My mom had early rap records, like Jimmy Spicer. In the middle of the records was a turntable and a receiver - I used to scratch records on it - and on top was a reel-to-reel. In front of that wall were more stacks of records. It was either Mom's record or Pop's record, and they had their names on each and every one.
More Quotes by Jay-Z
Belief in oneself and knowing who you are, I mean, that's the foundation for everything great.
I think in London - and I don't wanna offend anybody in America, but this is a real statement - they still have the right approach to making music. In the U.S., people see it as a way to make money; they see it as a means to get out. It's a hustle, which is great - any way you can provide for your family that's legal is fantastic.
I love what I do, and when you love what you do, you want to be the best at it.
My mom always taught me - you know, little boys listen to their moms too much - that whatever you put into something is what you're going to get out of it.
As kids we didn't complain about being poor; we talked about how rich we were going to be and made moves to get the lifestyle we aspired to by any means we could. And as soon as we had a little money, we were eager to show it.
I don't sit around with my friends and talk about money, ever. On a record, that's different.