Top 105 Jay-Z Quotes

Jay-Z is as politically correct as some of the politicians. He’s safe. There’s points when you’re acquiring financing, you make adjustments. He’s made those adjustments. It’s his choice. For me, it’s not a necessity.

Biggie has definitely stood the test of time. He’s the reason Jay-Z and loads of other rappers are who they are. His flow and wordplay is brilliant – the stories he would tell are just nuts.

I’m trying to escape the shackles of a pen and a pad. I’ve sat in sessions with Jay-Z where he doesn’t write anything down. He’ll come up with the most incredible triple entendre, all in his head – it’s amazing.

In the past, when Jay-Z did ‘Best of Both Worlds’ with R. Kelly, I thought it was a great album, but the campaign went south because of personalities.

You think Jay-Z is going broke? LeBron is going broke? These guys have figured it out. They came from poor backgrounds, broken homes, and they figured out how to be businessmen. They become new aspirations.

I’m a fan of Jay-Z, from the negotiating table to the booth.

I may not be as lyrically adept as Jay-Z and Morrissey, but at least I can sing what I feel.

Jay-Z just got that longevity. He can put out anything at any time and everybody will love it. He’ll never get old.

I don’t wanna be yelling all my life. How loud did I have to yell to say that Jay-Z was the man and the best rapper of all time?

This game wears on you. It tears you down. It’s perpetual motion for some people who’ve achieved a level of independence, like Madonna and Jay-Z – they don’t need to do music anymore. But there’s people who need it. And in that need, that’s when it’s tough and it tears you to pieces.

I remember when I was younger, I read that Jay-Z was 33 and I was just like, ‘Damn! This dudes really still goin for it?’ It’s just so rare that you see any rapper over 30 doing anything interesting.

Jay-Z called me onstage during my song that I produced for ‘Watch the Throne?’ That was surreal, man. One of those situations I’ll never forget. I’ll be able to show my kids the footage of when Jay-Z brought me onstage.

I’m cool with Jay-Z. Jay-Z is genuinely my friend.

I learned so much from listening to Jay-Z, M.O.P. and Gang Starr.

I like Rick Ross as a person. I like Jay-Z and Kanye West as people. But I hate the companies that they record for.

To be truthful, Jay-Z wouldn’t have a quarter of the records sold today if it wasn’t for the white people buying his records.

I know right now she has no idea who I am, but I’d like to collaborate with Enya one day. Of course I’d love to work with Jay-Z, maybe even Phil Collins. I love his voice.

House, rap, R&B, disco rock, they are all part of hip-hop culture. Why you ain’t playing Kraftwerk along with Jay-Z? That’s hip-hop.

I hope the business sense that artists like Jay-Z and Nelly are showing rubs off on the young players. I want somebody to stand up and say, Look, these kids got it going on. We want to be a part of them.

Eminem is a major star. Em and JAY-Z have achieved things that I have never came close to achieving in my life. They are both major stars in Hip Hop. And to top it off, they are both very lyrical.

Let me put it this way: I don’t feel as settled as I look. I think that’s true of everyone, probably. Except for Beyonce and Jay-Z. I don’t think they wake up and think, ‘Ugh, when’s it going to work out for us? Why can’t we catch a break?’ Aside from them, I’m pretty sure everyone’s life feels a lot less intentional.

Jay-Z is one of the biggest stars in the world and such an icon. He was so down to earth. It was like talking to a friend. I have huge respect for how he handles everything.

In a lot of places Jay-Z is considered God, Philly, our hometown being one of them.

I’ve always loved Jay-Z’s music and loved what he’s done.

Anytime you go to see a band with a guitar player, there’s always a fear of guitar overkill! That’s a funny question. If you went to a Taylor Swift concert or a Jay-Z show, people would think, ‘Oh, my God, I hope I don’t get guitar overkill.’ People come to our show for guitar, and there can never be enough.

If it’s time to party, it’s time for hip hop. I love Drake, Jay-Z, Kanye. If I’m chilling at home though, I’m listening to Massive Attack, Thievery Corporation, Radiohead, DJ Shadow. I also listen to a lot of classical.

I’m not saying that what the radio plays isn’t good. My issue is with what they don’t play. You can play Jay-Z, but why don’t you play Jurassic 5? You can play Nas and Nelly, but why don’t you play J-Live? I want to open up the door to how it was back in the day.

