--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My thing is, you have to let young…" description: "\"My thing is, you have to let young artists be young artists.\" — Rakim" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/rakim-1390_art_my-thing-is-you-have-to-let-young-artist_2379200.jpg" --- # My thing is, you have to let young artists be young artists. ![“My thing is, you have to let young artists be young artists.” quote by Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/rakim-1390_art_my-thing-is-you-have-to-let-young-artist_2379200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/rakim-1390_art_my-thing-is-you-have-to-let-young-artist_2379200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/rakim-1390_art_my-thing-is-you-have-to-let-young-artist_2379200.jpg) > “My thing is, you have to let young artists be young artists.” [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages allowing youthful creativity to develop without constraints. **In simple terms:** Let young artists be themselves. Key Takeaway Support artistic freedom. Themes creativity freedom youth art expression Mood inspirational encouraging Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - music education - talent mentorship - creative workshops - grant programs Key Concepts development authenticity innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can mentors balance guidance with freedom? - What structures nurture but not restrict creativity? A Different Perspective Young artists may lack guidance, leading to missed potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) [Young artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-artists/) ## Related quotes > [I was looking at making a shift in my career. I've been so blessed I'd like to be able to give that back. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-ross/i-was-looking-at-making-a-shift-in-my-career-i-ve-been-so-blessed-i-d/) [Diana Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-ross/) > [I haven't talked to any young artists for a long time. But if we did sit down, I'd definitely tell them my viewpoint. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/i-haven-t-talked-to-any-young-artists-for-a-long-time-but-if-we-did/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [There's not really too many artists that young girls and young people can look up to and be inspired by. So I take it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tink/there-s-not-really-too-many-artists-that-young-girls-and-young-people/) [Tink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tink/) > [I've felt very proud of British artists from a young age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vick-hope/i-ve-felt-very-proud-of-british-artists-from-a-young-age/) [Vick Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vick-hope/) > [Artists are always young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fuller/artists-are-always-young/) [Margaret Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-fuller/) > [Artists are very young, and say, Um, ok, to these industry dudes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-sixx/artists-are-very-young-and-say-um-ok-to-these-industry-dudes/) [Nikki Sixx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-sixx/) > [There are a lot of young artists that are dope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-sweat/there-are-a-lot-of-young-artists-that-are-dope/) [Keith Sweat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-sweat/) > [Sometimes you have to let young people develop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-tuchel/sometimes-you-have-to-let-young-people-develop/) [Thomas Tuchel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-tuchel/) > [“Instead of laying a red carpet for yourself to walk on, lay a bridge and let the young people walk over to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecilia-chan/instead-of-laying-a-red-carpet-for-yourself-to-walk-on-lay-a-bridge/) [Cecilia Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecilia-chan/) > [Let no young man delay the study of philosophy, and let no old man become weary of it; for it is never too early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/let-no-young-man-delay-the-study-of-philosophy-and-let-no-old-man/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [You have to let young people be who they are. But you also have to guide and navigate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-staley/you-have-to-let-young-people-be-who-they-are-but-you-also-have-to/) [Dawn Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-staley/) > [Don't let young people tell you their aspirations; when they drop them they will drop you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-pearsall-smith/don-t-let-young-people-tell-you-their-aspirations-when-they-drop-them/) [Logan Pearsall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-pearsall-smith/) > [You have to let young people be who they are. You have to guide them and navigate them through this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-staley/you-have-to-let-young-people-be-who-they-are-you-have-to-guide-them/) [Dawn Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-staley/) > [Let's be young and crazy so we can grow old and wise together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/let-s-be-young-and-crazy-so-we-can-grow-old-and-wise-together/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [That will do extremely well, child. You have delighted us long enough. Let the other young ladies have time to exhibit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/that-will-do-extremely-well-child-you-have-delighted-us-long-enough/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) ## More by Rakim > [I love Jay-Z, I love Kanye, and I praise the way he's been able to bring more business out of the jungle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/i-love-jay-z-i-love-kanye-and-i-praise-the-way-he-s-been-able-to/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [Feed me hip-hop and I start tremblin'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/feed-me-hip-hop-and-i-start-tremblin/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [To me, sometimes things outside of rap inspire me to rap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/to-me-sometimes-things-outside-of-rap-inspire-me-to-rap/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [Elements burst, gave birth the the verse, get the pen from the nurse, but hook the mic up first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/elements-burst-gave-birth-the-the-verse-get-the-pen-from-the-nurse/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [I got a lot of vinyl, a lot of music in general in the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/i-got-a-lot-of-vinyl-a-lot-of-music-in-general-in-the-house/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [Whenever I write a song I see the whole song anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/whenever-i-write-a-song-i-see-the-whole-song-anyway/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [Sometimes I feel I'm the luckiest rapper in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/sometimes-i-feel-i-m-the-luckiest-rapper-in-the-world/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [I think rap was a better move for me but football's been my love since I learned how to walk. I was gonna be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/i-think-rap-was-a-better-move-for-me-but-football-s-been-my-love/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [There are certain things that I wish people knew - certain things that I feel I started and certain things that I'm responsible for.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/there-are-certain-things-that-i-wish-people-knew-certain-things-that/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [So I start my mission- leave my residence Thinkin how could I get some dead presidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/so-i-start-my-mission-leave-my-residence-thinkin-how-could-i-get-some/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [My approach to writing rhymes went hand in hand with the music. I'd try to make different rhythms with my rhymes on the track…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/my-approach-to-writing-rhymes-went-hand-in-hand-with-the-music-i-d/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [My whole thing is if it wasn't for people like ya'll and people like them I wouldn't be me. I love every minute of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/my-whole-thing-is-if-it-wasn-t-for-people-like-ya-ll-and-people-like/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [My son plays football so I coach a couple of his teams. My youngest son just started playing last year and I assistant coached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/my-son-plays-football-so-i-coach-a-couple-of-his-teams-my-youngest/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [I always had deep respect for my peoples 'cause of the love they gave me and the know how that they showed me through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/i-always-had-deep-respect-for-my-peoples-cause-of-the-love-they-gave/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [When I broke up with Eric B., I went on a little hiatus. Then all I was trying do is find producers. It's real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/when-i-broke-up-with-eric-b-i-went-on-a-little-hiatus-then-all-i-was/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) [Explore all 247 Rakim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) ## More Art quotes > [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/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My thing is, you have to let young artists be young artists.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rakim" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/my-thing-is-you-have-to-let-young-artists-be-young-artists/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/my-thing-is-you-have-to-let-young-artists-be-young-artists/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/rakim-1390_art_my-thing-is-you-have-to-let-young-artist_2379200.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/rakim-1390_art_my-thing-is-you-have-to-let-young-artist_2379200.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/rakim-1390_art_my-thing-is-you-have-to-let-young-artist_2379200.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My thing is, you have to let young artists be young artists.” — Rakim", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rakim", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My thing is, you have to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/my-thing-is-you-have-to-let-young-artists-be-young-artists/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/my-thing-is-you-have-to-let-young-artists-be-young-artists/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```