3 December 2020 Mos Def I come from a family of very devout, praying people. That idea of peace and love toward humanity shouldn’t be nationalistic or denominational. It should be a chief concern for all mankind.
3 December 2020 Mos Def I have no confidence issues with the impact or the quality of the music. No one in hip-hop, before this point and to this point, with all due respect, has done this.
3 December 2020 Mos Def I know what it feels like to have the door slammed firmly in my face, so I’m cool with that.
3 December 2020 Mos Def I don’t want to waste anyone’s time or money. I want to give people some truth and positive heart lift.
3 December 2020 Mos Def And remember don’t high post when you’re far from home, and high posting when you’re all alone.
3 December 2020 Mos Def I began to fear that Mos Def was being treated as a product, not a person, so I’ve been going by Yasiin since ’99. At first it was just for friends and family, but now I’m declaring it openly.
3 December 2020 Mos Def Focused. I’m a hustler. And my hustle is trying to figure out the best ways to do what I like without having to do much else.
3 December 2020 Mos Def With guys I revere, like Marcus Garvey or Malcolm X, their look is less about style than purpose and the expression of beauty. It wasn’t just about being noticed, you know?
3 December 2020 Mos Def African art is functional, it serves a purpose. It’s not a dormant. It’s not a means to collect the largest cheering section. It should be healing, a source a joy. Spreading positive vibrations.
3 December 2020 Mos Def That idea of peace and love toward humanity shouldn’t be nationalistic or denominational. It should be a chief concern for all mankind.
3 December 2020 Mos Def To me, the job of the artist is to provide a useful and intelligent vocabulary for the world to be able to articulate feelings they experience everyday, and otherwise wouldn’t have the means to express in a meaningful and useful way.
3 December 2020 Mos Def Good art provides people with a vocabulary about things they can’t articulate.
