Along with those two artists, here are a couple of single tracks that have played significant roles in my life as well.
DEAR MAMAMac Miller is a wild young man who made music based off of being just that. From rapping about objectifying women to skipping school for the sole purpose of getting high, I was never able to really relate to his music. However, when he came out with the song "I'll Be There" I was pleasantly surprised. This was a side of him that nobody had seen up to this point. This song was an ode of appreciation to his mother released on Mother's Day. The slow, laid back beat is a nice change of pace for me to listen to and the lyrics really spoke to my heart. Mac Miller reminisces on memories he shared with his mother as he grew up, which is basically all I have recollections of. My favorite part of the song is at the end of the first verse when he says: "When I get rich, I'll have her living how she should be. No stress, no worries." This is exactly my goal in life. I want to repay my mom for all the sacrifices she has made for me, all the struggles she endured for me; one day I plan to make it all back up to her. This dream of mine is the reason I tried hard in high school, it's the reason I chose to attend Emory University. All with hopes to get a good job so I can turn her lifestyle around and offer her the lifestyle she has truly earned. I remember laying in bed late at night, just aimlessly staring at the ceiling as I would ponder my future. I would play this song and repeat that verse over and over again, as I daydreamed of one day handing her the house keys to her new place. I've even tried to envision her reaction. My guess is she won't have much to say; left with wide-eyes and her jaw open. That dreamt up image in my head is what keeps me going, it is my motivation when times get tough. That is my top goal in life.
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This song, personally written by arguably the greatest rapper of all time, was a game-changer. This song alone was a catalyst for a shift in culture. Tupac Shakur put all of his loving, caring, and thoughtful emotions for his mom into a song. It was the first of it's kind in the rap genre. This is what gave men the courage to be sensitive momma's boys but not lose any of their masculinity. This song has meant a lot to me as I grew up because my mom was all I really had around me. She played both parent roles in my life and did everything for me, she's the reason I am the man that I am today. She took care of my and put me as her top priority through all of her struggles and never complained, she lived her whole life worrying about me more than herself. I know many mothers live that way anyways, but none to the extent of how far my mom would go; and there is absolutely no way I can ever show her the magnitude of my appreciation for her or how much I love her, no matter how many times I said it; and this song got that exact point across. especially with the end to the second verse where Tupac raps: "And there's no way I can pay you back, but my plan is to show you that I understand. You are appreciated."
I'll be there |