A poet's mission is to make words do more work than they normally do, to make them work on more than one level.

You could name practically any problem in the hood and there'd be a rap song for you.

Rap has been a path between cultures in the best tradition of popular music.

Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk. Martin Luther King walked so Obama could run. Obama's running so we all can fly.

Only God can judge me so I'm gone, either love me or leave me alone.

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.