500 WORDS, DAY 17: No One Wants to Tell Each Other the Truth

Yesterday I was bringing attention to how much contrast there is within hip-hop, focusing specifically on the subject of rap lyrics. I gave an example of how some rappers use their talent to be poets, to try to contribute something positive to the world, but I also acknowledged a sad truth, which is that the majority of them don’t seem to be too concerned with that at all, but rather with continuing their popularity and therefore their cashflow. They even love bragging about it in their songs so much. I, for one, can’t relate, and I’m not sure why so many people do. I see people all around me struggling, worried about this and that bill, simply trying to stay afloat while all kinds of problems arise in their lives, never really satisfied with what they have or what they’ve achieved. Just living in this world seems to get harder every year, and most people are unsatisfied with their standard of living. What’s the point, then, of listening to someone brag about their luxurious lifestyle on a song? Is it to feel like you’ve escaped the rat race for a couple minutes? I’d rather give people music that will hopefully provide some kind of spiritual escape for them, since physical escape from this corrupt society is impossible, except by suicide, which is equal to admitting defeat. Like I’ve been saying for the past few days, hip-hop is really a form of poetry, a poetry that could serve to uplift the people, and I think it should be treated as such.

The problem is that these days no one wants to admit the truth in that. It’s the same thing I see when it comes to psychedelics. A lot of times when someone tries to tell others that psychedelics are sacred and powerful substances that should be treated with respect and approached with caution they are accused of gatekeeping and trying to dictate how everyone should or shouldn’t use their drugs. Of course, all adults should have the right to use psychedelics in any way they choose as long as they’re doing no harm, there’s no disputing that in my opinion, but the truth is still the truth. Just because you want to trip at a club on a ridiculous dose while getting drunk and doing who knows what else, then having a potentially horrible time or some form of psychotic episode even, doesn’t change the fact that these substances have immense therapeutic power for introspection and creativity, for self-discovery and healing, and that that’s precisely why the best advice one could be given regarding them would be to use them in a familiar, positive, and comfortable setting that enhances their positive effects, since they can also hurt the user, or rather cause the user to hurt themselves or others, when they’re abused or simply used in the wrong setting. I see too many stories these days of fucked up things happening while people are tripping, and it scares and saddens me just reading these things, let alone imagining being the person having to actually live through some of the things I see described.

Back to hip-hop though, or the music industry in general. Like I was saying, no one wants to be serious about anything anymore, no one wants to be the person who rains on everyone else’s parade, to be the boring conscious person. So, everyone laughs everything off because, after all, ‘music is only entertainment’, and the result is that a lot of so-called ‘artists’ are allowed to get away with making low-effort, generic music with even worse messages for the masses. All they need is catchy beats really, and to say some crazy or controversial stuff and to look the part, to look like someone kids would want to copy in their quest to feeling cool. The worst types of behavior are glorified, and being a decent person becomes uncool. The real tragedy is that kids and teenagers are the main consumers of hip-hop, and I hate to say it, but a lot of them are very stupid and are willing to copy whatever they hear their role models talk about. I can speak about it because I know it first-hand. I myself did a bunch of stupid shit growing up because it was cool within hip-hop culture and the music I listened to. I know a lot of my friends grew up the exact same way. Actually, what am I saying ‘a lot of my friends’? Almost all of today’s youth is impacted by hip-hop culture, it being the most popular genre of music today. You would think that would inspire the artists within the genre to use their platform for something that will outlive them, something that could change the world for the better… but you would be wrong.

If you have a few minutes, I’d really appreciate you listening to my song ‘I Can Feel It’ which I wrote, produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered. Thanks for your time!