of Hip Hop

 I recently re-watched Brown Sugar for the one too many times this weekend. Reminded me just how much hip hop has a place in my heart. I grew up listening to Tupac, Biggie, Nas, Dre, Ice Cube, Wu-tang, Methodman, Redman, Kalamashaka…just to mention but a few. I love hip hop. And it makes sense.

Art can be defined as works produced by human creative skill and imagination. I love all things art. Music, poetry, paintings, photography and dancing. There is something more past the naked eye that blends with art. It’s how we interpret it, individually. It’s how we pass it on, how music says so much in just a few words. How photographs capture moments beyond words. Music for me, is beyond those few words. It’s the expression of emotion in the lyrics, it’s the poetry.

I strongly believe hip hop is poetry. It might be a song dissing someone, a song praising someone or just a show off song. How many times have you taken time to listen to the words? Think of Talib Kweli and Common. They don’t scream on the mic like the new artists… (Meek Mill) because they don’t have to. It’s simple and understood.  Biggie told his life in his music,

 “ 
No heat, wonder why Christmas missed us
Birthdays was the worst days
Now we sip champagne when we thirst-ay”

I love those words. I think we have all been in situations where you couldn’t even afford something and now you choose when to have it or not.

 I am fascinated by Wale right now and the urban type of hip hop that is seriously close to rnb. Drake seems to be in the same category. Its poetic and it sexy.  The 80’s and 90’s artists would have put it crudely… “You must be used to me spending….”  But now we’re hearing words like “Diced pineapple, Tonight you shall reach a height that the sky won’t catch you”…That song I must say has me listening to it over and over with flushed cheeks. Wale blends poetry and hip hop brilliantly. So just a few lyrics of my one of my favorites: Wale ft Rick Ross and Drake…((Maybach music))…just had to

….PG 25 please

“Diced pineapple,
Tonight you shall reach a height that the sky won’t catch you
The highest form of my admiration
And I ain’t no connoisseur but I’m kinda sure you will admire my taste
But before the sun graze ya
I’m tryin’ to see how deep you are
And believe me shorty I ain’t talking about no intimate conversation
I wanna see if I can make you reach things unobtainable
When I peek into your nature
And I promise you my goals will exceed any physical pleasure
I wanna, give you what’s better than better
The better my effort, the wetter her treasure
The more these mere moments seem like heavens or temporary forevers
Shorty get it together
Diced pineapple
May your love come down so my mind might have you
You designed my imagination
Let me redefine foreplay so you need five and
Tell me shorty you got it baby
If it’s not it baby, hope it’s progress baby
Let it all drip baby
If you stop that shaking, no more talking baby, no more talking bab”