Being Hip Quotes

#1. Somewhere around the turn of the century, it stopped being hip to say you never watched TV. Adults are much more likely to find something to engage them on television than they are at the local multiplex. Edges are being cut on television all the time, but at the movies only now and then.

Tom Shales

#2. No one would argue against the fact that L.A. leads the country in opportunities for being hip and pretentious.

Merrill Markoe

#3. We'd taken up our positions on the benches between the school hall and a newly-installed outdoor basketball court. Being hip-hoppers, we were obliged to be obsessed with basketball. None of us had a ball.

Nikesh Shukla

#4. Rituals are important. Nowadays it's hip not to be married. I'm not interested in being hip.

John Lennon

#5. I'm not saying that hip-hop needs gay rappers or anything, but they need to stop being so close-minded because that will just cause the genre to fail. Look at pop. Pop doesn't discriminate against people. Look at Lady Gaga, y'know what I mean?

ASAP Rocky

#6. Im a hip-hopper, and its something you live and do. It makes me angry that were misrepresented, that were being killed every day by one another, by the government, by the food we eat, the choices we make. It makes me angry because it doesnt have to be that way and it is.

Erykah Badu

#7. My opinion is that music is music. As long as you approach doing a remix with truth, I don't see the dance remixes being any different than an hip-hop remix- it's really a different version of the song.

Deborah Cox

#8. I grew up around hip-hop so I didn't think it was about being cool or being black or being white or whatever.

Chad Hugo

#9. I believe hip hop is being used in some mass way to influence underachievement.

Cee Lo Green

#10. I'm a big hip-hop fan since being a kid. It was the first music that spoke to me and made me feel like, 'Yeah.'

Sean Paul

#11. I was the only punk rocker at my high school. And there were at least a handful of black kids who liked hip-hop. Both were kind of the new music of the day, and it was lonely being the only punk.

Rick Rubin

#12. Hip-hop deals with bragging and braggadocio, being boastful. It's always been about who's got the most money.

Two Chainz

#13. I don't know if you're hip to this, but aside from genetics, the number one requirement for being a drunk is self-pity.

Jane Lotter

#14. Growing up in Miami, I had all these great, strong influences. You know, being Cuban and the Latin influence, but also the strong hip-hop influence.

Kat Dahlia

#15. If you watch wrestling, you now know the hip-hop culture is being represented with wrestling. For the longest time, the cultures have almost been parallel.

John Cena

#16. Hip-hop - it's the safari: it allows people who aren't under those circumstances to come closer to inner-city life, to explore it without actually being in danger. It's something kids in middle America indulge in to be rebellious.

Curtis Jackson

#17. It's deep-rooted, the music of being young and dumb,
It's never muted, in fact, it's much louder where I'm from.

Kendrick Lamar

#18. The thing about being in America is when you are driving with the sun on your back, there's hip hop. I never used to be into hip hop, but there's hip hop in the food, soul food, there's hip hop in the cars.

Vanessa Brown

#19. Hip-Hop is being spoken through spirituality ... Meaning that you'll be able to listen to it spiritually for yourself.

KRS-One

#20. The courage to be yourself is the essence of hip hop

KRS-One

#21. Reggae was always a passion of mine. I used to say in interviews that I would love to do a reggae album. But it consumed my life being a hip-hop artist and being Heavy D, which I'm happy and proud of.

Heavy D

#22. One of the problems with hip hop is lack of infrastructure and not being able to control its own course. I don't like that hip hop is full of infantile 35-year-olds. Hip hop cannot afford to be lazy.

Chuck D

#23. And of course I've got kids of my own now, and they love me being in the Harry Potter films. I'm now part of a phenomenon. You become incredibly cool to your kids, and you get a young fan base. So you became the cool dad at school. You're suddenly hip.

Gary Oldman

#24. It's a lot different being a hip-hop artist. You just show up with a piece of paper with your words on it, say it in the mic, then you leave and some other guy does all the music.

Caroline Polachek

#25. Stop lookin' at what you ain't got, and start being thankful for what you do got.

T.I.

#26. I am honored and quite proud that a class is being taught on my sensationalist lyrics, unique style and fashion and leadership role within the hip-hop community.

Lil' Kim

#27. Being a student of hip-hop in general, you take technical aspects from places. You may take a rhyme pattern or flow from Big Daddy Kane or Kool G Rap.

Eminem

#28. All I see is sissies in magazines smiling ...
Whatever happened to wildin' out and being violent?
Whatever happened to catching a good, old-fashioned, passionate ass whoopin'?
And getting your shoes, coat and your hat tooken?

Eminem

#29. I don't mind being called a weirdo. There are a lot of people in hip-hop who are probably never going to get what I do. But, by just being myself, I end up touching a lot more people who might never have paid much attention to a female rapper.

Nicki Minaj

#30. The price of being a hip, swinging chick eventually had become too great to pay.

Anita O'Day

#31. I kind of grew up with hip hop and of course being from Detroit I'm a Motown man. Music is in our blood. When you're from Detroit, music is in your DNA.

Eric Thomas

#32. In the history of the hip hop world ... there has been one, single, solitary human being in the history of the world. One female rapper to sell more albums than me in the first week.

Nicki Minaj

#33. I've always liked to shoot from the hip. This is the perfect fit for me ... I'm willing to earn my spurs, because once again, after 18 years I'm back to being a rookie.

Reggie Miller

#34. I've been living. I've been doing the writing thing. I've been being the family man. I've been traveling the world. I been to, like, 18 cities last year. I've been getting my thoughts together, trying to figure out what's going on with hip-hop itself.

