I wear anything of culture, from the Earth or beyond. The whole planet is my shop.
Interpretation
This quote expresses openness to cultural influences and the interconnectedness of the world.
Afrika Bambaataa's quote highlights the idea that culture is not confined to geographical boundaries but is a collective treasure that belongs to everyone. By stating that the planet is his shop, he emphasizes the abundance of artistic and cultural expressions derived from both our planet and beyond, celebrating diversity and the value of shared human experiences.
In practice
In a speech about cultural appreciation, one might say this quote to emphasize the value of diversity.
Everybody needs to show respect to each others' ways and the cultural life that you get on this planet. Don't get caught up on 'I'm brown, black, white, red, blue, whatever.' You gotta ask, what were you called before 1492? All these names we're using now are just an illusion made to keep us fighting each other.
I'd like to see people pay attention to the science of hip hop. The knowledge part, the political side of what hip hop could do, or where hip hop is gonna go. I always say it's gonna become universal as we become a galactic union.
How you act, walk, look and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture. And the music is colorless. Hip Hop music is made from Black, brown, yellow, red and white.
A lot of times, when people say hip-hop, they don't know what they're talking about. They just think of the rappers. When you talk about hip-hop, you're talking about the whole culture and movement. You have to take the whole culture for what it is.
We also want to try and slow down all this foolishness that's going on between the East and West. We gotta understand that Hip Hop is now universal. Hip Hop is not East coast or West coast.
My apartment reflects my views as an architect. It is minimal, austere. The architecture doesn't impose itself upon you. The apartment is a stage for other things to take place.
For many years, I've always been attached to what they call the Great American Songbook, and Kern was a great leader of that because he had the classical training of Europe. He impressed all the greatest composers, like Cole Porter and Gershwin. They couldn't believe he was writing the songs he was writing.
When people say, 'I don't get art' ... that means art is working.
Even now, nature is the only flame, on which the poetic spirit feeds; from it alone it draws all its power, to it alone it speaks even in the artificial, in the man engaged in culture.
Nonsense and beauty have close connections.
I'm always drawn to stories that people don't know about, particularly when they're inside of a story that everyone knows about.
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