122 Quotes by Chuck D

The powers that be are trying to meld, shape, and corral the culture of hip-hop into another speaking voice for the government.

DJ culture always made us aware that the best records were going to come from the small shops.

I think governments are the cancer of civilization.

I think too much of the music industry is for the lawyer and accountant mentality.

Most artists are always fighting for their fame. They have that fear, like the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” They need to keep themselves out there. I have never had that fear. If I have any fear, it’s not doing enough to reach people.

With black people, there are 50 Hitlers over the course of history.

What made me want to become a recording artist; I was the first artist that was repeatedly asked by a label to record with them. That label was Def Jam Records.

I was inspired by the classic rock radio of the Seventies. They separated Chuck Berry and the Beatles from the Led Zeppelins and Bostons and Peter Framptons of the time. In many ways, classic rock became bigger than mainstream rock.

No matter what the name, we’re all the same pieces in one big chess game.