Just Sitting In Silence Is One Of

America Is A Melting Pot For All Different Groups Of People, Historically. And It's Rare That The Story Of All Of These People Will Be Told In The History Books. So I Always Felt I Had To Find Out My History For Myself And Research My Roots.

I'm The Young City Bandit, Hold Myself Down Singlehanded For Murder Raps, I Kick My Thoughts Alone, Get Remanded Born Alone, Die Alone, No Crew To Keep My Crown Or Throne I'm Deep By Sound Alone, Caved Inside In A Thousand Miles From Home

When Your So Focused On What People Say, How Can Your Really Be Focused On The Music? If You're Concerned With What Someone Says, You Aren't Working On A Real Record. You're Working On Something That's Just For Now, To Please People This Very Second... Because You Don't Believe In Yourself.

God Gushed Me Out His Nuts, The Devil Swallowed Me Up And I Burnt A Hole In His Guts

When I Made Illmatic, I Was Trying To Make The Perfect Album. It Comes From The Days Of Wild Style. I Was Trying To Make You Experience My Life. I Wanted You To Look At Hip-hop Differently. I Wanted You To Feel That Hip-hop Was Changing And Becoming Something More Real.