Hip-Hop Is What I Believe in...

Hip-Hop Is What I Believe in... by Tarek El Deeb

"I believe in Music…

I’ve felt this way since I was ‘knee-high’. My mother would tell me I was a quiet kid when I was around guests, but as soon as they were gone, you’d soon find me in the living room playing my dad’s old Jimi-Hendrix and Earth, Wind & Fire Vinyl records. Then along came Hip-Hop and from then onwards…everything changed.

Music as a concept, to quote my dad “is the gateway to the soul, all you have to do is push in that tape and press play” – I never quite understood that till much later on in life but those words echo into my mind whenever I scroll up and down to look for songs on my iPod.

The Hip-Hop instrumental is so rich especially when sampled from old classic Motown records. Mixed with deep bass and punchy Hip-Hop drums the beat ends up giving this smooth rhythm that forces you to tap your feet and bob your head.

I love to ask a lot of questions. Questions that sometimes lead to more questions and for that I eventually found philosophy to be the cornerstone of my daily actions. Although I love to read philosophy, I’m talking about the philosophy found in Hip-Hop lyrics, the meanings behind the rap and the rapper himself. When Indian monks reach a level of meditation they are said to be ‘enlightened’, I feel the very same way when I connect with a song’s meaning.

I believe that Music is the most powerful of all art forms. It’s an abstract entity that can drastically change your mood. It helps me create a bond with my friends when we sing along or dance to it. Sometimes, I like to think that Music can also act as a time machine. Whenever I hear certain songs that have significant meanings attached to them I begin to feel a little nostalgic and immediately go back to where I first heard it. Some songs connect me to places, others to people I hold dear to me.

To simply put it, my day cannot be complete without listening to some of my favorite tracks. For me, music becomes a daily requirement like brushing my teeth, better yet, it’s like breathing! As Hip-Hop legend KRS-One once said, “Rap is something you do…Hip-Hop is something you live” and with that in mind, I’ll go through the rest of my life living Hip-Hop."