Rakim Quotes

When you're young, the goal is to have a hit. You get a little older and the goal becomes to get to make another record.

That's what I do: I drop albums, and I just keep it moving.

As soon as you start making a record, things start getting lined up: the promotion, possibly even a tour.

I was signed to A&M, I was signed to Lou Adler, who had a company within a company, which was A&M Records, and everything - James Taylor, Rita Coolidge, Carole King - I worked on all of that stuff.

I always wanted to have my own album recorded and released before I graduated high school.

Now I get exposure first with people directly in the clubs. This is a unique situation for me.

When I made my first album, there was no indication that anybody other than my parents were going to buy it.

I am pretty embroiled in moving on and moving forward with music.

YouTube was really good for building a kind of core, loyal fanbase. I didn't want to be a YouTube artist as such. I mean, there are people who are able to release albums and live off YouTube, but I felt - and not in an arrogant way - that I could be commercial and credible if I really put my mind to it.

Mos Def is a name that I built and cultivated over the years it's a name that the streets taught me a figure of speech that was given to me by the culture and by my environment and I feel I've done quite a bit with that name and it's time to expand and move on.

Yeah, I know, any time you hear an actor say, 'I do music', you cringe. But I want to be gradual with my music. I want to earn my stripes.

I have been fortunate enough to record several singles and a whole album with Chet Atkins.

Well, it's a nice quiet time for Iron Maiden, and I'll be releasing a new solo album next year, so this is a really good time for the managing out my solo career, which is quite well.

There's a big difference between doing the odd gig and actually having a record out and your name being on the ticket.

I'm working on my new album right now. Hopefully to get that out at the top of 2005, January 2005.

I'm hoping to become a recording artist and make albums and go on tour.

And I'm not a personality; otherwise I'd be coming out with an album, performing on MTV. All that stuff is possible and I can do that tomorrow. I just have no need.

In 1999, I just came out of putting out the song 'Vivrant Thing' and 'Breathe and Stop' off the 'Amplified' album. Clive Davis signed me to Arista.

A lot of people thought my career was over. If you're not releasing records, then something must be wrong. Either the record company doesn't like your music, or you've been dropped. It has to something negative. It's not like you wanted to take a break, or want some balance, or smell the roses.

I've been a solo artist for a year now, and I think I should start thinking about the future now. Every spare time I get, I want to be in the studio and work on music for 2015. It's a lot of work.

I was initially signed to a German label a few years ago.

It was almost two years after I left Capital that I put out the first one on Chrysalis and that was really instructive because it was no better in particular than any other record I'd done.

My first album came out in 1979.

I haven't really been recording in the last several years. I haven't wanted to. And even though I had to deal with Sony and now I'm on Universal again, I will probably put out a new record soon.

I'm going to continue posting on my YouTube, which is youtube.com/nolansotillo. So I mean, if I get signed and come out with an album, it would be just another... that is a goal of mine.