Decoded by Jay-Z - Book Review 2

In Jay-Z's book Decoded, he says, "not only can rap be emotionally expressive, it can even express those feelings that you can't really name-which was important for me, and a lot of kids like me, who couldn't always find the language to make sense of our feelings." At that point, something about rapping clicked for me. Kids need to express, manage, work through and work out their feelings. My husband who is a counselor often says this. He has helped kids write books about it. Unlike Jay-Z, there are lots of kids who did not hustle to make their way. They get the grades, play sports and their parents help them stay on track. So I thought, "where is their voice?" True, Jay-Z represents a lot of kids' lives. I am glad he wrote Decoded because it certainly opened my eyes. In tribute to his book that explains rap to the community, I have written the following piece to represent another type of kid's journey.

SMART KID'S STURGGLE

A kid who's doing well, well what are we supposed to think

when the rappers, singers and ballplayers come straight from the streets.

There has to be a voice for the kids who are legal, who aspire to be great and soar like eagles.

Its hard being smart with so much ignorance around

I try to keep focused, they keep actin' like clowns

People say "be more social" and you'll have more friends

But will I be happy with my outcome and my academic end

Ain't nobody thinkin about the future like me

They fightin' over gossip, gangs and non-necessities

4.0, that's it, no questions asked

Parentals settle for no less and they be givin up the cash

I got advanced math and it ain't no joke

Mr S breaks it down, and he doesn't blow smoke

Sometimes I say to myself what am I gonna do

I'm gonna keep doin' me instead of actin' like a fool

My goal is to grow up and be in radiology

Gone be stackin' up my paper for my family can't you see

I like to have fun, get crunk and do the dougee

I like to chill with friends and act sick and silly

I like to shoot the hoops, run track, and cross-country

To be physically fit I know, I gotta start early

I asked my friends, hey, what kind of math you takin'

They said not the hard classes, too much homework they be rakin'

I said how you gone learn if you never get a challenge

You know, be the real thing, show off your God-given talent

She said I can't work too hard in school, it will cramp my social life

My friends and I just wanna party and make sure we stay hype

Its hard being smart with so much ignorance around

I try to keep focused, they keep actin' like clowns

Reading this piece makes me laugh. Anyone who knows me knows that I am neither a rapper, nor a poet. Yet I was inspired by Jay-Z's book Decoded. Rap is a language that people speak. Most kids and people are listening to it. I figure its best to become part of the conversation rather than allowing the conversations to go on, allowing kid's decision-making to be affected with no other guidance available.

Buy the book or see my other review of the book Decoded.

View the original article here