Real Hip Hop

“I’m sorry! I was wrong! I messed up!” These are all phrases that people have a hard time saying. For some reason if a person acknowledges that they have made a mistake,it is seen as a sign of weakness. Why is that? I argue that the man or woman who can be the most honest about his or her self is the person who has the upper had in this game we call life. If you can’t be honest to yourself about your own flaws, how can you ever expect to grow? I don’t know about y’all but I’m tired of hearing this music where the artists paint themselves as superhuman beings, immune to the everyday ups and downs life throws at us. I was relieved when I heard Kanye’s It All Falls Down. I was amazed when I heard Jay-Z’s You Must Love Me, and I was blown away when I heard TI’S Still Aint Forgave Myself. In all of these songs the artist tells us that they know deep down in their soul they are falling short of being the person they were called to be. Isn’t that something we all deal with? Knowing that we are capable of more but not having enough self-confidence in ourselves to step outside of the box and live a life that reflects what we truly think is righteous. Our brother Clifford Joseph Harris Jr.’s ( or better known as TI) current situation is a prime example of this cognitive war. When you listen to TI’s Still Aint Forgave Myself, you hear a man who has taken a step back from his super star title and is reflecting back on his extremely human life path. You hear a man who is coming to grips with the fact that he has made numerous mistakes that have lead to a lot of horrid outcomes for himself and the people closest to him. What resonates more than all of this is that you hear a man who knows he is capable of better and is challenging himself to be the change he dreams of. What I have to say to TI is to come back to the man who made this song, the man of conviction, the man of humility, the man of truth.. We need you to be the father you never had, we need you to be the husband you never saw, we need you to be the leader you know you are. I know it’s hard to leave that world of pride, pain, and self preservation behind, but we need you to lead us into that world of humbleness, love, and community. Mahatma Gandhi once said “You must be the change you want to see in the world”. I know you want change in the world. I can tell by the conviction in your voice throughout this song, I’m just pleading with you to be that change before it’s to late......We need you brah! This verse is off of TI’s first album I’m Serious it’s the second track titled Still Aint Forgave Myself. Read this verse and if you like what you read go buy the CD and hear the sincerity I have written about.

Free Your Mind & The Rest Will Follow, Big Bob

Outta all the niggaz I was wit when I was doin wrong
3 in the fed, 1 doin life, and 2 dead and gone
Knew there was more to life than sellin blow and chopper bustin
But what's the good in knowin' better if I ain't tell 'em nutthin
I knew I coulda told Cap not to kill shawty
Put down the gun, get in the car let 'em live shawty
You'll probably get locked up, and I'll probably have a deal shawty
Naw, I ain't scared, I'm just telling ya like it is shawty
Coulda told Endae, Quint, and Kern, man ya covers blow
Leave that country town alone, yall needa come back home
Bankhead and J-Rue, I just feel like if I was wit 'em
They woulda never got killed that night if I was 'em
Seem like I coulda done mo', said mo'
Why all my partners gotta be dead or in the fed fo'??
All the time, I just wish that yall could ball wit me
Sometimes at night I close my eyes, and dream that yall wit me (damn.)

[Hook]
And even though they say I cant blame myself
I still ain't forgave myself
For all the mistakes made on this road to wealth
I still ain't forgave myself
What I am today, I made myself
But I still ain't forgave myself
For anybody who ever wondered how I felt
I still ain't forgave myself