All of a sudden it became that hip hop didn't used to be about partying; hip hop used to be about putting out a message.
Boots RileyA lot of what we say and do are regurgitated things that have to do with what we think we're supposed to be saying and doing.
Boots RileyI had no idea how much the stuff I was doing was affecting people outside Oakland. At the time, also, hip hop wasn't able to tour because all these clubs that let hip hop come in now, they would never have let hip hop come in.
Boots RileyI always write knowing that people will hear it, but also hoping they'll see it. So a lot of times I make lyrical decisions based on what looks better. Also I write based on what I saw for a video. I obsess over lyrics in the hopes that they'll endure in different ways. I'm very precious about it.
Boots Riley