reflecting on rap and real Life.

Recently, I found myself seated next to two individuals at a store, One of them was enjoying "Landstrip ft. Lil Baby - Thumb," a track playing through their headphones. Barely thirty seconds into the song, the other said "This wuna thing weh wuna di pretend for like American Song them so eh.." hinting at a fake embrace of the genre.

As a rap-head myself whose journey with the genre began with guys like Wayne and M.I, and evolved as I discovered the introspective works of Cole, Kendrick. & NF, the critique from this human struck a chord, prompting days of reflection on our societal awareness which brought me to the conclusion 'People are not conscious of their environment'. Lemme explain.

Hip-hop, emerging in the late 1970s, quickly became the voice of resistance, storytelling, and community among African Americans. It wasn't just music; it was a movement, offering a platform for expression amidst the racial and political issues they had. As it evolved, rap became a channel to express, unfiltered narratives—capturing the struggles, dreams, and realities of its artists and their audiences. You could say rap it became the "The Black Internet,", from their songs - you could tell a rapper's body count (kills), I mean if you listen well enough, you could figure out Offset's dick size from Cardi's verses.

This cultural change wasn't confined to the United States. Fast forward to Cameroon in the late 2010s, and it's clear we're experiencing our own version of America's '90s. Lemme explain but where do I start? 🤔 Fvck. This is hard.

Detailing every challenge we're facing at the moment could take a while, from political unrest to societal divisions (highlighted by the crisis in the N/W & S/W regions), to instances of police brutality (EndSars, Bamenda Fever), along with the rise of gangs and cultism—the list is long.

Like thinkam:

1. "Glad I made it past my 30s and no one murdered me" (Pride is the Devil ft. Lil Baby - The off Season), if you be Bamenda man, you know.
2. Kendrick's Sing About me, his first verse is probably an 'almost-perfect', reflection of an Amba boys or military person's thoughts each time he wakes up every morning in Bamenda.
3. Same song, verse 2: imagine a girl forced to move to Douala, pimped out to sell her body because our society is full of pride.
4. Or maybe if everyone listened to Lil Baby - Bigger Picture, solution for this thing fit comot.

It's a long list sha, but I think you get the gist.

Anyway, you think about enough and you realize this isn't about the music genre's impact; it's about how many remain oblivious to the stories and struggles that shape us. That could have easy been anything, a podcast, book or something else.