We did this for YOUth
By: Jamirah Harris
By: Jamirah Harris
You may be wondering why the word you is capitalized in the word youth. Well there is a reason for that. Let’s travel back in time to plaid skirts, denim anything, scrunchies, big hair, high top fades, and mullets. Welcome to the 90’s where all these things are common but one thing is for certain, the music. Old gangsta rappers like Tupac Shakur left an impact on music that cannot be forgotten.
Rappers like Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Snoop Dog, Lauryn Hill, Common and many more, may be a little unspoken of in later years, but their legacies will never be forgotten. People like Dharron “Diejie” Hunter and Aman Chohan aspire to become some of these rappers who have brought them up through hardships that they have faced through life. Mr. Chohan always thought of music by Tupac and Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G as storytelling; they are able to write their own and change the way they tell them. They could write anythig and still make you believe,“Tupac and biggie mainly because when they rap it is storytelling. They tell stories about their struggles and they are honest about their opinion of the world, and they didn’t care who hated them.” Mr. Hunter said he aspired to be J. Cole because of the wisdom he provides and the way his music speaks to him in times of need.
Jalen Myers, a Hillgrove student, believed that rappers such as Jay Z, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne all evolved and left their mark in the industry and worked hard to get what they wanted. Mr. Myers also thought that the only way we achieve something great as these rappers have done is to hit rock bottom ourselves and see if we are able to bounce back from it: “I'd say a little bit of pain and some hard times. A lot of good music comes from people talking about things they have gone through and hard times they’ve had.” Mr. Hunter thought that people like Tupac, T.I., and Method Man should be described as revolutionary because they have contributed into the empowerment of our people. Mr. Chohan thought of these three artists as, “Woke because they never slept on anything, and always had to to grind for what they needed, and always had to keep they head up no matter what the circumstance. They had a mindset to where they got hurt and wiped it off like it’s nothing cause they had to. And they were always aware of what’s going on.”
Rappers such as Eazy E and Tupac just wanted what was best for the people. N.W.A is a very legendary group whose members were Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy E, DJ Yella, and many more. The group once said, “We were a bunch of rebellious kids who wanted a feel of what real life felt like,” Mr. Myers said this related to him because of the internal and external conflicts he and his family endured: “I just want it for me and I want it for my family too.” Tupac created an activism on the acronym that we know is “T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E.” The acronym stands for The Hate You Give Little Infants F***s Everybody. Mr. Chohan explains what this acronym means to him, “I believe what he did and the movement he started has created, and paved the way for the way rap is today, so like more rappers talk about what they want to talk about not what people want to listen to, but the consumer still likes that.”
There are more rappers that left an amazing impact on the music industry but here is one more: DMX. DMX once said that you should “never become so involved with something that it blinds you. Never forget where you from; someone will remind you.” Mr. Chohan said this quote relates to his internal conflicts and how he was able to overcome them: “It relates to me because at one point I let my past go. Thinking it’ll be ok, but no it came right back to me, and I realized that I can’t live someone else’s life and expect results. I know to stay focused on what I want, but I still know my limits and when to push and when to pull.” Mr. Myers said this quote relates to him because all he wants to do is stay true to himself: “To me that quote is saying stay true to yourself, and don’t let little things cloud your mind. I relate to this because I’ve had things steer me in the wrong direction before. Maybe he’s saying don’t be caught up in something that will not benefit you and surrounding yourself with people who are going to tell you to stop doing that certain thing is beneficial.”
Some may have never heard of these people and that is okay, but what they have to realize is the only way to understand what these rappers are saying is to put themselves in their position. While they might live in the streets and you in a warm comfy bed, it is still best to try. Mr. Chohan relates to what these rappers are saying because he has been in similar situations like this: “Most of the time due to personal experiences, you know I kinda grew up in a not so great place where there was constant conflict within the city, and I’ve seen things most people wouldn’t normally see.” Mr. Myers can also relate as well because of his central complications. It helps me think about my life and the things I'm going through, and it’s helped me analyze things like breakups, stuff with my parents, and my own demons. I can be depressed at times, and it’s helped me through that.”
