--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I started forming my own taste…" description: "\"When I started forming my own taste, there was a period in high school when I listened to only rap and hip-hop, like A Tribe Called Quest.\" — Mat Kearney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/mat-kearney-3612_adventure_when-i-started-forming-my-own-taste-ther_1700256.png" --- # When I started forming my own taste, there was a period in… ![“When I started forming my own taste, there was a period in high school when I listened to only rap and hip-hop, like A Tribe Called Quest.” quote by Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/mat-kearney-3612_adventure_when-i-started-forming-my-own-taste-ther_1700256.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/mat-kearney-3612_adventure_when-i-started-forming-my-own-taste-ther_1700256.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/mat-kearney-3612_adventure_when-i-started-forming-my-own-taste-ther_1700256.png) > “When I started forming my own taste, there was a period in high school when I listened to only rap and hip-hop, like A Tribe Called Quest.” [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. During high school, the speaker narrowed taste to rap/hip‑hop, shaping personal style. **In simple terms:** Early music focus shaped identity. Key Takeaway Explore diverse influences. Themes identity music growth Mood reflective nostalgic curious Type musical personal When to use this quote - teenage playlists - college radio - music production Key Concepts cultural studies genre personal development Questions to Reflect On - How did that era shape you? - What new genres could expand you? A Different Perspective Risk of tunnel vision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Hip hop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hip-hop/) [Rap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rap/) [Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapper/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Tribe called quest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tribe-called-quest/) ## Related quotes > [I love Bruce Springsteen's writing, but I grew up on '90s hip hop, like Tribe Called Quest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-love-bruce-springsteen-s-writing-but-i-grew-up-on-90s-hip-hop-like/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [A Tribe Called Quest really made me want to rap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarface/a-tribe-called-quest-really-made-me-want-to-rap/) [Scarface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarface/) > [A Tribe Called Quest was one of those things where it was supposed to be about growth. When I say 'growth,' I don't just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phife-dawg/a-tribe-called-quest-was-one-of-those-things-where-it-was-supposed-to/) [Phife Dawg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phife-dawg/) > [I would bump A Tribe Called Quest in my car all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fat-joe/i-would-bump-a-tribe-called-quest-in-my-car-all-day/) [Fat Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fat-joe/) > [The only time I ever really got into rap was back in the early '90s, and bands like A Tribe Called Quest, De La…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-weller/the-only-time-i-ever-really-got-into-rap-was-back-in-the-early-90s/) [Paul Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-weller/) > [Listen, I'm 41 years old. I've got two kids. I've got a career. The last thing I need to be doing is having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/listen-i-m-41-years-old-i-ve-got-two-kids-i-ve-got-a-career-the-last/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [Like any family, like any group - the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, EPMD, Public Enemy - they've had bumps in the road. I just think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/like-any-family-like-any-group-the-beatles-led-zeppelin-epmd-public/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [When I was in high school, I listened to a lot of death metal bands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lee/when-i-was-in-high-school-i-listened-to-a-lot-of-death-metal-bands/) [Amy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lee/) > [I was a bandwagon jumper. If everybody in high school listened to it, so did I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deadmau5/i-was-a-bandwagon-jumper-if-everybody-in-high-school-listened-to-it/) Deadmau5 > [I'm just one of the kids, and all because the students at Hamilton Heights High School listened to the facts, educated their parents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-white/i-m-just-one-of-the-kids-and-all-because-the-students-at-hamilton/) [Ryan White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-white/) > [I'm really influenced by '90s hip hop. A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul were my heroes growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-m-really-influenced-by-90s-hip-hop-a-tribe-called-quest-and-de-la/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I never really thought I was going to be a singer, honestly. I never listened to singers; I always listened to rap music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fetty-wap/i-never-really-thought-i-was-going-to-be-a-singer-honestly-i-never/) [Fetty Wap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fetty-wap/) > [My brother is 10 years older than me, so whatever he listened to is what I listened to, and it was all rap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bellion/my-brother-is-10-years-older-than-me-so-whatever-he-listened-to-is/) [Jon Bellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bellion/) > [I've always been a fan of music. I listened to a whole lot of oldies - I never really listened to rap music that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-t-genasis/i-ve-always-been-a-fan-of-music-i-listened-to-a-whole-lot-of-oldies-i/) [O. T. Genasis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-t-genasis/) > [On my teams, as a guy who grew up hunting and fishing, I was in the minority in terms of music and lifestyle. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hunt/on-my-teams-as-a-guy-who-grew-up-hunting-and-fishing-i-was-in-the/) [Sam Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hunt/) ## More by Mat Kearney > [My dad was a scratch golfer growing up. When I'm on the road, I always bring my clubs with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/my-dad-was-a-scratch-golfer-growing-up-when-i-m-on-the-road-i-always/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [With 'City of Black & White,' I wanted a record that would make you feel good, that would sort of take you up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/with-city-of-black-white-i-wanted-a-record-that-would-make-you-feel/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [The first year I moved to Nashville, I started playing these songwriter nights with people like Nickel Creek, Duncan Sheik, and even Ryan Adams...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/the-first-year-i-moved-to-nashville-i-started-playing-these/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [When we tour, there's always this unique quality to every town you visit... Touring, you get a sense of a collective identity for different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/when-we-tour-there-s-always-this-unique-quality-to-every-town-you/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I meant what I said when I said until my dying day.I'm holding on to you, holding on to me.Maybe it's all gone black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-meant-what-i-said-when-i-said-until-my-dying-day-i-m-holding-on-to/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [God found me when I was at my lowest point. That was the first time in my life when I really felt like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/god-found-me-when-i-was-at-my-lowest-point-that-was-the-first-time-in/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [It's not the circumstances that determine who you're gonna be but how you deal with these problems and pains that come your way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/it-s-not-the-circumstances-that-determine-who-you-re-gonna-be-but-how/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I'm really influenced by '90s hip hop. A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul were my heroes growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-m-really-influenced-by-90s-hip-hop-a-tribe-called-quest-and-de-la/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [Well, I never made a record to be in the Christian market. So when I made my record it was to exist in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/well-i-never-made-a-record-to-be-in-the-christian-market-so-when-i/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I guess we're all one phone call from our knees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-guess-we-re-all-one-phone-call-from-our-knees/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I love creating moments that feel bigger than just like an artist on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-love-creating-moments-that-feel-bigger-than-just-like-an-artist-on/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [Just because you've written a song doesn't mean that you have pulled through. There are definitely songs where I embodied someone else's pain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/just-because-you-ve-written-a-song-doesn-t-mean-that-you-have-pulled/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [It's silly to throw things out or label things. You know, is U2 a Christian band, or was Johnny Cash a Christian country singer?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/it-s-silly-to-throw-things-out-or-label-things-you-know-is-u2-a/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [Generally, the songs that are the scariest ones are the ones that people connect to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/generally-the-songs-that-are-the-scariest-ones-are-the-ones-that/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I never got too specialized but did like the Southern Gothic writers like William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/i-never-got-too-specialized-but-did-like-the-southern-gothic-writers/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) [Explore all 126 Mat Kearney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. 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I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) Kevin McLeod > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. 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