I have yet to go to the store and say can I have xy + 2 and give me my y change back!

I am a child of Hip Hop. Being born in 1991 I have been a witness of the transition of the Hip Hop culture. One thing that hasn't changed in Hip Hop is the story telling aspect. Whats amazing is the different ways artists have been able to get their story across. What often gets misunderstood about Hip Hop is the "vibe" that artists give off when they write their rhyme or song. Artists use a wide vocabulary of words expressing their thoughts and feelings. Often times the harsh negative words stick out more than the positive words. And the non day to day listener will make their judgement of Hip Hop based off what they have listened to once. I've had experiences where I got judged negatively because I would be listening to a Hip Hop song with explicit language. An artist such as Tupac Shakur is judged once based off his negative antics or his lyrics unfortunately. But, in my opinion Tupac Shakur is one of the most influential beings that once lived on this earth. I feel that he should be remembered and spoke of like other great influential people like Aristotle or Plato.

When Tupac was 17 he was interviewed on many different topics. One topic he spoke about was education. As he spoke I was reassured that this man was a leader amongst followers. In this interview he shares that "school is really important: Reading, writing, arithmetic. But what they tend to do is teach you reading, writing, arithmetic…then teach you reading, writing, arithmetic again." He continues to say "there should be a class on religious cults, there should be a class on police brutality, there should be a class on apartheid, there should be a class on racism in America, there should be a class on why people are hungry, but…their class is on…gym….You know?" Tupac spoke from the heart and said what was afraid to be said. He makes complete sense! Why re-teach a subject over and over and over when that subject isn't going to get you through your day to day life. I have to steal a line from Tupac real quick. He said "I have yet to go to the store and say can I have xy + 2 and give me my y change back" PREACH MY BROTHER PREACH!! Its great to know algebra and geometry but when am I going to use that to get me through to tomorrow?!? Now who is going to teach us the real lessons of life?

If you want to see change you have to start with yourself. My newest segment for the Be Your Own Dad brand is called (Man)ners. (You see what I did there lol) The segment (Man)ners is going to teach important day to day life lessons that we all should know. I decided to roll with what Tupac said about learning different subjects and taken it upon myself to educate others. I don't have all the answers but I am willing to share everything that has helped me get me to where I am thus far. I wasn't fortunate to have a father to teach me the different life lessons but I have had others pass on their experiences to me. And I have decided to do the same. I will cover a wide variety of topics and will be taking suggestions down the road as well. Here is the first episode for my segment (Man)ners which covers how to prepare for a job interview:

"They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor. Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is
it ain't no hope for tha future"-Tupac

 

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-Jimmy V