My Life and Rap

What Hip Hop Has Helped Me Understand

That’s typically how these things start right?

We pose a question to the audience, then proceed to answer it. Well sure, but why? See what I learned from hip hop is that no matter how much things change, they will undoubtedly remain the same. That is the core tenant behind hip hop’s philosophy of what the Japanese call Champloo/Chanpuru a dish crafted through the mixing of different foods in a sort of stir fry. The anime hip hop fans will understand the reference.

But this Champloo culture (forgive my use of the American pronunciation, I’m used to it) strongly mirrors life. Life is an amalgamation of various aspects all working towards a common goal. It’s seen in nature with symbiotic relationships, in human interaction and even technology. We are very reliant on social ability as humans in general. Hip hop is this philosophy harmoniously displayed in sonic and cultural form.

Hip hop never remains the same, and I think that’s amazing. Hip hop is one of, if not the most varied genre out today. I think it also neatly displays and explains why the kids of now are having such a hard time dealing with older generations. The so called “Millennial Crisis” is currently being mirrored in hip hop, American hip hop at least. Older generations are refusing to change en mass, just as their parents did when they did the same. Why?

Because just like a Champloo dish, or a record, or a disc, the globe, or anything else for that matter, it is cyclical. It’s all a cycle in this big stir that we call life, everything replicates it’s self, changing while remaining the same. This giant oxymoron seems to help shed light on why we, as a people, have such a hard time understanding things that are foreign or at least seem that way. Because it is a contradiction, but so is life, and even the universe itself. So what does this mean?

It means that we’re looking at things the wrong way. We see life as a continuous stream, instead of a cycle. I believe that is, or should be the focal point of our society. We should be fine with being in the mix, it’s who we are as a culture, as Americans, and as people. When this is done right you get something that is new. In a world of limitations, the only way to find anything new is to combine the old to create the new.

I appreciate hip hop for this perspective, and as you can see with the above cover it’s philosophy bleeds deeply into my style. I hope that people begin to let go of their desires of wanting credit and accolades for things. I’m not saying that credit should not be due, but in the system that we currently have, it has been taken too far.

But hey, what do I know? I’m no mortal man, maybe I’m just another...