To many Music may be sound or just music. For me, music holds a very special place in my heart. For me, music was and is my education, escape and most importantly, my therapy.
I can not tell you off the top of my head when I first fell in love with music. It’s just something we as humans, wheater you realize it, or not have grown accustomed to listening to. I can say when I was in middle school. Outside of the Ghanian music that would religiously play in my home, I grew a love for Hip-Hop.
One surprising fact that nobody believes is that I grew up on the block that was coined, “The birthplace of Hip-Hop,” on Sedgwick Ave. I can’t lie, I didn’t discover that until several years ago when I did extensive research on the history of Hip-Hop. Early on, I pretty much just jammed out artists such as NAS, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Sean Paul and many of the other popular artists of the late ’90s and the early 2000s.
It wasn’t until around the 5th/6th grade where I began to develop an understanding of what I was listening to. One of the artists that stood with me during this growth phase was Lupe Fiasco.
I had heard a track of his in “NBA Live 06,” A basketball video game I played during that time, but it was the track “Kick Push” that had me sold on Lupe. From there, the rest was history. I was hooked. I studied lyrics just so I could recite the lyrics of the songs word-for-word. I studied so I could understand the meaning of what I was listening to.
Fast forward to today, that passion for music is still there. I may not listen to Lupe as much I did back then, but other artists have filled that void for me. Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Bas are some of the artists I am currently hooked on. I also listen to a wider genre of music, for me, it’s about consistent growth and not boxing myself in.
It is all about the vibes with music regardless of the genre. As Bob Marley puts it,
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain”
Being born and raised in the birthplace of Hip-Hop is pretty cool! I cannot help but say, you do come across as a person with a Hip-Hop style. Also, Bob Marley is one of my all-time favorites!
“Hip hop is the CNN of the ghetto.” – Chuck D, Public Enemy
I’ve always been a fan of Mos Def, Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. The Blackstar album was my introduction into hip hop and I never really left. Every verse I hear is insight into a culture I never grew up in, so I try to pay attention. I love the argument that all hip hop is the same, I disagree, but if it all sounds the same maybe it’s because the same issues are still effecting the black community. Just a thought.
If skills sold, Truth be told, I’d probably be Lyrically Taleb Kweli. Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense (But I did five Mil) I ain’t been rhyming like Common since.
-Jay Z
I also think that the best part about hip hop is identifying with the lyrics. But it’s not what sells anymore. Started out with west coast rap but mostly just a fan of music. You should check out Nipsey Hussle, good music.