The Hip Hop Gospel

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to everyone reading this. I love you guys so much for the love, and support throughout this year. I cant begin to explain how grateful I am to be able to spread my work to such accepting, and open supporters. God has truly blessed me. I wanted to deliver an article that everyone could love. Here it is. 

Dear Hip Hop,

My Granny warned me about you.

“You know that rap music, better than you know your school work huh?”, she uttered almost daily. That was true though. I was probably the only 10 year old at an Honor Roll banquet that knew “10 Crack Commandments” word for word. It was mad awkward bringing home 4.0s in high school, and having my parents ask, “are you sure you want to do MUSIC for the rest of your life?” But, I’m super blessed that they never pressured me in another direction. They’ve always trusted that I’d find a way to combine my intelligence, and my love for Hip Hop. That’s pretty much how I started writing about it, it was a compromise if you will, a best of both worlds kind of thing.

How did I fall in love with Hip Hop? Well, it’s a long story. I remember falling in love with music long before I fell in love with Hip Hop. My Grandfather, Rudolph Martin Cosse’, whom I share a middle, and last name with, was a huge music enthusiast, and huge inspiration on my life. He passed away about 3 years ago when I was 19, and music became so much more important to me afterwards. In a room full of people, he would blast his radio with no regards for who didn’t want to hear what he was playing, including me. Imagine myself, my siblings, and my cousins, all pretty much around the same age, having to sit there and listen to Ray Charles……for hours! We were livid, until one day, it just clicked, I don’t remember why, but Ray Charles’ “Georgia” came on, and I fell in love with the song. From thence forward, I was in love with music. But of course, when you’re a kid, and Ray Charles is your favorite artist, you’re a weirdo, so I had to adapt to the times. In comes Hip Hop. My Dad, who’s also a music enthusiast, would take us on these long car rides, playing the largest variety of music, anyone from Aaron Neville, to Toni Braxton, to Tupac Shakur. The first Tupac Shakur song he ever played for me was “Dear Mama”, (that’s my Dad’s lane, he’s not into the gangster stuff). Instantly, and I mean instantly I was intrigued, startled, impressed, entertained, enlightened, refreshed, curious, you know, just like the first time you see a person that you’re digging. That Brown Sugar feeling.

You walk in a History Class, sit down, see her sitting over there, you’re fidgeting around in your seat with uneasiness, a blistering amount of attentiveness takes over your mental. Shit, she caught you looking, you have to say something now, this may be the love of your life, I mean, when’s the last time you lost breath like this? If you’re interested, LISTEN, the key is to listen, they can be complex, sometimes their intentions can go over your head, see Kanye’s “Homecoming”. Falling in love means sleeping on an air mattress in your new crib with you, because you don’t have furniture yet. Hip Hop is gritty, Hip Hop is about sacrifice, and communication. This isn’t a quick smash, that’s rap without substance, here today, gone tomorrow. This that real love, this that shit your Grandparents had. I’m Dre hating to see Syd with that ball player. Selfish with the love. The love of Hip Hop. 

People are ALWAYS asking me what's my Top Five MC's, or my Top Five Hip Hop Albums, so I thought now would be the perfect time to reveal that. 

TheRadioShaq's Top Five MC's:

1. Tupac Shakur 

2. Biggie Smalls

3. Jay Z 

4. Lil Wayne 

5. Nas 

TheRadioShaq's Top Five Hip Hop Albums:

1. Life After Death - Biggie Smalls

2.  Carter II - Lil Wayne 

3. Illmatic - Nas 

4. Reasonable Doubt - Jay Z 

5. College Dropout - Kanye West 

I'm so grateful to be able to consistently write about Hip Hop, and engage daily with so many avid Hip Hop listeners. Without God's favor, and you guys' support, that wouldn't be possible. Thanks so much. That's what Hip Hop is all about, helping a young kid, who grew up in a place that lacked opportunity, grow into a writer who's work is read, and respected around the world. I couldn't be more appreciative. Continue to help me shift the culture. 

God Bless, TheRadioShaq