"There have been a lot of hip-hop artists who have made a difference to people's lives, spreading the message of the struggle and representing for those who have overcome adversity."
"When you are creating something artistically and are speaking to or representing a culture that you know truthfully, you are doing a good job."
Source: Source: www.highsnobiety.com
About the author
Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Musician
Ali Shaheed Muhammad is a prominent artist known for his impactful lyrics that explore themes of freedom and resilience, particularly within the context of social justice.
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More quotes by Ali Shaheed Muhammad
"There's the shared imagery between hip-hop and comics, with some producers and emcees taking on super hero personas."
"For the future, be true to yourself. If you're gonna be influenced by someone be influenced by them. Don't cop them so much that you're a clone. No one wants to deal with a clone. There's not that much more substance in being a clone, but definitely be influenced by people...take what you can from that and sculpt it into your own situation. In doing so, you'll be happy and I think your people will be happy listening to what you do."
"I am the ambassador to the world. I use music to talk to the world - to try to unite masses. To try to spark conversations. To try and evoke legislation to change that'll really be for the people. That's behind-the-scenes kind of thing for me. And that's what the music is for me."
"Hip-hop was the culture that I grew up with; I am part of this culture."
"I think that any story that intends on being culturally authentic and true to life experiences will be a great story. Even if that culture isn't a hip-hop-centric one."