

"Dear Artiste, Management is a bit like a marriage. Your career can be significantly affected by who you choose to manage it."

"Local awards are compromised."

"When you are doing music, you have to do fashion."

"Music is business, you must fight for your right, and you've got to use your head."

"Age is nothing but a number. It is how one ‘rocks’ one’s age that matters."

"A lot of songs will do justice to how a lot of people are feeling, and it is good for the time regardless of the situation."

"There are a lot of people who the media have poisoned."

"Already proud of being African and had a problem with the fact we couldn’t be ourselves."

"I asked you to hustle and try to avoid trouble. Your mates are bubbles, and they don’t have two heads. They said you’re worthless but don’t care if you suffer. Small children will give you orders and can give you a slap."

"It is very difficult for entertainers to find love, because people already have a perception of who an entertainer is. They think we have wild lifestyles. It is very difficult for many people to see us for who we really are."

"No one likes to be cheated on, and I live by the rule that says, ‘Do unto others what you wish them to do to you.’ I believe in karma. That thing you don’t want your partner to do to you, don’t do it to them. Simple."

"I have not been able to say what my style truly is, because I am fluid."

"Firstly, I am showing that it's possible to every poor, unappreciated and broken young girl out there in our country. It's possible to dream and chase after your dreams, it's possible to be heard, it's possible to achieve and break the mould and be something"

"[A] few years as a struggling artist in Mahikeng and seeing people that are half talented being given a chance and messing it up while I was overlooked or being boxed in as just a female wannabe rapper. That is painful beyond words. Thank God I never even thought of giving up, not even for a day"

"https://punchng.com/i-didnt-foresee-the-responses-to-my-video-falz-confesses/"

"In the non-choice of Italian politics the best choice is the M5S but by this I do not mean that I believe in conspiracies of chemical trails or mind control as some supporters do. I do not trust Renzi and I would like Napolitano to go and testify at the trial on the State-Mafia negotiations. That's all."

"Now I am a different rapper and I want to distance myself from those who consider me only a product of the hip hop scene."

"I am 25 years old, I have no idea why parents don't understand their children. But I think it's a dog biting its own tail: older people tend to devalue younger people simply because they have a ‘background’ that the young people are creating instead. All new generations are seen as listless and less enterprising, it has always been like that. Or has it?"

"If you're going to be wrong, it's better to do it with your own ideas. Everyone has great prejudices, something dark deep in their soul. I have it towards the ‘children of’. It is possible that there are some who do their job well, but I just can't get past that.."

"It is essential to know who surrounds us. Knowledge is power, it all starts from there. I come from a family that thinks differently from me, which has always been right-wing, but my parents never imposed their ideas on me. That's how I realised that the truth lies in the middle, that factions are dead, and that you have to take action."

"Although I look like a drug dealer, I am very polite in terms of food."

"I have just seen a report ... on the congress of families in Verona, where the people interviewed who attended the congress spoke out on the subject of homosexuality, all stating in the same way that homosexuality is wrong because it is against nature. Making the equation against nature equals wrong. I am always pleasantly surprised to see extremist catholics making this kind of equation."

"(About Matteo Renzi) He is a Berlusconi who didn't make it."

"(Dubai is) Disneyland with corpses under the carpet."

"What a useless martial art karate is. Boy, I am a blue belt in karate. I wasted years of my life learning some completely useless stuff. Like, you punch like this, but who the fuck punches like this? It's just some fun little moves."

"Two events related to clergy sexual abuse have touched the figure of Prevost. The first dates back to the early 2000s, when, as Augustinian provincial in Chicago, he was involved in a case of hospitality to a priest already convicted of paedophilia. The second, more recent, concerns his episcopate in Peru: he allegedly handled an investigation into two priests accused of molestation with little transparency."

"We didn't care about the generation gap, when you make a company you don't care about the age difference but about other things. Not least because I have seen peers who are much less in tune with me than Ax is. Sure, it can be difficult to mix art, friendship and money, but problems only arise when the latter end. The generation gap between us is actually not that big, we complement each other: I am much older than my age and he is younger than his."

"Union makes strength and competition and machismo are counterproductive. For us the union was physiological, we were under the same house, we wanted to go away, we said ‘ok let's do it’, alone it would have been impossible."

"[What if tomorrow they no longer ‘buy’ you?] Everything would change, the vile money changes, success is a pact with the Devil. But we are the first generation to achieve success coming from rap, so we go by trial and error. When I started I didn't have references, there were no artists of our type selling what we sell today. You chose rap out of a need to aggregate, you did rap to express yourself, to not be alone, there was a purity of soul that, it's undeniable, you lose to some extent along the way."

"Israel’s actions are fundamentally at odds with the values that Eurovision claims to uphold — peace, unity, and respect for human rights."

"Right now I regret not having baby mamas. I really regret it. Because I’m like the only one in my bloodline alive right now."

"Even if you don’t like a song, it should be your personal opinion."

"We would appreciate if there are opportunities that will enable performers grow and get to the next level just like it is in most cities around the world."

"You look more perfect when you’re silent than when you speak."

