I think every single time I put on a rap song in the car, my dad asks “since when do you like that crap?” as if it was something that happened to me that I'm being falsely shamed for. I know you think this "crap" is all vulgar suggestive language, but this music has taught me a lot more than you think it has and it’s taught me far more than what growing up in the teeny tiny bubble of my wealthy small town could have ever taught me. It’s also important to keep in mind that this music is realism and the vulgarness of these lyrics is only trying to get a realistic message across to people who may not be so informed.
Here’s some concrete evidence from a few of my favorites:
"I was sent from Heaven with a set of horns, they'd better warn ya'll / I'm here for more than just to kick some witty metaphors, dawg / This more of the type of shit you spit to set a war off."
-J. Cole
To start things off, in "Tears for ODB," J. Cole outlines the importance of getting his message across. Here he shows that it is less about sounding good and more about the motive behind his words.
"Blacks always broke cause we don't know money/Spend it before we get it and could never hold money/No wallets, nah, nigga we'd rather fold money/Money control niggas, white man control money."
In his song "Mo Money" J. Cole talks about how money rules the world and how hard it is to be at the bottom of the economic gap in this country.
-J. Cole
“For what's money without happiness? / Or hard times without the people you love”
In his song "Love Yourz," J. Cole preaches an important lesson about where true happiness comes from. His words speak against commodifying your life and speaks about being grateful for the things in life that money can't buy.
-J. Cole
"Fuck the finish line, just finish your lines / And if getting your point across crosses the line / Some of the time then cross it with pride."
- Lil Wayne
In Big Sean's song "Deep," Lil Wayne outlines the importance of always speaking your mind. He says it is okay to cross the line as long as you maintain your pride in whatever it is that you're preaching.
"But I've been working on myself and that's the most important work even if you don't get paid for it."
-Big Sean
In Big Sean's song "Big Sky", he explains that bettering yourself is the most important work you can do. Work value isn't determined by what kind of money it makes you.
"'Compton!' a nigga gotta scream that shit / Never went commercial, never TV-screened that shit / Can't block or screen that shit, now everybody sing that shit.”
-Kendrick Lamar
In Kendrick's song "Sing That Shit", he stresses how hard it was to get his voice heard and highlights the importance of getting his message out.
"As a kid I killed two adults, I'm too advanced / I lived my 20s at 2 years old, the wiser man / Truth be told, I'm like 87."
-Kendrick Lamar
In "Hol' Up," Kendrick unveils the brutal honesty of the life he grew up in. It is terrible, but it is the realistic dark underbelly of the projects that most of America turns their cheek to.
"And if you love yourself just know you'll never be alone."
-Big Sean
In my personal favorite, "One Man Can Change the World," Big Sean writes about his impoverished childhood and the lessons he learned from being raised by his grandmother. He preaches a lesson on how important it is to love yourself.
So, those of you who lack appreciation for rap music, I hope you've gained at least a little insight into what it's really all about. Most of these songs are didactic and meaningful and most have a lesson to offer that reaches far beyond what most people my age have been exposed to. Plus, there's talent in the writing and the music is just really, really good.
