Greetings. I would like to start this online journal project (Blog) by explaining to you what the purpose of it is and what it will consist of. But first.. let me give you:
"The Miseducation of Rafik Wahbi."
Growing up, my taste in music was pretty fluid and I enjoyed a plethora of variety. Some of my favorites to mention were, Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine, and a large amount of Christian Ska Music (Five iron frenzy, The O.C. Supertones etc.).
The word hip-hop didn't really exist in my vocabulary then as it does now. What existed was this thing I called "rap". I can't remember who was popular at the time, but the music that I denoted "rap" consisted of lyrics that talked about: Skeeting (don't look it up if you don't already know what it is (although now you probably will look it up)), Candy shops, how many shots can I have in the shortest amount of time, and "bitches." Often, whenever I was in the car with friends listening to this "rap" I would create my own very graphic, vulgar, degrading lyrics as a hyperbole to what I thought this group of black artists were capable of producing.
I want to be very clear here, up until I was 18 years old, my view of hip-hop was nothing short of racist. There's no other way to say it. I categorized all Black "rap stars" as: less than, talent-less, unintelligent people, not worthy of my time or respect.
I can't tell you at what point in the timeline of my life this moment happened, some time when I was about 18, but what I can tell you is that it was close to what many consider "spiritual" or "religious" moments. It was like being born again. It was like opening my eyes for the first time. It was like experiencing something you never thought you would or could experience. It all happened when I randomly heard this lyric:
"If knowledge is the key, then just show me the lock" -Q tip
The guy's voice had already annoyed me and I wasn't too thrilled about what I was listening to, but all of the sudden I got slapped in the face so hard it took me a minute to recover.
"What did he just say? If knowledge is the key.. then just show me the lock.. So he's the key.. or he has the key, or he is knowledge personified.. is he implying that he has some knowledge that is essential to unlocking something? What is the lock, what is being hidden from him that his knowledge can release? And why on earth did they misspell rhyme?"
All of these thoughts rushed through my head, and for a second I retracted..
"Wait I'm over-thinking this, this is just rap after all, there's no way there could be any sort of complexity. I'm a college student, there's no way this guy can make me think these thoughts."
I decided to listen to more of this A Tribe Called Quest group, and what I was able to understand and get from their lyrics is what caused me to begin my own quest. What did I understand from the lyrics?
Nothing. That's right, nothing. I had no idea what these two rappers were talking about. I didn't get the lingo, they talked too fast, and often they would say something and then a minute later bring it back and before I could compute and make the connection, they were on to another line. It was at this point that I realized:
These guys are some of the most intelligent people I have ever heard in music.
There was an entire world of hip-hop that I didn't even know existed, because of my ignorance.
I wanted to know and understand what they were saying, it was both a challenge, but also a curiosity of how these two rappers were able to show me just how wrong I was. What other things in life had I been closed off to like I did with hip-hop? What else was I missing out on because of my preconceived ideas of a concept or group of people?
Hip-hop isn't just music, it's a way of life.
This was just a funky introduction of how dumb I am, but here's what I will be doing in this blog.
I want to share with everyone my journey through hip-hop and how it has profoundly effected me as a person, musician, and music listener. Never has music reached my soul in the way hip-hop has and I want to tell you why it means so much to me and why maybe you should give it a shot, or stop actin' a fool and know that there's some good stuff out there in this genre.
The title of each blog will be a Hip-Hop song that I have grown to love, that will also be related to the topic at hand. I will post a link at the bottom each time so you can listen to the song and maybe try to figure out the relationship with the lyrics/music that the song has with the content of the blog entry (This is something good hip-hop always does with it's own songs).
Throughout the blogs I will be throwing many lyric references (there are a few here in this one). I do this as a way to pay respects to those in the art who have laid down the groundwork for this blog. (this is again something that good rappers constantly do in their music).
As a disclaimer, you will, without a doubt, come upon some not so clean lyrics. I understand that this may deter people. But both as a way to enter into their story, and to not modulate the effect they are trying to produce, I will not sensor myself or them. In a future blog I will talk about this.
I hope this blog can spark conversation, but the one thing that I ask is that you do it in a loving, considerate manner. I accept criticism of this industry, but know this: if you intend on critiquing it, please make sure you have some level of credentials to do so, i.e you have actually spent a considerable amount of time listening to this art. Otherwise, I highly advise you listen and ask questions.
The first 3 entries will be part of a series known as the "Lamar Legacy". I am going to break down Kendrick Lamar's 3 albums and show you how they are intentionally interwoven and connected to convey a message and to tell a story.
