Culture
Do it for the culture! Growing up in New Orleans, I learned a lot about Caribbean, French, African, and Spanish culture. New Orleans is a melting pot of everything. The architecture, the food, the music all have hints of previous communities that settled in the city. Culture has a lot to do with influence. If someone wanted to study your culture, what would they say would be your primary influence? Do you have a strong sense of self and community? What traditions do you have? What do you believe? What do you practice? What have you produced? What does your cultural legacy look like?
Understanding
I knew I was officially in Atlanta when I saw the So So Def billboard on 85. So So Def crept into my life through Cross Colours, backward jeans, and Kriss Kross. Da Brat would take me back to my summers in the Chi. Jagged Edge would be the soundtrack of my life. Xscape taught me how to kick it, who I could run to and understanding.
Music has a way of infiltrating our psyche. It can influence us in many ways. We all have a need to be understood. Understanding is achieved through communication. Listening. Digesting. Try to see someone else's point of view. Try to hear their heart. Try to see their intentions. Try to understand.
What I need from you is understanding
How can we communicate
If you don't hear what I say
What I need from you is understanding
So simple as 1, 2,3
Understanding is what I need
Soul
soul (sōl/) ) noun
1. the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal.
2. the essence or embodiment of a specified quality.
There's a part of you that is immortal. It's inside of you. It's living. It's breathing. It's speaking. It's whispering ancestral chants. It's guiding you. It's that part God gave you when he created you in his image. It's your inner voice. It's your soul. You can't ignore it forever. You can't deny it. It's in your eyes. It's your voice. It's in the fabric of your being. I see it. I know you got soul.
New Normal
New Normal is a term in business and economics that refers to financial conditions following the financial crisis of 2007-2008 and the aftermath of the 2008–2012 global recession. The term has since been used in a variety of other contexts to imply that something which was previously abnormal has become commonplace.
What's your new normal? What is America's new normal? I remember when profanity was not a commonplace for primetime tv. I remember when songs had clean versions not just radio edits. I remember when games were criticized for excessive violence. I remember when rap music was the subject of congressional hearings. I remember when social meant human interaction. I remember when "live entertainment" did not include being a witness to murder and police brutality. Our new normal has desensitized us. Our new normal doesn't value life. Our new normal doesn't value family. Our new normal doesn't celebrate our differences. Our new normal is fear. Our new normal has created no expectation of justice. Our new normal is depression. Our new normal is violence. Our new normal is distraction. Our new normal is self destruction.
Icon
I grew up when people paid for HBO just to watch Moonwalker or any Michael Jackson concert. I remember that the first 20 minutes were a bunch of people crying and Mike just standing there. I remember a lot of pyrotechnics and flashing lights. The same flashing lights that Kanye wrote about. The same flashing lights people hope will save Kanye from the sunken place even though most of us recognize its probably too late. Fame does something to people. Michael was an icon to my generation, just as Kanye is an icon to another generation. Both have tragic stories of loss, and in many ways, they both ultimately lost themselves. Mike died an unrecognizable drug addict and pedophile and Kanye has not been right since his mother died. Kanye is no longer the College Dropout who spit rhymes with his mouth wired shut. Instead, he spits on TMZ about slavery being a choice without giving clout to the systemic mental slavery that still occurs. For someone, who grew up watching the Cosby Show, dancing to MJ tracks and rapping Kanye lyrics... it's a sad day for Icons. Maybe being iconic shouldn't be idolized because it's costing our Black men their legacies and their minds. Free thought ain't free!