Dead Artists Are Better/Quotes

We all know dead rappers get better promotion.

—Jadakiss

"We gonna drop this next bomb for a money makin' playa that ain't with us no mo."
"Yeah, Notorious B.I.G."
"Hell no! We gonna do this for a gangbanging thug that never seen it comin'."
"Yeah, Tupac Shakur!"
"Nah bitch! I'm talkin' 'bout motherfuckin' Falco and shit."
"What? Falco!?"

—Bloodhound Gang, intro to "Mope"

David Morgan-Mar: So... in order to maintain my popularity, I have to stay dead?
Head Death: LOOK AT HOW IT WORKS FOR OTHER ARTISTS. EMILY DICKINSON. VAN GOGH. ELVIS.

—Irregular Webcomic, strip 1890

A poet in history is divine, but a poet in the next room is a joke.

—Max Eastman

Diane: This happens to be a great artist!
Sam: If he's a great artist, what's he doing alive?

—Cheers

Never age. Never die. Live forever in that one last white-hot moment, when the crowd screamed.
When every note was a heartbeat. Burn across the sky.
You will never grow old. They will never say you died.
That’s the deal. You will be the greatest musician in the world.
Live fast. Die young.

—Terry Pratchett, Soul Music

"Everybody loves you when you're six foot in the ground."

—John Lennon

"Let's be honest folks, before J Dilla died, did anyone give a shit about him? The answer is a resounding NO! But after his much ballyhooed death you couldn't go to any non-mainstream rap concert without seeing at least a few twats wearing a T-shirt saying "J DILLA CHANGED MY LIFE". Oh really? And how pray tell did he do that? By adding a few more CDs into your collection??"

—laserx54, review of Champion Sound by Jaylib on Rate Your Music

"Remember when Mac [Miller] dropped his Album [Swimming] the same night Astroworld [by Travis Scott] dropped and yall were saying “y’all hear sum?” “who still listens to him” & “tell him keep it”? We had a whole convo about it & he literally told me if he died people would act like they never said it. fuck yall. RIP."

—Ugly God, on Mac Miller's death, September 7, 2018 tweet