My favorite artist was probably Jay-Z. He’s the one who inspired me to start writing music. He’s a wordsmith. He’s very clever. He uses a lot of similes and metaphors. He’s a beast of a rapper.

Look at Jay-Z and Beyonce. Everybody knew Jay and Beyonce were dating. They were sitting around at award shows together like they weren’t together for a while before they came out and said whatever. But your life doesn’t always have to be exposed. There are a lot of people whose personal lives aren’t exposed.

Jay-Z ain’t a manager; he owns a management company. He been through this; he been through the game for a long time, so he knows tactics in taking artists in certain directions we need to go in.

I’m not cool enough to hang out with any rock stars. Jay-Z doesn’t come over to my house. I don’t hang out with Ted Nugent.

Dirty martinis and music – that’s the big motto in our family. We get the booze going, and the music starts playing. Always old-school hip-hop. Jay-Z. Tribe Called Quest. The Pharcyde. My parents love that stuff.

It feels like one family – JAY-Z’s one call away for any advice, any questions. He’s a real big homie.

Jay-Z was huge. I was like 2 years old throwing up my diamond, rapping. I know all of ‘The Blueprint.’ I’ve heard that album 1,000 times. And ‘Reasonable Doubt.’

You go to any Jay-Z concert, and he plays his hits. Comedians don’t have hits. You have to have a whole brand-new hour. You have no hits to rely on. It’s the hardest thing.

Speaking out against rap music is useless, and it’s futile. The reality is there’s criticism for everything, but Jay-Z is one of the most remarkable artists of our time of any genre, and as a hip-hop artist he carries the weight of that art form with such splendor and grace and genius.

I actually had the chance to meet Jay-Z once.

Just because I run an indie label doesn’t mean I don’t think Jay-Z is nice.

If I was stuck on an island with one artist’s discography, it’d probably be Jay-Z’s. It would keep me entertained and it has a lot of stories behind it.

Beyonce is a beautiful, elegant woman who is also a wonderful dancer. And her voice is sublime. Just like her husband, Jay-Z, Beyonce has real talent. They are both the kind of truly great artist who will be remembered by history. Their child will be lucky to have such talented parents.

It’s hard to say a favorite rapper. If I had to pick two, I’m going to go with Busta Rhymes and Jay-Z.

I listened to a lot of Jay-Z and Kanye coming up, which would be unexpected for a boy bander like me. But I’d listen to a lot of that, and a lot of Ed Sheeran, actually.

I love 50 Cent. I know it sounds weird ’cause a lot of kids might not say that right now, but I definitely want to work with 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Coldplay: I want to work with different artists that are going to push my music to a new level. Not just in urban music.

Jay-Z has always been a huge figure in hip-hop.

If I could have anybody I haven’t had, I’d want to interview somebody like Jay-Z or Puff Daddy, pick their minds a little bit.

If we got into a time machine and went back to the 1700s, classical and baroque music would have been the equivalent of Beyonce and Jay-Z.

I like Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Common. But I like the underground stuff like Young Jeezy, Black Rob and Shine. I also love heavy metal like Slipknot and Pantera, It’s very intense stuff.

I don’t know if I have a ‘Greatest Album Ever.’ I really liked ‘The Blueprint’ by Jay-Z. The production on that album was really great. ‘All I Need’ was the first song I used for walk-on music in 2002 for my second time ever on stage, so that means a lot to me.

I rarely get starstruck, but I’ve been a Jay-Z fan since fourth grade and had a huge crush on Beyonce in high school. I respect their artistry, and now I’ve joined Roc Nation – it’s even more crazy.

In each genre, I’ve been around the biggest. In pop I toured with Justin Timberlake, with reggae it was Sean Paul; I toured with Jay-Z and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It’s all an education for me, to see how they do it.

Obviously, Jay-Z is one of the greatest entertainers of the world today. Not only is he a remarkable rhetorical genius, he’s also a man of deep sympathy and empathy for those who are lost and vulnerable, but especially under-educated youth of all cultures and stripes.

I’m a fan of Jay-Z, I’mma always be a fan of Jay-Z.

The electro scene is all over the clubs now: groups like Duck Sauce, Empire of the Sun, even MGMT. But I get inspiration from everywhere. I’ll go to the gym and put on old albums – Guns N’ Roses or old Jay-Z.

There’s Jay-Z, who morphs a certain street hustler’s cool and indifference into CEO extravagance. But for all his prominence, Jay-Z hasn’t written a lot of crossover hits.