58. NBA YoungBoy - “Dream”
I know this track might come as a surprise to some, but hear me out before you go passing judgment. A lot of us who find ourselves receding into our later twenties and early thirties often look at modern Hip-Hop as an abomination of everything the genre used to represent and stand for, and I’m not necessarily saying this isn’t the case – in fact, I’m inclined to agree. With the increasing proliferation and success of meaningless and meandering tracks the underlying spirit of Hip-Hop is often muddied and obscured, and in many cases completely forgotten or intentionally sullied. Rappers nowadays are more inclined to glorify and promote meaningless violence, proudly display substance abuse, praise riches as an end in and of itself, flaunt emotional callousness and disparage those at the bottom who still find themselves victim to the dominant culture, than take part in any sort of realistic social critique or meaningful act of solidarity.
Now, let me stop right here and say that I in no way can speak of this with any authority. I’m a middle class white kid without any realistic experience of the trauma and struggle many poor and urban POC face every day of their lives. All I have is what I’ve read and what I’ve heard. However, the reason I love Hip-Hop so much is because, as a socially conscious young adult, it gave me a window into a culture that I had never before experienced. It gave me a primary source into an experience mainstream America often conflated or silenced, and as a result either demonized or ignored. So while I may have no authority to speak about Hip-Hop as a participant, I can speak about it as an observer, and more importantly, as a believer. The fate of the genre is important to me because I’ve witnessed firsthand the power it has to be a dynamic and transformative force. However, that being said, it’s easy for me to criticize its perceived shortcomings from the safety net of my privilege, but I digress.
On this track NBA YoungBoy refuses to fall victim to the same shortcomings as his contemporaries. Is it as solid as his forbears from previous decades? Probably not. However, that’s more a result of the DIY era we live in rather than any sort of lack of spirit. YoungBoy stays true to the roots of Hip-Hop. He tells the truth about what life is like for many POC, but rather than doing so with empty bragging and hyperbole, he does it from a position of calm and confident authority. He doesn’t glamorize the lifestyle, but rather highlights the truth of what it is – the struggle as well as the mindset, with the most poignant line being the opener:
“It ain’t a dream – its really what it seems – gotta get that moolah ‘fore you end up on a tee – shout out to that lil’ nigga got hit up at 16 – its a shame he ain’t get to live his dream”
In a world where the dominant culture still reigns supreme, it is more important than ever to have artists like NBA YoungBoy who can bring Hip-Hop back to what once made it so powerful, distilling away all of the corruption and emptiness, and restoring it to a force for truth and positive change. It’s also important for all of us pining for the past to realize that we do in fact live within the present, and that if we want to continue to be relevant we have to evolve with the scene, recognizing and supporting artists who carry on the spirit, even though it may happen to sound different or less pure than what we are used to.