Raekwon

#35. Most people think its sex, money, and drugs but Hip-Hop is about lyrics, storytelling, and everybody having a different style. That's just another idea of beautiful, being yourself and creating music that represents you and what you like.

Rapsody

#36. I feel like I have a very unique perspective especially for someone in the hip-hop genre. I'm not afraid to explore it, and how my upbringing then shapes my music and being a New York kid and all of that stuff ... that's really the most unique thing I can offer to the music in general.

Hoodie Allen

#37. So I think hip-hop is moving and is going to continue to move in the direction of rappers just being honest with themselves, whether you're talking about Common and Mos Def or Nas and 50 cent.

Talib Kweli

#38. I think when it comes to women who write or who fancy ourselves 'hip downtown literati', there is a certain contempt for being overly sexual or really looking for boyfriends. We tend to be marginalized as some 'Sex & The City' Carrie Bradshaw chick-lit dummies who just want shoes and a ring.

Julie Klausner

#39. There's no real outlet for making Hip-Hop in Alabama. You need to travel to get heard. You really need to be working though. You need to be going at it every day and getting yourself seen, getting yourself out there on the road, doing shows, making music. It's all about being on your grind.

Yelawolf

#40. At the end of the day I want to be the guy who experienced music in all type of ways, with hip-hop being the roots of it.

Flo Rida

#41. When I was CEO, and I'd listen to music, a lot of people listen to music and you get inspiration from it. And a lot of things in hip hop are very instructive for being in business. Particularly, hip hop is a lot about business, and so it was very useful for me in any job.

Ben Horowitz

#42. The thing about the state of hip-hop is that people are too concerned. I don't think that there's a problem with being too concerned about videogames, especially for me, because I'm not in the industry. I'm just a consumer. But hip-hop is constantly like, "What are you doing for the scene?"

Aesop Rock

#43. I was trying to break out of the suburbs, and when I did break out, I don't think I took my whole self with me - I think I played a role of being too cool and hip.

Liz Phair

#44. I probably could have a hip-hop-style entourage of 40 people coming with me to the club or whatever, and I don't do that. And I think sometimes maybe I should. It just makes things easier - if you don't like being by yourself, maybe just don't do it ever.

Jack White

#45. I think if you're too concerned with being cool or hip or liked, you can't really make good TV because sincerity and coolness are opposites.

Michael Schur

#46. I know that people everywhere listen to hip-hop, but especially being from the South, you really get that influence. You go out, you party, and it's just always there. Also, I grew up listening and loving reggae music, too.

Kat Dahlia

#47. Rapping is a vocal delivery, so you can do it without being part of hip-hop and not knowing what hip-hop is about.

Ice-T

#48. Hip-hop and being a pro athlete go hand in hand. When they come together, it's a win, not just for your business brand but also for culture.

Kendrick Lamar

#49. Being a part of SKECHERS is exciting. It is such a hip company with a great attitude and image.

Carrie Underwood

#50. Being No. 1. It's talked about all of the time in hip-hop. 'I'm still No. 1! I'm the best! I'm the greatest of all time!' It's the same mentality in sports.

Michael Rapaport

#51. I think it's a tribute to the artistic importance of hip-hop culture and what hip-hop has brought into music and fashion and jewelry that it is being adapted or imitated or is inspiring variations or new types of art or new types of music.

Simon De Pury

#52. I don't want to disrespect hip-hop by being something I'm not. I'm Pooch Hall. My strength is in front the camera and holding dialogue.

Pooch Hall

#53. I know about hip-hop culture, whether it's graffiti writing or DJ-ing or being an MC.

Josh Peck

#54. Don't try to be hip or cool. Being open and honest about what you like is the best way to connect with people who like those things, too.

Austin Kleon

#55. I wouldn't want to hear Beethoven without beautiful bass, the cellos, the tuba. It's very important. Hip-hop has thunderous bass. And so does Beethoven. If you don't have the bass, it's like being amputated. It's like you have no legs.

Lou Reed

#56. People have stopped battling in hip hop, in the primitive sense, and the focus of the competitive element has shifted to the music. It's less about bragging and more about being the best lyrically and poetically.

Nas

#57. I take pride in being one of the most successful producers in hip-hop history, having the most successful record in hip-hop history, I have the most number ones.

Sean Combs

#58. To me, hip-hop's been dead for years. We all should know that. With that being said, then, the object of the game now is to make money off of exploiting it. That's what it's all about - get this money. That's basically what I'm saying.

Nas

#59. In hip-hop, there's not a lot of love. There's not a lot of love being spread. It's always like 'I'm stuntin' on you raps, or I'm better than you raps.' It's not a lot of 'Yo man, I idolize you raps.'

J. Cole

#60. And she'd apologize for being so sensitive and moody lately. His warm hand on her hip brought her into the curve of his body. With his breath on her neck, she fell into a deep sleep, convinced that she was safe.

Lisa Genova

#61. In every interview I've got to explain something about being white but still being into hip hop. It's gone way beyond the musical aspect of the business. And I'm as critical about music as everybody else is.

Brian Austin Green

#62. I grew up in predominantly black neighborhoods and went to predominantly black schools. And hip-hop is what I grew up listening to in my teenage years. Basically I'm just being myself.

Mark Wahlberg

#63. The paradox of being in an industry where other people are usually the gatekeepers: publishers, editors - there are a lot of barriers to having control over your career. But coming out of hip-hop, the mindset was always to create your own.

Adam Mansbach

#64. Squeeze 7cc's so I could see the seven seas,
And CC all my friends so they could see what I was seeing ...
But what they saw was a despicable human being;
So, I guess they just wasn't seeing what I was seeing.

Pharoahe Monch

#65. We went from candy bars, to handle bars, to hangin' in bars, to being behind bars

MF Grimm