Last night I had the time of my life. It had been a few years since I have been to a real concert and I needed to remind myself of who I am, and what helped mold and shape me. The last few weeks I have felt as if I was stuck in an identity crisis. I mean, my environment is no help at all. Surrounded by open plains, cows grazing on the pasture and the constant natural gas rigs spewing their fumes tend to make a brother a little confused. There is no one around me that dresses like me, thinks like me, or even understands the complexity of some of the issues concerning identity.
Why am I still here? The answer is simple I am here for my children. See, the beauty of Hip-Hop is that it educates and motivates. When I was younger I fed myself so much Hip-Hop that I should have been a fat kid. It was like cake and soda. The clothes, the shows, and the lyrical delivery of some of the greatest artist of all time were helping me deal with the racism, the injustices, and all of the other issues that plague a black teenager. Last night there was nothing like screaming “Fuck the Police” with a thousand people. Nine hundred and sixty nine white folks screaming “Fuck the Police” is just want I needed in my life right now.
See, I never believed in the system. Because I know that the system is a lie and they only tell us what they feel we need to know. The stuff that we read in the newspaper and watch on the television is nothing but poison that slowly kills and slowly eats away any sense of reality that we were born with. But that is the difference with Hip-Hop. If the world would operate like a true Hip-Hop show things would be great. It is true that (C.R.E.A.M) cash rules everything around me. Did it take nine black youth from the East Coast to tell the world that? Yes it did.
Hip-Hop is like Wikileaks, some shit that the average person would never understand and would rather lock in a cage and call them a traitor or useless to society. But that is not the case to those that are smart enough to understand that we are all getting played. I feel that no matter how we learn the truth the importance is we learn the truth. I am glad that this information is leaked and that the world can see that there are some serious issues out there that we should be aware of.
For me, Hip-Hop introduced me to the New World Order, and broke down some of the greatest Philosophers in the world. Hip-Hop artist are the reporters for the ghetto. They are the real soldiers on the front line of equal justice for those that do not have a voice. No I will not trust the police. I will not believe that fake rap artist that plagues the airwaves and infects the public with the same nonsense that real Hip-Hoppers are trying to eradicate. See life is not just a party or sipping on a 40 ounce of St. Ides on the corner. Life is about a hustle, making things better for you and your family.
By Any Means Necessary? That is right by any fucking means necessary. Yes I was lucky to escape the struggle in the inner-city. But that should not mean that I cannot be a solder for the movement. Yes it is true that I am a recovering Conservative on a steady diet of libertarian values and insight. I want less government and more freedom. I want to blaze green without having to come up with some excuse to see the doctor. I want the opportunity to do what I like as long as it has no direct negative effect on another human being.
I deal with other people’s values and bullshit shoved down my throat all day long. The constant religious quotes, the unflattering number game, and the constant Facebook “look at me” post that often makes me want to swan dive into an empty pool to see if I am in reality or some fake ass computer world. Is this the Matrix or what? Do we force feed ourselves some shit so that we feel better about ourselves? Or is it because we want the attention and the acceptances of others? I am chucking up the deuces on that right now.
No longer will I try to blend into my environment. No longer will I second guess what I write, or filter myself. I am who I am. And I have to say thank you to Hip-Hop. Artist like Nas, Public Enemy, Paris, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and Ice Cube have turned on the light. While these new artist continue to play the role of the house Negro and do what Master wants, I will not fall victim to Master, but remember were I came from and who I am. I am not supposed to be here but I am, I can tell by the looks in the store and the glares on the road. But that is the beauty of Hip-Hop, no matter the age race, religion, or sex- we all belong. There is no other music in the world that has the same power that true Hip-Hop brings to the world.
