Mos Def

I thought everybody got into rock 'n' roll because they didn't want to follow instructions.

— Mos Def

I like to read the 'Financial Times' when I'm traveling. 'Economist.' 'Ad Busters.'

— Mos Def

I've always loved music and I love the language, which is a huge reason why I'm part of theater.

— Mos Def

I seen her on the ave, spotted her more than once. Ass so fat that you could see it from the front...

— Mos Def

They say that when a man faces his destiny, the destiny ends and he becomes the man that he really is.

— Mos Def

I'm growing as an individual, but your always growing. All of my albums are snapshots of where I am artistically.

— Mos Def

Why did one straw break the camel's back? Here's the secret: The million other straws underneath it.

— Mos Def

Twitter freaks me out. You have followers? It feels so obsessive and proprietary.

— Mos Def

I can't take it y'all I can feel the city breathin Chest heavin, against the flesh of the evening Sigh before we…

— 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.…

— Mos Def

It's possible and available to any artist to be himself or herself on their own terms, to be accepted and embraced by…

— Mos Def

I don't have advice for people on how to dress. People should dress based on what they find beautiful. My best advice:…

— Mos Def

With guys I revere, like Marcus Garvey or Malcolm X, their look is less about style than purpose and the expression of…

— Mos Def

You've got to validate every day. There are those who just put a stamp on it and say, "This is gonna be…

— Mos Def

Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years, it's a name that the streets taught me, a…

— Mos Def

I feel like I was the only person who was capable of making this type of music in this type of way.…

— Mos Def

You want to know how to rhyme, then learn how to add. It's mathematics.

— Mos Def

Crack mothers, crack babies and AIDS patients Youngbloods can't spell, but they could rock you in PlayStation.

— Mos Def

Fame is like getting across the street. It's like, if there's nothing to be across the street for, it's a pointless destination.

— Mos Def

There are a lot of people who call themselves teachers or leaders, but they're really just propagandists.

— Mos Def

I don't care about what brand you are, I'm concerned what type of man you are, what your principles and standards are.

— Mos Def

And remember don't high post when you're far from home, and high posting when you're all alone.

— Mos Def

If 'Life in Marvelous Times' can't get on the radio, then I don't need to be on the radio.

— Mos Def

To me, playing an instrument and singing, all of these different things are just as natural to me as rhyming.

— Mos Def

Beef is not what Jay said to Nas; Beef is when the working folks can't find jobs.

— Mos Def

You can positively affect and change a social circumstance with art, and it’s vital that a change happens now.

— Mos Def

Breathe in...inhale vapors from bright stars that shine, Breathe out...weed smoke retrace the skyline.

— Mos Def

I'm trying to get low. People's personalities can get in the way of their own work.

— Mos Def

I feel like being into the beat of your own drum has become too prominent in the culture.

— Mos Def

I want to be necessary and do good works. I ain't here to waste nobody's time, because I don't want you to…

— Mos Def

Hip-hop is a beautiful culture. It's inspirational, because it's a culture of survivors. You can create beauty out of nothingness.

— Mos Def

My Umi said shine your light on the world, shine your light for the world to see

— Mos Def

Good art provides people with a vocabulary about things they can't articulate.

— Mos Def

I ain't no perfect man I'm tryna do the best that I can with what it is I have.

— Mos Def

I give a damn if any fan recalls my legacy, I'm trying to live life in the sight of GOD's memory.

— Mos Def

Record companies are not necessarily interested in you realizing your artistic dream. The bottom line is that they got to sell records.

— Mos Def

I can't control what people think. I'm not trying to manipulate people's thoughts or sentiments. I write all the time. You have…

— Mos Def

The ability to have somebody read something and see it, or for somebody to paint an entire landscape of visual imagery with…

— Mos Def

I've been fortunate with my acting career. A lot of scripts come to me. I don't mind auditioning if something that requires…

— Mos Def

I'm an independent thinker. And I'm not the poster child for any movement. I'm trying to support whatever's right no matter where…

— Mos Def