“The greatest rapper of all time died on March 9th/God bless his soul rest in peace kid/It’s because of him now at least I know what beef is.” -Canibus
I didn’t listen to much music until I hit middle school; a product of circumstance. In junior high kids tend to define themselves by the music they listen to. I was a skateboarder. Skate videos were often soundtracked by rap. I was a white kid from the near west suburbs of Chicago, raised in a very loving supportive home, and allowed a certain amount of privilege. Still, aggressive, often violent, grimey rap took me under the wing.
It was obvious Gangster Rap wasn’t created to speak to me, but it did. Not because I tucked nines in the waist line or knew much of what any of it meant, but more so because I related to the anger; feeling the world wasn’t as it should be. Eventually, I found my way to the Hip Hop that made more sense to who I am and helped form the world I live in now. To this day I have more Notorious B.I.G. lyrics memorized than any other artist, including my own poetry. Today is the 14th anniversary of his death and I’m still bobbing my head like it was the first time…
