Russell Simmons Quotes

Songwriters tell the truth.

Whatever else has been said about me personally is unimportant. When I sing, I believe. I'm honest.

When you sing, always tell the truth.

You listen to a politician making a speech, and it is like hearing nothing. Whereas, music is unmistakably music. The thing about music is that nobody listens to it unless it's real. I don't think that you can fool anybody for too long in music. And you certainly can't fool everybody.

Playing the guitar is like telling the truth - you never have to worry about repeating the same [lie] if you told the truth. You don't have to pretend, or cover up. If someone asks you again, you don't have to think about it or worry about it because there it is. It's you.

The stupid believe that to be truthful is easy; only the artist, the great artist, knows how difficult it is.

What's the point of a song if you can't be honest?

Music to me is about being honest, and it's what I've always pictured music as. I don't see the point of expressing yourself if you are going to be cryptic about it.

Music is not simply an orchestration of something, but it's also not something as trivial as honesty.

For a creative writer possession of the 'truth' is less important than emotional sincerity.

I came up in hip-hop, where people value the ability to tell it straight.

Lyrics are kind of the whole thing; it's the message. Something might have a beautiful melody but if it's not the truth coming out of your mouth, it's not appealing.

As a novelist, I ask of myself only that I tell the truth and that I tell it beautifully.

Being honest is my job. That's what music is for me.

Be honest with yourself and the way you act when you hear music. That way, when people watch, they'll see something from your heart and soul, and as a result will communicate your feeling and thought much better.

This is just rap. I'm not trying to make people think I'm some sort of scientific wizard or inspirational poet.

Truth is the number one element in whatever you do with music.

I have an obligation as a writer to tell a story as interestingly as possible, but with integrity and not inserting false drama... I'm looking to be subtle, but being a wordsmith does not interest me - I want to communicate.

An orator is a man who says what he thinks and feels what he says.

I've always been an artist who's about being real and about telling the truth and making music with integrity and talking about something.

In my music, I bare it all; it's really naked.

Hip-hop music was our life.

Please understand that I make music to express myself, and if you know anything about me, you know that I'm nothing but honest.

When I think of artists I love, like J. Cole, it's the storytelling that grabs me. I want to be honest with my music.

My songs are about who I am.