Why hip-hop?

I just finished reading a brilliant guide to writing by hippy Christian Anne Lamott called bird by bird. The premise of the book is that writing is not about being published or finishing a screenplay. Instead it’s about opening your soul to reveal unspeakable truths.

This insight is precisely why I wanted to write. I wanted to be open with myself, admit my struggles, allow others to connect with my struggles where they might, and not worry so much about the judgment of the majority that won’t connect. Since making this realization my appreciation for art and artists has grown tenfold.

There are certain truths that cannot be revealed through speech. There is something inherently beautiful about the metaphor in a beautifully depicted novel, a perfect moment captured via photograph, or through a simple but catchy beat. Of all forms of art that catchy beat might be my favorite.

I love music for its availability to everyone. Movies, art, and books tend to be on the high culture side, but music is much more of an equalizer across all corners of society.

Especially through pop culture, music has the ability to crack into the mainstream. Whereas the average person might not want to listen to a lecture about poverty in the developing world or read an article about how injust the world is, it’s a whole different story to listen to a song that speaks to those same injustices. Music can be an amazing vehicle to get people thinking about truth.

One of my favorites is the Somali-Canadian rapper/poet K’naan. You’ve probably heard of him from his 2010 World Cup promotional anthem “Wavin’ Flag.” But one of my other favorites is “ABCs”, a song that highlights the violence that comes from the helplessness of poverty. He describes his own music as “urgent music with a message.”

Breaking through rap stereotypes, his music shows everything that is still relevant about modern hip-hop. Similar to other hip-hop greats like Nas’ "If I Ruled the World" and 2pac’s "Changes", K'naan writes about the state of the world, specifically the struggles he saw growing up in war-torn Somalia.

His music, a mixture of American hip-hop and Ethiopian jazz, is so catchy that his message is unavoidable. It’s really a blessing that his message is one of thinking outside the small compartment of ourselves. Such a relief that there are still mainstream artists out there trying to tell a truth.

from ken

Are you trying to change your life? I'd love to hear about it! ken.e.noguchi@gmail.com