I believe in the power of Rap music.
At times, the waves of the world seemed too great. I was so young, and though I wish I could go back and tell myself that everything was going to be okay, I felt lost amid the sea of adolescence. Stranded amongst these grueling waves, I held on to whatever I could to keep me afloat. In that dark wake of distress, I found my savior: Rap.
No, not those sexualized slurs strung together and mashed on top of a pop-y beat. That’s not what I call Rap. Real Rap isn’t a commercialized catchy chorus or a scientific melodic formula brewed in the music labs for the purpose of profit. It’s not gold, flashy teeth or the misogynistic exploitation of the female derrière.
Rap isn’t anything but it’s everything.
Imagine a pulsing heart in your bare hand. Beating rapidly, the warm organ squirms between your fingers, encompassing the rawest form of mankind’s emotions; no thought, no action, just feeling. Now imagine throwing that heart onto a blank page. Each unique, the imprint left is a striking reflection of the complex internal workings of whom the heart belongs. That is Rap. It’s raw and real, not masked behind any façade, but what it just is. The beat, the melody, the tune? irrelevant. What matters is what is being said, from where it’s being said and your perception to what is said. And when you find that music that speaks to you, it’s like hearing for the first time.
I can’t explain why it has had this impact on my life. A lot of people would ask, how can you relate? You’re an upper middle class white girl from Orange County, California, what can you possibly gain from rappers’ impoverished adversities or their defiance of the shackles which bound them from success? But that is just the very thing. It isn’t why or how, no analytical-left brain interpretation. What is important is what you do with what you hear. Does it empower you? Motivate? Inspire?
Rap tells a story, thriving off requisites of intellect, understanding and passion. It involves skill and unlike other genres, defies any set standards. It’s a medium of communication and whether you can relate or not, you can respect it. Rap has inspired me to push my limits, live a life of passion and seek every day to be better than I was yesterday. It helps me when I am down, when I need to push myself or when I just need an escape.
We all face Adversity. He disguises himself in all shapes and sizes and doesn’t bind only to the impoverished. He can lurk in the streets of the ghetto and find his way into the mind of a millionaire that same day.
What matters is how we face him. For what it’s worth, Rap helped me with that.