--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rappers are usually rapping about…" description: "\"Rappers are usually rapping about knowledge they think people need to get by in the world. If there's no movement that gives the idea that the knowledg..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/boots-riley-3549_giving_rappers-are-usually-rapping-about-knowle_1283714.jpg" --- # Rappers are usually rapping about knowledge they think… ![“Rappers are usually rapping about knowledge they think people need to get by in the world. If there's no movement that gives the idea that the knowledge people need is how to take over the system, what they see is that people need to know how to hustle; people need to know how to survive.” quote by Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/boots-riley-3549_giving_rappers-are-usually-rapping-about-knowle_1283714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/boots-riley-3549_giving_rappers-are-usually-rapping-about-knowle_1283714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/boots-riley-3549_giving_rappers-are-usually-rapping-about-knowle_1283714.jpg) > “Rappers are usually rapping about knowledge they think people need to get by in the world. If there's no movement that gives the idea that the knowledge people need is how to take over the system, what they see is that people need to know how to hustle; people need to know how to survive.” [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rappers often convey survival knowledge, but rarely teach systemic change, focusing on hustle instead of overthrowing the system **In simple terms:** Rappers teach hustle, not rebellion Key Takeaway Consider how music can empower systemic critique Themes music social commentary survival culture Mood energetic defiant Type political inspirational When to use this quote - protest concerts - community workshops - educational curricula Key Concepts systemic oppression empowerment grassroots activism Questions to Reflect On - How can artists shift narratives toward systemic change? - What role does hustle play in resistance? A Different Perspective Music may be co-opted by commercial interests ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hustle/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rap/) [Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapper/) [Rappers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rappers/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [Okay now, all I know is hustle get it off the muscle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ace-hood/okay-now-all-i-know-is-hustle-get-it-off-the-muscle/) [Ace Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ace-hood/) > [I know it so well, I know the hustle so well. Stunt like I'm workin' overnighters right by the motel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-know-it-so-well-i-know-the-hustle-so-well-stunt-like-i-m-workin/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [You dont know my struggle So You dont know my hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-boosie/you-dont-know-my-struggle-so-you-dont-know-my-hustle/) [Lil Boosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-boosie/) > [I see N.Y. hip-hop like I see N.Y. streets. N.Y. streets are grimy; it's a grind. N.Y. rappers are hustlers - whatever sound is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-see-n-y-hip-hop-like-i-see-n-y-streets-n-y-streets-are-grimy-it-s-a/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I like all different kinds of music. I never heavily molded myself after rappers. Sometimes they say when you think something and you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-like-all-different-kinds-of-music-i-never-heavily-molded-myself/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [I prefer rappers who have something intelligent to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/i-prefer-rappers-who-have-something-intelligent-to-say/) [Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/) > [You can't even tell, but a lot of the time your favourite rappers are wearing a bunch of fake jewellery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-mensa/you-can-t-even-tell-but-a-lot-of-the-time-your-favourite-rappers-are/) [Vic Mensa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-mensa/) > [I like Biggie. Like 'Pac, he was one of the best rappers in the business. Why would I try to do something to him?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suge-knight/i-like-biggie-like-pac-he-was-one-of-the-best-rappers-in-the-business/) [Suge Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suge-knight/) > [Rappers shouldn't have to file taxes because they itemize everything they own in songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-fahey/rappers-shouldn-t-have-to-file-taxes-because-they-itemize-everything/) [Damien Fahey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-fahey/) > [Pete Rock, CL Smooth, all this East Coast stuff - that's kind of, like, the rappers I first admired. I wanna rap just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle/pete-rock-cl-smooth-all-this-east-coast-stuff-that-s-kind-of-like-the/) [Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle/) > [I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-don-t-dislike-rappers-or-hip-hop-or-people-who-like-it-i-went-to/) [Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/) > [Ghostface, when it comes to hip-hop, was one of my favorite rappers and definitely one of my favorites in the Wu-Tang. He's also a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-i-d/ghostface-when-it-comes-to-hip-hop-was-one-of-my-favorite-rappers-and/) [No I.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/no-i-d/) > [If I was a white rapper, the bar for me would be Eminem. Of course his white skin helped him excel to heights that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlamagne-tha-god/if-i-was-a-white-rapper-the-bar-for-me-would-be-eminem-of-course-his/) [Charlamagne tha God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlamagne-tha-god/) > [I mean, it's not just the rappers, you know what i'm saying? People want to attack anybody that's a large figure, you know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/i-mean-it-s-not-just-the-rappers-you-know-what-i-m-saying-people-want/) [The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/) ## More by Boots Riley > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I think it's important for us not just to edit the culture that capitalism creates but to create the material basis for a culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-think-it-s-important-for-us-not-just-to-edit-the-culture-that/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [The tech world is not a new phenomenon; it's a new era.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/the-tech-world-is-not-a-new-phenomenon-it-s-a-new-era/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [What I'm trying to do is make music that people relate to, that talks about ideas that are personal but also make that connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-i-m-trying-to-do-is-make-music-that-people-relate-to-that-talks/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I thought my parents were always having card parties - and they were - but they were actually also having meetings to organize people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-thought-my-parents-were-always-having-card-parties-and-they-were/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [Going to school in San Francisco, you're not going to meet as many people that are making films as you would if you went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/going-to-school-in-san-francisco-you-re-not-going-to-meet-as-many/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [What I like about music is that you make a song, you've got your ideas in it, and people make that song part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-i-like-about-music-is-that-you-make-a-song-you-ve-got-your-ideas/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [What first got me involved in politics was being 14, and a youth organizer comes to my house with a van full of 14…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/what-first-got-me-involved-in-politics-was-being-14-and-a-youth/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I think most people would love for us to be a socialist society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-think-most-people-would-love-for-us-to-be-a-socialist-society/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [A lot of organizers tell me that while they are making signs or doing whatever they do, they are listening to the Coup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/a-lot-of-organizers-tell-me-that-while-they-are-making-signs-or-doing/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [When we were doing shows in the mid-'90s, the audiences were 95% black. What's happened now is the gentrification of hip-hop. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/when-we-were-doing-shows-in-the-mid-90s-the-audiences-were-95-black/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [You make art, you make it from what you know, and that's the best way to make art. You get lost in the details…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/you-make-art-you-make-it-from-what-you-know-and-that-s-the-best-way/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [If the only time you bang the drum is when it's time to get someone elected, and you don't get involved in a mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/if-the-only-time-you-bang-the-drum-is-when-it-s-time-to-get-someone/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [The Coup does not support the American flag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/the-coup-does-not-support-the-american-flag/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I'm not a classically trained composer, and I can't sing very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/i-m-not-a-classically-trained-composer-and-i-can-t-sing-very-well/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) [Explore all 128 Boots Riley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) ## More Giving quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [You've touched people and known it. You've touched people and never may know it. Either way, you have something to give. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/you-ve-touched-people-and-known-it-you-ve-touched-people-and-never/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [Give me strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/give-me-strength-to-walk-the-soft-earth-a-relative-to-all-that-is/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [I don't think my relationship with the idea of womanhood is that attached to giving birth... like, I'm fully aware that I'll never give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-don-t-think-my-relationship-with-the-idea-of-womanhood-is-that/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) [Browse all 39,303 Giving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Rappers are usually rapping about knowledge they think people need to get by in the world. 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