5th Grade. I remember opening up my presents on Christmas morning like it was yesterday. I was beyond excited when I realized Santa had brought me a CD player, Backstreet Boys, and Spice Girls albums. My days consisted of listening hours upon hours music, bragging about my CD player, and falling asleep with my headphones in. The concept of having a portable CD player was mind-blowing. One thing led to another, and before I knew it I’d upgraded my collection to the likes of Matchbox 20, Hanson, and Aqua. During a family get-together, my cousin lent me an unfamiliar CD called “Juvenile: 400 Degrees.” I listened to it the ENTIRE ride home (on low volume so my parents couldn’t hear) and immediately fell in love. Who would have thought a white, suburban nine- year- old would fall in love with songs titled “Back That Azz Up” and “Rich Niggaz.”
After the “CD burning” technology was released… my love for hip hop/ rap music expanded. No longer did I have to purchase edited albums from Wal-Mart. My tastes grew from the likes Notorious BIG, all the way to Dr. Dre. The older I got, my taste in hip hop differed. The classics such as Ja Rule, Jay-Z, and Puff Daddy were replaced with newer artists such as Eminem, Kanye West, and 50 Cent. I can’t think of how many hours I spent with random friends riding around town blaring my music.
After 20 long years, I’ve found myself completely in love with the entire hip hop/ rap culture and music. It’s easy to criticize the genre in its whole, due to the random “mainstream” artists to flaunt they’re money and women… but for the true fans of hip hop, we understand that there is SO MUCH more to the genre. Hopefully my blog will help open the eyes of those doubters.
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