“Too many people who profess to like rap don't distinguish among its many historic and stylistic differences. Only by placing Ra­kim in context do you appreciate his mastery”

“Blunts have made it fashionable to smoke pot again. Just about no­body in hip hop circles smokes crack or cocaine anymore.”

Rappers make their livings being articulate, and there's no one better to articulate the '80s from an Afrikan, youthful, working hip-hop perspective

“It’s clear to me that four new African American character types have been crucial in shaping this country over the last 20 years — types that began germi­nating in the ’70s and blossomed in the ’80s.”