onceahater-blog

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A very interesting TED Talk. Worth the watch!

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I used to hate Hip-Hop and rap music. When I say hate, I mean I could not stand to listen to any beat, lyric, or song. There was not one aspect of the music I found to be enjoyable My mindset was that Hip-Hop was just a tasteless genre of music that sampled old rock songs and tried to reproduce something that sounded similar to the classic rocks songs, but with lyrics that were anything but tasteful. I thought Hip-Hop was all about gangs, violence, sex, and drugs. The last thing I wanted to listen to was a genre of music that glorified those things. A lot of my friends would listen to Hip-Hop when I was in middle school and high school and I would always think the classic rock I listened to was superior to their Hip-Hop.

Fast forward to my freshman year of college in 2013-2014. I was getting out of  my old crowd of people and meeting the people who are today the best friends I have ever had. I was through them that I was able expand my ear for music. I was constantly being exposed to different music from people from different walks of life. Most of this music I was hearing for the first time was Hip-Hop or Rap. Granted, it took me awhile to truly accept the fact that I was enjoying Hip-Hop music. I tried to resist the new perspective of music I knew I was gaining. It felt like I was almost betraying myself because I was a hater for so long. Eventually I accepted the fact that I really enjoy Hip-Hop music.

Hip-Hop gave me a new angle to view music from. It could be so many different things all at once. It has a capability to be loud, fast, and aggressive, but it can also, be quiet, slow, and smooth. My previous favorite genre, classic rock, could offer all those aspects as well. However, I found it to be the lyrical content of Hip-Hop to be the most interesting aspect of the music. So many combinations of words could alter the rhyme scheme. In other songs stories could be told throughout the runtime of a song. Other songs’ lyrics would just have a fun message that gave me a pretty good feeling. The thing I love most about the lyrics of Hip-Hop and the genre as a whole is the creativity that comes along with writing so many of these great songs.

There was a period in time where the storytelling and creativity of Hip-Hop helped me overcome a rough patch my life. I was going through a time where I was affected by several negative obstacles. Life had given me a pretty bad draw in the summer of 2016 and my family, as well as myself, did not know if we were going to make it out of these tough times. Money was the tightest it's ever been and we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to keep our house. As a result of financial struggles and other negative aspects, I was having some pretty troubling and negative thoughts about life. I fell into a fairly depressed state. I stopped working out. I was not taking care of myself. I was miserable and was stuck feeling sorry for myself. I thought that life was unfair for having my family go through those tough times.

It was not soon after these troubles occured that I decided to try a new radio station on my Pandora radio. I typed in “Tootsie Roll Radio” because I had not heard the song in awhile and I thought it would be fun to listen to. “Tootsie Roll” played and I was satisfied and thought about changing the station back to my old station, but I chose not too. The next song that came on I was able to relate to so much. “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five started playing and I had never heard it before. I turned my volume up and listened closely to the lyrics. They told several stories of how life and the choices a person makes can get the better of someone. However, the final lyrics of the song always stuck with me, “But now your eyes sing the sad, sad song of how you lived so fast and died so young..” I would be started to listen to this song everyday.

“The Message”  had almost become a rallying cry for because deep down I did not want to end up like the boy in the song. Deep down I knew wanted to take life slow and go down the right path. Sure, the circumstances around me during that summer of 2016 were not favorable, but it was this songs’ story that gave me perspective. “The Message” made me realize that there are worse things happening to different people across the world. The lyrics and story allowed me to empathize with the boy described in the end of the song. My situation was completely different, but as hard a time as I was having it seemed like the life that was presented to him was far worse than mine. All in all, it was this song that had given me a new attitude about my situation. And although I was “Close to the edge” I in fact did not “lose my head.”

It wasn’t too long after I heard “The Message for the first time that I got my motivation back to take care of myself like I used to. I started going back to the gym to workout. I started eating better. Most importantly, I was making smart choices that would get me closer to achieving my goals.

After this phase in my life had past I wanted to expand my knowledge of Hip-Hop. I started to read about the history of the genre. I was even able to find a few documentaries that gave me some great insight on my new favorite genre of music.Documentaries such as Wu: The Story of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Beat This: A Hip-Hop History have given me a great deal of insight as to what the message of Hip-Hop is and where the genre got its roots. Having explored Hip-Hop, I found out that it is not all about the violence, gangs, drugs, and sex that I thought it had been about.

My message and my story here are quite simple. If you hate Hip-Hop music give it a chance. With Hip-Hop I was able to discover a new love and appreciation for music. Any type of music has something to offer someone at one point in time or another. However, for those who hate Hip-Hop, listening may give one a chance to gain a new perspective. Listening to the stories or creative lyrics by an artist may put you onto something new. A new listener has so many opportunities. There is an entirely new musical world out there if one is willing to set aside their hatred for the music and truly listen to the positive and creative voices of Hip-Hop.

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A bold statement! Backed up with some pretty interesting numbers! Check it out!

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Hip-Hop is capable of so much! Give it a chance! Pick up some headphones and give it a listen!

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This is a big win for Hip-Hop.

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One of Slick Rick’s finest works here. If you have some time give it a listen. 

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Give this song by Ms. Lauryn Hill a listen. A catchy tune with a great positive message. 

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The power of positive lyrics!

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A powerful message

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90s Artists well represented in this lyrically based article.

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A great article of the positive impacts Rap and Hip-Hop culture can have on youth. 

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Take a look at the songs on this list and give them a listen. All of these 90s Hip-Hop songs on this list have an uplifting message.

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The Positive Message of 90s Hip Hop

Considered one of the greatest eras for Hip-Hop, the 90s was a time overflowing with musical creativity. Hip-Hop during this time period had become extremely popular. Often times there is a negative stigma regarding the lyrics of songs during this time. The purpose of this blog is to shed some light on this subject and encourage the overall positive message Hip-hop offers to listeners