Hip hop is story telling, whether it is thru music, dance, or art. The artist is always telling a story, telling their story. As a result, there are so many life lessons to be learned just by simply listening and really taking in the message behind the music. Continuing with this series of life lessons in hip hop, I have to go to a hip hop classic entitled "Smile," by none other than the Legend Tupac. Tupac is world renown for dropping so much knowledge and awareness in his songs that he has become larger than life after his death. After his death there was a book of his poetry released, “A Rose That Grew From The Concrete." Tupac was so influential, there are colleges that are popping up left and right where they are offering a course on Tupac and his revolutionary lyrics. I chose the song “Smile” because each verse, each line or bar is packed with a cautionary tale of life lessons.
On Tupac’s first verse, he brought heat as always, but he summed up what it meant to grow up poor and fantasize about being rich.
Pac said:
“Why shed tears? Save your sympathy, my childhood years were spent burying my peers in the cemetery. Here’s a message to the newborns, waiting to breathe. If you believe than you can achieve, just look at me. Against all odds, though life is hard we carry on. Living in the projects broke with no lights on. To all the seeds that follow me protect your essence. Born with less, but your still precious. Just smile for now."
In just four lines Tupac captured a moment, gave a life lesson, and spoke to those who would come after him. Basically, Tupac was talking about his childhood and how he grew up poor living in poverty - he came from nothing. He said against all the odds, and so many people (his friends) that did not make it. He made it. His message to the kids who will come after him, growing up in those same circumstances is to believe it and do it, but while you’re working hard to make it out of the black hole that poverty is, always remember to protect your essence. What is your essence? Your soul, your heart, the essence of who you are - it is special and sacred. Tupac advises, even if you are born with nothing, you are somebody who is precious and who can turn everything around and make nothing out of something.
Being poor in America is not easy and being black and poor is like being born with two strikes against you already - as far as society is concerned. So to see someone like Tupac not only make it out of poverty, but also look back and tell you, no matter what happened and where you come from you can make it, you can bet the odds. That message is priceless and a lifelong lesson. Many children that come from the ghettos, hoods, and near abandoned cities of America need that message of “you can make it against all odds, just look at me”. Motivation, hope, goals, dreams, revolutionary…Tupac was many things to millions of people, but he was someone who saw the reality of life for those who often did not get to have their voice heard. Pac spoke to those people and for those people. He showed them they are beautiful, they matter, someone cares, and most importantly, they can change the world.
Pac’s last words on this song:
“Maybe now {people} feel me now, picture my pain, embrace my words make the world change and still I smile."
Embrace his message-- feel the pain in his words. Let it motivate you to do more, be more and change the world one smile at a time.
Life lessons in Hip Hop. Enjoy. Smile.
