I just don't think it's very dignified to ask people to like you. You can just wind up being somebody's ottoman.
Mos DefWith guys I revere, like Marcus Garvey or Malcolm X, their look is less about style than purpose and the expression of beauty. It wasn't just about being noticed, you know?
Mos DefThe moment you start thinking it's hopeless, then it is. [But], if you think it's gonna get better, it really does. Life is a test.
Mos DefI think hip-hop is actually one of the most challenging things that's happened in music in a long time. The people who are in charge of what people see or hear are afraid. What you hear on top 40 or what you see on BET or MTV is not a fair representation of what is really going on...
Mos Def