Ice Cube
I identify with the bottom of the pyramid, because, outside of having money, I am at the bottom of the pyramid.Collection: Pyramids
Get a grip, Oreo, and be true to the game.Collection: Games
Everybody who comes from the gangster life - they want what that man in the suburbs wants. Nice family. Nice house. Nice cars. Bills paid. Kids in school. Food on the table. Nothing more.Collection: Nice
You wanna be remembered for making an impact and changing things. I guess for the good or for the bad, it don't matter. But I guess you just wanna be remembered when it's all said and done.Collection: Impact
When I was in N.W.A. and didn't get paid all the money I was owed, that's when the business side of showbiz hit me. I thought, "Half of this is workin'. I'm famous, but now I need to be famous with some money." That got my brain started at trying to figure out the business end. And once I figured out the business side, I next came to understand that success really comes down to the product, not to me, my personality, or what club I'm seen going into or coming out of. None of that matters.Collection: Personality
I know that there are obstacles; I know that there are hills to climb, I know there were people before me that made my journey easier and there are people behind me that I have made the journey easier for.Collection: Journey
I always was like, "Yo, I'm here, I might as well get what I could take."Collection: Might
I think everybody likes a person that stands up for themselves. Nobody likes a punk or a coward.Collection: Thinking
When I was six, God was a white man with a big beard riding on a white cloud. That's the image television pumps.Collection: Men
If you love what you do, and you believe in your talent, there's nothing better than breaking through. There's no better feeling than breaking through.Collection: Believe
If the day did not require an AK then it was goodCollection: Ifs
I think my fans respect me for bein' as truthful and honest as you can be and still be Rap music and not be opinion music. It's still Rap, its still style, flavor, flair, and people just kind of like how I present myself and the things that I do.Collection: Rap
Embrace what makes up you. Some stereotypes are true - I love chicken, but that's a stereotype, I love f**king basketball, but that's a stereotype, too. But who cares? Embrace it. Be who you are, and don't be ashamed of what that is.Collection: Basketball
Seeing my son getting roughed up by the police is not fun. It brings back memories of when I got roughed up by them. He grew up totally different than how I grew up, and to me, he shouldn't have to go through that.Collection: Fun
Should I peel a cap or should I let him survive?Collection: Unanswered Questions
The best thing to do is to write about what you know, and if you write about what you know you can always pull those nice little tidbits that hook people, that shows that you know about this world and can bring people into a world that they may not know nothing about.Collection: Nice
A lot of people have a misconception of what the ghetto is all about. You know, it's only a small percentage of the people that are bad. Everybody else is good.Collection: Ghetto
Don't want to hear my favorite rapper doin' a love song. If I want to hear something soft, I'll throw on Luther Vandross.Collection: Song
Most of the problems that we have are brought on by the government and not by music. Music is a mirror of what we're going through, not the cause of what we're going through.Collection: Mirrors
I feel like I got a whole lot of living to do before I think about summing it up in a book.Collection: Book
I think you have to find how the machine can work for you. That's what I mean by "attaching yourself to the machine," 'cause the machine is going to be there, and you can rage against the machine, which is cool, but there's ways that you can benefit off the machine if you're savvy enough and you're sharp enough, smart enough. We all got to live and eat.Collection: Smart
The biggest change in the government's behavior has been because of TV and its ability to show to the world what has happened in this community... that's the biggest change. But without TV... the separation between the government and the people would be much worse than it is.Collection: Government
I always want to read the script before I totally commit.Collection: Want
The hardest period for a writer is the period in-between writing. That's when you can go crazy if you don't allow the creative juices to flow.Collection: Crazy
[Boycott Oscar] is like crying about not having enough icing on your cake. It's just ridiculous.Collection: Cake
I usually don't mind movies that people think go overboard because that's what art is all about. Art is about pushing us and making us examine ourselves.Collection: Art
I figured, when I make a movie, especially earlier in my career, one thing I was going to make sure was that the movie doesn't cost a lot and that it has potential to make a lot of money. That's how you get respect in Hollywood.Collection: Careers
Rapping is talking and communicating, and that's always good.Collection: Rap
As a husband, I'm a true partner. I don't believe one person should have dominance over another.Collection: Husband
I always say the movie came out good if they want another one. That always tells me that people really liked the movie.Collection: People
I would love a shot at a lead role, but it's not up to me right now. I just try to make the most out of every opportunity I'm given, and hope somebody will get on my side. Until that happens, I'm just a working actor.Collection: Opportunity
I always said that what I do is street knowledge, you let the street know what the politicians of today are doing, and if the politicians are listening, let them know what the streets think.Collection: Thinking
You become a writer on a television show, and you see yourself doing bigger and better things, you don't wait till they tell you, "Here's the way to do bigger and better things," you start writing. You start writing that material that you might be doing off to the side. Nobody's going to be paying you for that, but it could turn into something big.Collection: Writing
My movies work because not many people in Hollywood are like me.Collection: People
The way I grew up and the neighborhood I come from, when you know somebody's beating you and you still let it happen, then you're a victim. You're no longer a man when you know something is happening and you don't stand up. So that's just how we raised.Collection: Men
People are still tied to their hoods, and it's usually not the artist, it's usually the friends and instigators who get it popping.Collection: Artist
I knew a dude whose entire check was going to his car. He didn't care. This is back when the Mustang 5.0 came out in, like, '82. Between paying the note and insurance, I think he had like $40 left. A lot of people knew people because of their car, and not them.Collection: Thinking
I think [director] Malcolm Lee is a real master at being able to make you laugh while bringing serious subject-matter, so the movie doesn't hinge on silliness, but on real life.Collection: Real
I think that my "Let's get it done! Let's have fun! Let's make a great movie!" attitude helped. I rarely have problems on my movies with egos and attitudes.Collection: Fun
It's always great when you're able to give fans what they expect and even a little more.Collection: Giving
I hear about people getting shot all the time. But most of the guys you hear about getting shot pulled through.Collection: People
We used to have MTV and all these ways we can show our videos, and it was these rap shows, and it was everything. And then it became not cool to be conscious; it became cool to just hang out. Escapism rap became the norm. And, when I say "escapism rap", I mean getting high, get your cars, get your money, get your jewelry, go to the club, have your women, and it just became all about escaping your reality and not making your reality better on a real tip; not just on the have fun tip.Collection: Fun
You have to be able to give the people what you want in your way. And that's how you, to me, become a person that they love and not just a fly-by night actor.Collection: Night
I was trying to be the best rapper in the world. I wasn't thinking about acting.Collection: Thinking
I don't consider myself ever joining. But I have affiliations, for sure.Collection: Joining
You really have to challenge yourself to come out of those parameters that they put you in, even if that's your job.Collection: Jobs
Comedies in Hollywood is usually the path of least resistance when it comes to being black in Hollywood and putting movies together. They would rather make us laugh than cry, in some respect.Collection: Laughing
My thing is: stay creative. And just because somebody starts to pay you, that don't mean all your creativity goes to that, and you don't save none for yourself to be able to do other, bigger and better things and still follow your dreams even if you start off inside of a box.Collection: Dream