The messages that Tupac and DMX are preaching is something that everyone needs to hear. Rap may be a lot of things, but to these boys it means everything. The hate that we give will transfer to boys like them if we do not learn to appreciate the things that we have and realize why they are there in the first place. Whether we want it or not these legends preached for the youth, and just know that they are preaching for you.
Rappers like Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Snoop Dog, Lauryn Hill, Common and many more, may be a little unspoken of in later years, but their legacies will never be forgotten. People like Dharron “Diejie” Hunter and Aman Chohan aspire to become some of these rappers who have brought them up through hardships that they have faced through life. Mr. Chohan always thought of music by Tupac and Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G as storytelling; they are able to write their own and change the way they tell them. They could write anythig and still make you believe,“Tupac and biggie mainly because when they rap it is storytelling. They tell stories about their struggles and they are honest about their opinion of the world, and they didn’t care who hated them.” Mr. Hunter said he aspired to be J. Cole because of the wisdom he provides and the way his music speaks to him in times of need.
Jalen Myers, a Hillgrove student, believed that rappers such as Jay Z, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne all evolved and left their mark in the industry and worked hard to get what they wanted. Mr. Myers also thought that the only way we achieve something great as these rappers have done is to hit rock bottom ourselves and see if we are able to bounce back from it: “I'd say a little bit of pain and some hard times. A lot of good music comes from people talking about things they have gone through and hard times they’ve had.” Mr. Hunter thought that people like Tupac, T.I., and Method Man should be described as revolutionary because they have contributed into the empowerment of our people. Mr. Chohan thought of these three artists as, “Woke because they never slept on anything, and always had to to grind for what they needed, and always had to keep they head up no matter what the circumstance. They had a mindset to where they got hurt and wiped it off like it’s nothing cause they had to. And they were always aware of what’s going on.”
Rappers such as Eazy E and Tupac just wanted what was best for the people. N.W.A is a very legendary group whose members were Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy E, DJ Yella, and many more. The group once said, “We were a bunch of rebellious kids who wanted a feel of what real life felt like,” Mr. Myers said this related to him because of the internal and external conflicts he and his family endured: “I just want it for me and I want it for my family too.” Tupac created an activism on the acronym that we know is “T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E.” The acronym stands for The Hate You Give Little Infants F***s Everybody. Mr. Chohan explains what this acronym means to him, “I believe what he did and the movement he started has created, and paved the way for the way rap is today, so like more rappers talk about what they want to talk about not what people want to listen to, but the consumer still likes that.”
There are more rappers that left an amazing impact on the music industry but here is one more: DMX. DMX once said that you should “never become so involved with something that it blinds you. Never forget where you from; someone will remind you.” Mr. Chohan said this quote relates to his internal conflicts and how he was able to overcome them: “It relates to me because at one point I let my past go. Thinking it’ll be ok, but no it came right back to me, and I realized that I can’t live someone else’s life and expect results. I know to stay focused on what I want, but I still know my limits and when to push and when to pull.” Mr. Myers said this quote relates to him because all he wants to do is stay true to himself: “To me that quote is saying stay true to yourself, and don’t let little things cloud your mind. I relate to this because I’ve had things steer me in the wrong direction before. Maybe he’s saying don’t be caught up in something that will not benefit you and surrounding yourself with people who are going to tell you to stop doing that certain thing is beneficial.”
Some may have never heard of these people and that is okay, but what they have to realize is the only way to understand what these rappers are saying is to put themselves in their position. While they might live in the streets and you in a warm comfy bed, it is still best to try. Mr. Chohan relates to what these rappers are saying because he has been in similar situations like this: “Most of the time due to personal experiences, you know I kinda grew up in a not so great place where there was constant conflict within the city, and I’ve seen things most people wouldn’t normally see.” Mr. Myers can also relate as well because of his central complications. It helps me think about my life and the things I'm going through, and it’s helped me analyze things like breakups, stuff with my parents, and my own demons. I can be depressed at times, and it’s helped me through that.”
The messages that Tupac and DMX are preaching is something that everyone needs to hear. Rap may be a lot of things, but to these boys it means everything. The hate that we give will transfer to boys like them if we do not learn to appreciate the things that we have and realize why they are there in the first place. Whether we want it or not these legends preached for the youth, and just know that they are preaching for you.
