While it is not considered one of the four original elements, fashion has been an indelible part of hip-hop from the beginning.
How an artist looked was oftentimes just as important as how an artist sounded, something that has only intensified as hip-hop and high fashion have become intertwined.
In a half-century, hip-hop has evolved from the park jam to become a multi-billion dollar industry that sets trends and dictates a large portion of pop culture.
It is both powerful and ubiquitous.
But growth can be painful and, naturally, such an expansion for a lifestyle that is revered and protected by its longtime fans (and traditionalists) will lead to some disappointment and longing for the old days.
After nearly two-and-a-half centuries of (mostly) growth and prosperity, there is a segment of the American population that believe their nation’s success and power was inevitable.
Some historians have even fallen victim to this line of thinking, treating America’s founders as demigods that used their mystical powers to build an unsinkable republic that was rock solid from the start.
In reality, it was far from a fait accompli.
Anyone that has seen an interview or conversation with Pharrell Williams knows that he is a thoughtful artist.
I’ve been a Ryan Holiday superfan since 2012.
He’s a modern-day genius and my favorite writer. I was fortunate that I was able to meet him and see him speak in a small venue back in 2017.
In the years since, Holiday’s popularity has exploded. He has spoken to senators and professional sports teams, executives and armed forces. While Holiday has become well-known for his work focusing on Stoicism, the best book of his entire oeuvre is actually one that is not dedicated to that philosophical discipline.
A book can change your life. It’s a cliché, but that does not make it any less true.
All of humanity’s knowledge, insights, ideas, failures, and lessons learned are contained within books. They have all the answers. The writers have lived lives and encountered problems and, fortunately for us, have reported their findings in the form of the written word which we can use as a springboard for our own experiences. Why start from the bottom when we can stand on the shoulders of others?
As the quote that is often attributed to Bismarck attests: “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.”
“Read 500 pages…every day. That’s how knowledge works. It builds up, like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it.”
— Warren Buffett
“I don’t have time to read.”
You wouldn’t believe how often I hear this. People say it defensively, but also preemptively. I don’t say anything to them about reading. They announce it when they lay eyes on whatever book is in my hand or on my desk.
The person will continue to fulminate on how busy they are and how there is no possible way to fit reading into their packed calendar. Of course, this often comes immediately after they have just spent a great deal of time raving about the latest tv shows they’ve been bingeing.
Three is more than two.
That simple mathematical fact, which had been largely overlooked for decades, has completely changed the National Basketball Association. Today’s game is nothing but guys shooting from deep. There’s no more to it than that.
Right?
Maybe not.
In the opening moments of the iconic track, “N.Y. State of Mind,” Nas almost mumbles, “I don’t know how to start this shit.”
It’s appropriate, almost poetic, that this line kept running through my head as I thought about how to approach this review because Daniel Levin Becker’s What’s Good: Notes on Rap and Language is all about lines and lyrics – how they’re created, how deep they go, how they get stuck in our heads, and, awkwardly, what they mean within the larger societal context.
“I think anyone who’s not as good a writer as me is absolutely a hack, and I think anybody who’s a slightly better writer than me is brilliant.”
– Chuck Klosterman
I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that Chuck Klosterman influenced a generation of writers and unconsciously blazed a path for how online critique and analysis would be presented in the first two decades of the 21st Century.
He came to the realization that “people want to think critically about the art that informs their life,” and has created a successful, impactful career as a result.
The Passion of Christopher Pierznik 