For me, Rap/Hip-Hop is more than just some beats, strung together with catchy lyrics. It inspires me in so many ways. The heart, the passion, the flow, the vibe, it's an unbelievable feeling when you find yourself listening to something real. This is the same feeling I get when I am listening to some of the greats, Pac, Big, Tribe, Nas, Hova, etc. Sometimes I like to just close my eyes and take it all in. It's like a medication to me.
It started at a young age for me. When I was about 11 years old I started really getting interested in rap and new music. One of the first albums that I listened to and really fell in love with was actually 'Take Care' by Drake. It's still one of my favorites by far. Take Care came out in 2011 and I just remember I knew nothing about rap, besides Drake. I used to love 'So Far Gone' and I had no idea what any of the lyrics meant or anything, but I just loved Drake. He was no where near as popular as he is now when that came out, but I just loved it. As for Take Care, I think it had the perfect balance of softer songs, while still having plenty on fast paced, turn up songs. Drake is known for making straight anthems, songs that everyone knows and listens to constantly. Throughout 'Take Care', it takes you from wanting to go party with a song like 'HYFR', to then wanting to go visit your ex with a song like 'Doing it Wrong'. The sensitive part of me really loves Drakes softer songs. After Take Care, the love for rap really just took off. I just became obsessed with finding new songs, as well as learning about older classics. I still love that to this day. Along with football and basketball, rap was one of my first loves.
Rap has always gotten me through whatever I was going through at the time. It seems every time I am feeling down and put on my playlist, the music just speaks to me. In an indescribable way. I've had some pretty rough times, and sometimes rap is the only thing there for me. One thing I'll always remember, is about 3 years ago, I had a lot of health problems. I had multiple surgeries over the span of 2 years. It was pretty rough, but I remember going to the hospital on Christmas night. On my way to the hospital, in massive pain, and I was really just a mess and it really ruined my Christmas. When I got in the car, I put on my playlist, and the first song that comes on? 'I Need a Doctor' by Dre. Not only was it a coincidence, but it is also one of my favorite songs when it came out. It really just spoke to me, and honestly made my trip to the hospital a little better.
If you didn't already know, I play football for my high school. And for me, music, or more specifically, rap, gets me probably more hyped than anything else. We play mostly rap and rock for our warm-ups and believe me, it gets us all ready and pumped. I mean besides all the fans and the lights, music is definitely the thing that gets me most hype during games.
I'm not sure what it about this music, but I am just glad I found it. Rap will forever be something I love.
1.) I wrote about this topic because it was something that affected me so much. It's something that has been in my life for so long, I felt the need to writer about it.
ReplyDelete2.) When I wrote this I did run into some trouble. Just remembering back to this time isn't the easiest, and writing about it wasn't easy either.
3.) I think the rhetorical purpose on this article is just to show one of my passions, and share that with the reader.