Introducing the Octopus Continued
In middle school, 2Pac and the Notorious B.I.G. were the rage. Big didn't describe them (well, it described B.I.G., who looked like he ate a little too many flapjacks). I didn't hear much about them besides the fact that all my friends kept reciting rap lyrics and arguing about who was supreme (2Pac won nearly all the time since I lived on the West Coast). When 2Pac was shot and killed, I vividly remember that day in the playground - the subdued buzz, the surprised exclamations of "did you hear what happened?" and the feeling that a great loss has taken place. This event, coupled with the general disdain of soft rock in the playground, piqued my interest.
2Pac, the oldest of souls. Photo by Art-KO of Flickr fame.
As high school approached, I fully threw myself into hip hop with 2Pac as my guide. The more I found out about him, the more I thought he could do no wrong as I navigated the urban waters. Everything about him was magnetic - his life story, his dedication to the arts and to telling the story of the weak and ignored, and his lifelong dream to spark a revolution in the streets. Surprisingly, even his poetry turned out to be remarkably well polished. 2Pac was an easy to digest gateway to the rap world.
Rap music turned out to be an acquired taste, much like wine, coffee, or beer - at first listen, it seemed shallow, overly focused on "gangsterisms," and full of bad messages and language. Only after repeated listens, often late at night and while looking up the written lyrics, can one start to see the poetry, strong positive messages, and emotional attachment the artist had to their songs (and that is just scratching the surface). 2Pac remains one of the best examples of someone whom you can feel emotion in every bar. Relating my very ordinary and mundane life to these strong, powerful lyrics became surprisingly easy.
College, like it is supposed to, opened my eyes even further. To be continued in a future post.
To my dear readers: does anybody else out there have an artist that they felt introduced them (or catapulted, violently) to a new genre of music?