I leave a knife stuck in your head so you'd never forget.
Pat Stay, battle rapper
Today I was listening to some of my favorite songs and I started remembering some of the bars that have remained in my brain longer than I expected.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me give a list of the bars from some of my favorite artists that are burnt into my brain1. 🔥🧠
On blind criticism 🙈
Eminem raps in his song, If I Get Locked Up2:
You critics try to criticize but couldn't visualize individuals' lives through a criminal's eyes
Other than the amazing rhythm, this is a deep, honest line. It's easy to criticize people, but do we try to see their lives through their own eyes? Before we judge, we should look at both sides of the coin 🪙.
On world imbalance 🌎
Childish Gambino sings these lyrics in his song, To Be Hunted:
To be happy Really means that someone else ain't And balance ain't a one-food take Everything is give and take
I heard this song again today and that is what inspired this whole post. This hits hard. We forget that if there is rich, there is poor; if there is full, there is hungry; if there is happiness, there is sadness too. We can't have it all, but we should not overlook our privileges.
On childlike creativity 👶
In Kanye West song Power, he raps:
I just needed time alone, with my own thoughts Got treasures in my mind, but couldn't open up my own vault My childlike creativity, purity and honesty, is honestly Being crowded by these grown thoughts
These bars are some of the realest lines I've ever heard from a rapper! To be honest, it's pretty much a summary of my life.
"Time alone" for me has always been a benefit, because that is when I'm at my most creative. And when I finally get that "vault" open, it's curtains! That's when the childlike creativity comes out, but then my "grown thoughts" join the party to bully the poor baby.
On dreams and aspirations 💤
In his song See Me Now, Kanye raps:
Here's something you could use as an analogy My life is like a child's illusions become reality
I think of this a lot. I've reached points in my life that I never thought I'd be in and I'm grateful. Some of these things I could only dream of as a kid. I know there is still plenty of room to grow, and I definitely don't have it all, but I'm content.
Bottom line
Music is one thing, but adding sense to go along with it is always worthy of praise. Stay tuned, I would drop more posts on this if anymore come to my mind.