Top 120 Jay-Z Quotes (2024 Update)
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101. “I love that because that’s what I’m supposed to be doing – whether it’s accepted b everybody or not. I’m supposed to be pushing that envelope and trying new things. And people are supposed to say, Hov, you might have went too far.”

— Jay-Z

102. “In the end, you can’t censor the truth, especially when it comes packaged in hot music.”

— Jay-Z

103. “I don’t even like the word politics. It implies something underhanded and I think we need less government.”

— Jay-Z

104. “If I was to stop making music tomorrow doesn’t mean suddenly there is this gap. You don’t get elected. The people decide where you are. Whether I’m here or not, if they want you to be at the top then the people will move me out the way.”

— Jay-Z

105. “So many people that I’ve seen can’t get clean water. It’s a crime.”

— Jay-Z

106. “We create music to express ourselves and when the world relates, that’s a beautiful thing. We’re all trading off each other’s culture, so no matter what lines you put-country indie rock, rap, we’re all somehow gonna find a way to come together.”

— Jay-Z

107. “Shakespeare was a man who wrote poetry. I’m a man who writes poetry. Why not compare yourself to the best?”

— Jay-Z

108. “I think the consumption of music is at an all-time high. But I think the ways that record companies are trying to monetize it is just all over the place. At the end of the day, music is in the clouds. Before, you could hold it, look at it, turn it around. Now, it’s just in the air.”

— Jay-Z

109. “I like a girl who spend a little cash for her shoes.”

— Jay-Z

110. “Hip-hop has done so much for racial relations, and I don’t think it’s given the proper credit. It has changed America immensely. I’m going to make a very bold statement: Hip-hop has done more than any leader, politician, or anyone to improve race relations.”

— Jay-Z

111. “What people do in their own homes is their business, and you can choose to love whoever you love. That’s their business. It’s no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination, plain and simple.”

— Jay-Z

112. “Growing up, politics never trickled down to the areas we come from. But people from Obama’s camp, and Obama himself, reached out to me and asked for my help on the campaign. We’ve sat and had dinner, and we’ve spoken on the phone. He’s a very sharp guy. Very charming. Very cool.”

— Jay-Z

113. “When you’re growing up, your dad is your superhero. Once you’ve let yourself fall that in love with someone, once you put him on such a high pedestal and he lets you down, you never want to experience that pain again.”

— Jay-Z

114. “I can think of no one more relevant and credible in the hip-hop community to build upon Def Jam’s fantastic legacy and move the company into its next groundbreaking era.”

— Jay-Z

115. “It was a weird mix of emotions. One day, your best friend could be killed. The day before, you could be celebrating him getting a brand-new bike.”

— Jay-Z

116. “I smoked some weed, and that’s how I finished ‘Izzo.’”

— Jay-Z

117. “My thing is related to who I am as a person. The clothes are an extension of me. The music is an extension of me. All my businesses are part of the culture, so I have to stay true to whatever I’m feeling at the time, whatever direction I’m heading in. And hopefully, everyone follows.”

— Jay-Z

118. “Everyone who makes music is a good collaborator at their foundation because in order to make music, you have to connect to it in a way that other people can’t.”

— Jay-Z

119. “You could name practically any problem in the hood and there’d be a rap song for you.”

— Jay-Z

120. “I’m a person that works off of music. I let the music dictate the direction.”

— Jay-Z

121. “We’ll have a baby who stutters repeatedly We’ll name him history.”

— Jay-Z

122. “It’s always been most important for me to figure out “my space” rather than trying to check out what everyone else is up to, minute by minute. Technology is making it easier to connect to other people, but maybe harder to keep connected to yourself – and that’s essential for any artist, I think.”

— Jay-Z

123. “I thought I would be more inspired to have all these new feelings to talk about, but I really just want to hang out with my daughter.”

— Jay-Z

124. “I have inherited two of the most important brands in hip-hop, Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella. Reid and Universal Music Group have given me the opportunity to manage the companies I have contributed to my whole career. I feel this is a giant step for me and the entire artist community.”

— Jay-Z

125. “The reason I’ve been groundedand able to make albums, is because I’ve allowed my friends to come with me and voice an opinion. That’s who keeps you grounded, the people who have known you longest.”

— Jay-Z

126. “I wanted to kill Auto-Tune like Kurt Cobain killed the hair bands.”

— Jay-Z

127. “I grew up in Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, and my mom and pop had an extensive record collection, so Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder and all of those sounds and souls of Motown filled the house.”

— Jay-Z

128. “Electing a black man named Barack Obama President in the same country that elected George W. Bush – twice! – is as far-fetched as a hustler from Marcy performing at that President’s inauguration. But it happened.”

— Jay-Z

129. “I really just like breaking down the barriers, whether it means doing an album with Linkin Park, an album with R. Kelly, or playing at the Brandenburg Gate with Bono.”

— Jay-Z

130. “For me, the challenge is just making great albums, because talent – and writing in general – is not tangible. There’s no expiration date on it. At the same time, you might wake up tomorrow and be unable to write music.”

— Jay-Z

131. “I’m trying to tell the story in the most clear, concise, and truthful way, taking those everyday words and phrases and capturing them in a way that they become something else.”

— Jay-Z

132. “The average rap life is two or three albums. You’re lucky to get to your second album in rap!”

— Jay-Z