Momma I got dreams, but dreams don't keep the lights on

"My momma told me that this music was cool
All she ever wanted from me was to graduate from school"

I got to see my peoples Little Brother tear it down live in concert for the third time and it seems that the show gets better each time. I literally can play their music 24/7 if needed. They are seriously that good. I'v written about on many a prior occasion because they write from a depth of understanding of struggle discipline, and passion that resonates with me and speaks to my core.

"I was born for a much greater purpose, do you this service"

Their latest album, Get Back, is a straight banger. The beats are strong, the melodies vibrant, the choruses sensible, and the lyrics as witty and sharp as ever. The speak to an underclass of people often misconstrued and typecast. The speak for the conscious brothers that like getting head. The speak for the hood dudes with degrees. They speak for the around the way folks who know there's more to the music than making a dollar.

All my life, I've always paid attention to the lyrics. "Watch what you say," was a common refrain. Thus, it only made sense to also watch everything that comes out of other peoples' mouths. Hip-hop spoke to me in a way like no other human could. It was collection of voices at different stages all interspersed throughout my life. I can recall when I first heard this and first recited that. I remember when I first bought so-and-so and what concerts I attended.

My memory landmarks help to keep me grounded. I knew the gangster rappers, the Native Tongues, and everybody in between. It was no different from the neighborhood. I knew the guy that drove the tricked-out Cherokee with the system. I knew the lady that owned the corner store. Even if it weren't a fully functional community; it was still a community nonetheless.

You'd have the blue collar folks, the white-collar folks, the Section 8 homes, and the regular people all about. It is from such variety and diversity that Phonte and Big Pooh flow about life. The flow about the adversity of not only being music artists that never get full recognition, but as men, fathers, husbands, son, and brothers who have their faults and instead of glorifying them; acknowledge them and work to make themselves into better reflections of their inner beings. It is a constant struggle and a continual journey that will suffer setbacks and obstacles. Yet, after the storms comes the sun.

Here's a sample of a verse from their song, Dreams, that smacked me hard when I first it.

I still go to the crib and see my n!ggas on the corner
Chilling with the pounds on they waist, getting old
Getting round in the face and when I hang with them
They ask me if "The Minstrel Show" means I'm ashamed of them
Well - I can't say that I'm proud, but only saying
Can't say I'm allowed to judge, I'm just glad to see you
Cause truth be told, if my records never sold
And I wasn't raised this bold, n!gga I would probably be you
I've been God blessed with the gift to make music
It took me all over the continent
But still got boys on the block and fam smoking rock
So please, miss me with that conscious shT
I spent many a sleepless night because of it
Until I had to shake that shT off and reach the conclusion
That every now and then you gotta ask yourself
Do you really wanna win or just look good losing?
It's no illusion

The verse's context is eerily similar to some previous blog posts of mine and it has haunted me since I first heard it. I cannot help to think of some people in my life who are distant not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally. I can only offer a prayer for them right now and hope we all live long enough to see each other again. It's a painful thing to deal with but some things just gotta be they way they are I suppose. Dreams is a song that comes off to me like a daily affirmation that you can play every morning as you take a shower and sing the chorus at the top of your lungs. It is a powerful, somber, and reflective look at situations not unlike any normal person. And that's the point. No one is an island. No one is immortal. No one is better than anyone else. And no one is going to truly stop you from achieving your dreams and living them to the fullest other than yourself.

Top of the world screaming, 'FuQ that! Get yours!'