"For me, life is about choices and whatever you choose to stand for, you have people who want to live that life with you"

"In England, football is generational. Imagine your grandfather passing the support of a team to your dad and to you and to your son, so it’s a way of life. You know the beautiful thing, whenever you go to Anfield, you will never leave Liverpool."

"Ultimately, I believe people must evolve. Never be so scared that you hold one sound and blame the system for frustrating you. Being a rapper in Nigeria has to be the hardest thing. It’s almost like you’re an outcast."

"Nigeria is a rhythmic market; everyone here wants to dance. This is a troubled country. They don’t want to listen to a lot of stuff that slaps their brain cerebrally."

"A lot of artists are not making money. You say artists are making money — you can’t count ten."

"I always tell the people close to me not to tell me about the things said/written about me. I tell them not to even defend me. They should allow the people who want to talk to continue talking."

"Everybody has a reason behind their action and I do music because I am good at it."

"Impact matters more than momentary attention."

"In the current economy, if you’re opportuned to even get a gig from a political party, you’re lucky. So, respect to the party."

"There is time for everything. But the fact that you are progressing is what is important."

"It’s not about what you have but how you carry it."

"It’s growth and distance. It happens to everybody."

"See, the way I feel about it is, for example, if Messi (touch wood) were to pass away, Cristiano Rolando would possibly feel a certain way… he’d probably stop playing soccer"

"You know, the people you actually compete with are the reason why you go a little bit harder because they keep raising the bar but in the same breath, you’re not aware that you’re positioning yourself to be great or elevated as an artist"

"Whenever AKA would drop something, I’d be like, ‘Man, how do I come up with something stronger?’ Kiernan [AKA’s birth name] would always keep you on your toes. So, when such starts diminishing, whether by an unfortunate passing of a rapper or rapper’s tenacity to keep going, it makes it hard for one to keep the bar high"

"I think it’s still fresh in our minds, just the fact that he’s gone and the way that he left. So Hip-Hop is not in its best state right now. But as far as us getting together and making music, I think it’s in a good place sonically"

"The word ‘Phara’ has long carried street weight, often linked to outcasts and survivors"

"But I’m here to flip that narrative. A Phara isn’t just someone who gets by; it’s someone who rises, builds, and dreams despite the odds"

"A Phara is anyone who refuses to fold, regardless of background or circumstance"

"What’s a Phara? It’s the genius of turning pain into power, hustle into legacy"

"Phara City is our reality, the scars we carry, the victories we earn, the hope we hold onto"

"That spirit lives in every street, in every story. That spirit lives in this album"

"This song is a hustler's prayer and is very close to my heart,” he said. “I'm basically pleading with God to spare me because I still have so much that I need to do. The year [2022] has been hard on the hip hop community, and it's hard not to be conscious of how heavy the energy is around all of us. 'Emoyeni' is also a reminder that, even in trying times, we should not be ruled by fear and take a moment to celebrate"

"This time, I wanted to bring even more: more emotion and more of that powerful connection we feel when we experience the music together, live and in the moment,"

"Even during the toughest of times, when I am on stage and the flow and exchange of light and energy is happening between me and the crowd, everything inside and all around catches fire; a bright burning fire. That’s what keeps me going. That is what I do it for"

"As an artist, performing the music I create to a live audience is very important to me. It's a different skill to create music in the studio, and it keeps me connected to the people."

"Without South Africa, there is no Nando’s."

"We are made special here – made different – full of flavour and fire. We have ‘this thing’ – this indescribable fire, energy and spirit, and it’s worth reminding ourselves of it. Whatever this thing is that we have, may we never lose it."

"These things only happen here and it felt like it was already written that they would be part of the story"

"The fact that brands still want to work with brand Kwesta after 18 years? I must be doing something right"

"I’m blatantly saying that if I was to leave the game tomorrow, any day and Touchline was the last rapper left I would be fine with how it."

"I had to be very grounded with the fact that I am going out with this information because that’s part of the calling … It shocked me to my core, but at the same time also made me very steadfast, very strong, and to just trust in the process …"

"I feel like, in some small way, I opened the space for people to feel more comfortable about talking about that journey."

"Will your tongue still remember the taste of my lips?"

"I don't wanna die so young. Got so much to do."

"I'ma fuck up my life. We gon' party all night. She don't care if I die."

"I am not going to comply with any law and court as far as the country’s sovereignty and independence is concerned. Their intent becomes clear when film’s writer says Nepal was under India. That the Government of Nepal called this thing a stunt, and the court instructing to allow screening of film means Nepal was under India, and the court and the government are Indian slaves. I am ready to face any punishment for that but the film will not be screened or allowed to be screened."

"Dear Prime Minister, America has already called us corrupt, India calls us beggars, and China doesn't respect us. Forget about me being the mayor and just provide a basis for living as a Nepali."

"We have made it clear. This is a Generation Z movement. Dear Generation Z, the resignation of your murderer has come. Now be moderate!! The loss of the country's people and property means the loss of your property. You and I must be moderate now. Your generation will now have to lead the country. Be prepared! And prepare to negotiate with the army chief. But remember: parliament must be dissolved before negotiations can take place."