Blessings,
Next: The Lamar Legacy Pt.1: Section.80 HiiiPower
Check the Rhime - A Tribe Called Quest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3PW2dXh0dk
"The Miseducation of Rafik Wahbi."
Growing up, my taste in music was pretty fluid and I enjoyed a plethora of variety. Some of my favorites to mention were, Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine, and a large amount of Christian Ska Music (Five iron frenzy, The O.C. Supertones etc.).
The word hip-hop didn't really exist in my vocabulary then as it does now. What existed was this thing I called "rap". I can't remember who was popular at the time, but the music that I denoted "rap" consisted of lyrics that talked about: Skeeting (don't look it up if you don't already know what it is (although now you probably will look it up)), Candy shops, how many shots can I have in the shortest amount of time, and "bitches." Often, whenever I was in the car with friends listening to this "rap" I would create my own very graphic, vulgar, degrading lyrics as a hyperbole to what I thought this group of black artists were capable of producing.
I want to be very clear here, up until I was 18 years old, my view of hip-hop was nothing short of racist. There's no other way to say it. I categorized all Black "rap stars" as: less than, talent-less, unintelligent people, not worthy of my time or respect.
I can't tell you at what point in the timeline of my life this moment happened, some time when I was about 18, but what I can tell you is that it was close to what many consider "spiritual" or "religious" moments. It was like being born again. It was like opening my eyes for the first time. It was like experiencing something you never thought you would or could experience. It all happened when I randomly heard this lyric:
"If knowledge is the key, then just show me the lock" -Q tip
The guy's voice had already annoyed me and I wasn't too thrilled about what I was listening to, but all of the sudden I got slapped in the face so hard it took me a minute to recover.
"What did he just say? If knowledge is the key.. then just show me the lock.. So he's the key.. or he has the key, or he is knowledge personified.. is he implying that he has some knowledge that is essential to unlocking something? What is the lock, what is being hidden from him that his knowledge can release? And why on earth did they misspell rhyme?"
All of these thoughts rushed through my head, and for a second I retracted..
"Wait I'm over-thinking this, this is just rap after all, there's no way there could be any sort of complexity. I'm a college student, there's no way this guy can make me think these thoughts."
I decided to listen to more of this A Tribe Called Quest group, and what I was able to understand and get from their lyrics is what caused me to begin my own quest. What did I understand from the lyrics?
Nothing. That's right, nothing. I had no idea what these two rappers were talking about. I didn't get the lingo, they talked too fast, and often they would say something and then a minute later bring it back and before I could compute and make the connection, they were on to another line. It was at this point that I realized:
These guys are some of the most intelligent people I have ever heard in music.
There was an entire world of hip-hop that I didn't even know existed, because of my ignorance.
I wanted to know and understand what they were saying, it was both a challenge, but also a curiosity of how these two rappers were able to show me just how wrong I was. What other things in life had I been closed off to like I did with hip-hop? What else was I missing out on because of my preconceived ideas of a concept or group of people?
Hip-hop isn't just music, it's a way of life.
This was just a funky introduction of how dumb I am, but here's what I will be doing in this blog.
I want to share with everyone my journey through hip-hop and how it has profoundly effected me as a person, musician, and music listener. Never has music reached my soul in the way hip-hop has and I want to tell you why it means so much to me and why maybe you should give it a shot, or stop actin' a fool and know that there's some good stuff out there in this genre.
The title of each blog will be a Hip-Hop song that I have grown to love, that will also be related to the topic at hand. I will post a link at the bottom each time so you can listen to the song and maybe try to figure out the relationship with the lyrics/music that the song has with the content of the blog entry (This is something good hip-hop always does with it's own songs).
Throughout the blogs I will be throwing many lyric references (there are a few here in this one). I do this as a way to pay respects to those in the art who have laid down the groundwork for this blog. (this is again something that good rappers constantly do in their music).
As a disclaimer, you will, without a doubt, come upon some not so clean lyrics. I understand that this may deter people. But both as a way to enter into their story, and to not modulate the effect they are trying to produce, I will not sensor myself or them. In a future blog I will talk about this.
I hope this blog can spark conversation, but the one thing that I ask is that you do it in a loving, considerate manner. I accept criticism of this industry, but know this: if you intend on critiquing it, please make sure you have some level of credentials to do so, i.e you have actually spent a considerable amount of time listening to this art. Otherwise, I highly advise you listen and ask questions.
The first 3 entries will be part of a series known as the "Lamar Legacy". I am going to break down Kendrick Lamar's 3 albums and show you how they are intentionally interwoven and connected to convey a message and to tell a story.
Blessings,
Next: The Lamar Legacy Pt.1: Section.80 HiiiPower
Check the Rhime - A Tribe Called Quest
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3PW2dXh0dk
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