What Rap Means to Me
My first exposure to hip-hop came in the form of the Slim Shady LP. It was a revelatory experience – here was music that was unafraid to express the anger, sadness, and frustration that I felt (and still feel) but somehow could not express. The authority figures in my life condemned it as violent, misogynistic, homophobic, and antisocial. And I freely acknowledge that rap can be all of those things, and more. But that’s the point. People can be all of those things and still make meaningful artistic statements. If you try to repress these feelings, they’ll just build up inside you and make you a sad and bitter person.
Since rap became popular, the music industry has tried its best to make money off of it - and they continue to churn out absolute crap, which has warped the public perception of what hip-hop can be. But no reasonable person would judge rock music based on the commercial tripe of the past. The vast majority of the rap you hear on the radio is commercial tripe, but there are some artists worth listening to – Shad, Jay-Z, Eminem, MF DOOM, Talib Kwali, and Lil Wayne are just some examples.
I plan to write more about how hip-hop has shaped my perspective throughout the years. But for the time being, I’m going to cook lunch and listen to ‘Yaa, I Get It’, a brilliant track from Shad’s latest album. Even if you haven’t liked hip-hop in the past, I recommend you give it a listen.
