The Intro
I’d like to start with an early, one-off breakaway from the writing format you can expect once I start publishing. This is merely an introductory piece of what to expect and touching on why this project even exists, but also to express my gratitude to those of you who have signed up early. Either the spam bots love me or you’ve shown faith and support in my work at the earliest possible stage, kindly subscribing before it was written and have even put my (pending) work in rotation. Whatever it may be, thank you very much, and welcome. I’m glad you’re all here for the ride.
Hip-hop is the most complex and creative outlet of the modern world. The genre is filled with tales, knowledge and layers of brilliance that can mesmerise listeners from the moment those crisp snares, melodic patterns and unapologetic, raw social commentaries touch your ears. Quite simply, I love it.
I have been listening to hip-hop for as long as I can remember. Hip-hop gave me personality when I was searching for myself. Hip-hop gave me answers to life when I was struggling to figure things out. Hip-hop gave me strength and resilience when I was at my lowest, before filling me with the courage needed to rise to challenges. I owe a lot to this art form on a personal level, and to the wizardry of the artists, contributors and their masterful craft.
My excessive intake of hip-hop has developed my approach and style of reasoning towards many areas of my life; how I critically think, how I consume content, and how I navigate my internal rationale when solving problems. Yet for something that has enriched my intellectual capacity so greatly, I’ve never felt or seen hip-hop get the credit it deserves for its depth of wise words on offer. Sure, we all love deciphering a witty punch line, a rhythmic flow and a braggadocios flex; those praises are sung in abundance. But being philosophical? Providing transferrable advice that can inspire character growth in your life? In my experience, there's not been enough light shone on this aspect of hip-hop and artists' lyrics/message. It's time this changed.
Starting from June 2021, you’ll receive at least two short articles per month straight into your inbox that break down hand-selected lyrics (bars), analysing the wisdom and transferrable lessons that can be taken away from them and applied to day-to-day scenarios and situations you can come across in the modern world. I will sprinkle the odd quote from other sources here and there, but the focus will primarily be on hip-hop/rap lyrics. I want readers to see how one can find their sense of identity from these poets’ words. I want readers to feel the positive impact these clever soundbites can have on their everyday lifestyle. I want readers to use the outcomes of these lyrics as a vehicle to guide their logic.
People look to various sources for life’s answers. Whether it’s Rumi, Friedrich Nietzsche or Maya Angelou, to the present day with the likes of Nassim Taleb and Cal Newport - all of these geniuses have a gift of passing wisdom on through their words. But I'm here to also tell you, that in addition to these exceptional people’s knowledge we have available to us, you can also supplement their nuggets of self development/improvement with the likes of Dwayne Michael Carter, Tariq Trotter or Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, to name a few. I also want you to take advantage of hip-hop/music's accessibility. With books, films or even podcasts, you have to dedicate a chunk of time to read, watch and/or listen in order to appreciate the entirety of a message in its context and grasp it fully. Whereas with lyrics in a song, with the help of streaming services and other platforms across the internet, you can onboard your newfound wisdom within a couple minutes. A perfect solution for the fast-paced, modern world we live in!
So welcome friends, to the Bars Of Wisdom newsletter. I hope we can all gain something from this journey/mission/process. Happy reading, and see you for 001!
Do yourself justice, utilise your mind.
WhosAria