In the novel Un - Ashamed by Lecrae moore, he talks about his life and how God intervened and changed him forever. Lecrae had horrible things happen to him as a child things no child should ever have to go through such as abuse and a fatherless childhood. He explains how his life was altered from being a child without a father because he looked for someone, anyone to be a father figure in his life. His uncles and cousins were there for him in different ways and showed him different things to make who he once was as a child. Rap was another thing there for him it was a substitute for his father especially Tupac because the way he sang was like he sang his Lecrae's exact life. Lecrae struggled with drugs, alcohol, and sex growing up which …show more content…
was influenced by the things he clang to in order to fulfill the void left by his father all while his mother and grandmother were teaching him to be a Christian.
One day he would be fun and get high Lecrae another day was church Lecrae, he struggled with an identity issue, he lived two different worlds. Until one day he met God and it changed his life forever but, God had to put him through these trials to show him just how strong he really was. It is only though adversity that one can truly change and mature. Lecrae's life was being altered due to his father less childhood and he is beginning to cling to anyone who would be willing to fill that void for him no matter if it meant doing bad things. "In the swirling pain of abandonment and insignificance, I searched for someone - anyone - I could look up to"(Moore 16). Lecrae wanted a father figure because he felt abandoned by his father. He felt that his father chose other things over him, it made him feel insignificant. His uncles where examples of people who …show more content…
Lecrae had as father figures, but not always was that a good thing. One of his uncles, uncle Chris, was a gang member who showed Lecrae how to be hard and fight. By being with his uncle Chris a lot he was influenced by gang members and he began wanting be just like them and wanted everything that came with it drugs, violence, and women. The emptiness of his father led him to do evil things because all he wanted was someone to approve of him and show him how to treat women and be a man. This was one of many trials. "He was right. It wouldn't last. Before long, I was bored on weekends with nowhere to go. I didn't think Christians should pick up girls or go to parties. The pressure from feeling like I was missing out was strong, and the "Christian game nights" where sustaining me anymore. A person can only stand so much monopoly"(Moore 95). Lecrae felt the pressure from his friends to do the things he had given up such as get high, drunk, and have sex. Finally his worldly desires broke in, and he was back at it. He wanted the things he couldn't have and nothing was going to tell him he couldn't have it. He was right back to square one of doing these evil things. He would stop for a while then be right back at it. He couldn't break the cycle of sinning. Lecrae's life was finally changing for the good and he was letting God make changes in his life but only this could happen through heartache.
"I started to think God was preparing to change me. But before getting could change me, He needed to mature me, and before He could mature me, He needed to move me"(Moore 141). Lecrae began to understand what God needed to do in his life. He needed to change his whole perspective on life, to stop living for people's acceptance and start living for God. Before God could do that he needed to mature him to make him understand what he needs to do in order to start living for God. Before Lecrae could understand and learn what it meant to live for God he needed to move him and put trials in his life so he could call out for God and need him in his life. "Was I the rebel kid? The lost college student who just wanted to be excepted? The legalistic man who battled self-righteousness? Was I a husband or a father or a hip-hop artist? Like a tree trunk, all those people were a part of me. They are a part of me. But more than anything, Lecrae is a child who is unconditionally loved by God. I am a sinner who has been rescued by God from my brokenness and called to glorify the One who has never left my side. That's who Lecrae is, and that who I'll always be"(Moore 187). Lecrae has finally matured and understands that everything he has been through has made who he is today. He understand he doesn't have everything together, he isn't perfect but
he is able to recognize he is a sinner that was broken, but was saved by God who was always there waiting for Lecrae to call out for him to accept him into his life because God unconditionally loves everyone. Lecrae will now glorify the only one who never left his side in the ups and downs in everything he does. Lecrae has matured so much through his life. He went though things that leave scars. As a child he grew up without a father and so desperately he wanted someone just to show him how much they loved him, to show what it meant to be a man. Lecrae faced many trials that would make him the man he is today. Lecrae was once afraid to let out his true fellings, to let anyone inside, but know he able to say he needs God in his life. He understands he isn't perfect but a broken sinner but he is unashamed of his life, he is unashamed of being an outsider, and he in unashamed of being an anomaly. Most of all he is unashamed of his faith. God worked in his life and changed it forever and even if it didn't seem like he was there he really was working putting theses tuff tasks ahead of Lecrae to show him just how strong of a person Lecrae really is. You can only change and mature when you go through hardship and pain.
In the short story “Tupac and My Non-Thug Life” by Jenee Desmond-Harris she talks about the death of Tupac Shakur and the impact it had on her and her friend Thea. I think its interesting that although Harris and Tupac are polar opposites she uses the connection of their race and applys it to this “coming of age” journey. Harris expresses that Tupacs music made her feel apart of something and that she valued the racial equality being voiced through his music. I can relate to this on multiple levels. For example when I’m feeling down and listen to sad music that i can relate to. Listening to music and lyrics that you can relate to brings you a sense of belonging like you arent the only one that has ever felt this way.
Tupac Shakur was one of the most influential music artist of the 20th Century. “Murda, Murda, Murda, and Kill, Kill, Kill…” these are they lyrics to one of the songs written by Tupac Shakur. Amidst all the controversy surrounding his personal life, this artist has managed to overcome all obstacles and spread his hope/hate message to a surprisingly receptive audience. Tupac’s music is borrowed from the styles of early rap and hip-hop yet its appeal rested in Tupac himself. His persona of “Thug Poet” opened up a portal into the new genre of “Gangsta Rap.” This new style of music revolutionized the music industry and allowed several new artists to break through in Tupac’s creation, Gangsta Rap, such as; G-unit, Eminem, and many others.
Such as, how Tupac used his song “Changes” to refer to the institutionalized racism in America in regards to law enforcement and so forth. On example from his lyrics states, “Cops give a damn about a negro/ Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.” Another commonly known song that makes ties with Hill’s is Kanye’s song “When It All Falls Down.” Kanye wanted the ties of her lyrics incorporated into his song so much that after his failed attempted to get Lauryn Hills sample cleared he got a replacement singer to perform it on his song alternatively. However, his concept for this song was different as its purpose was more of a self-contemplation of his individualized battle with consumerism. Today society is affected by artists like Lauryn Hill and her lyrics and often quote lyrics like that of hers as references for equality and moral rights in modern society. Today more than ever the incarceration rates are raising extremely. Not to mention, in the past year we have seen some of the biggest out cries for our African American communities with people using the power of social media to come together on a common ground in regards to law enforcement unjustly killing African Americans and other minorities while in the attempt of arresting them. With that being said as Lauryn Hills lyrics state “Ya'll can't handle the truth in a courtroom of lies. Representing security/Holding the word of God
Raised as an only child, Dwayne Micheal Carter Jr or more commonly referred to as Lil Wayne, was born September 27th, 1982, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Carter’s mother was only 19 years old when he was first born. He was being raised by both his mother and father until his father abandoned them while Dwayne Jr. was only two years old. After being abandoned by his biological father, his mother was forced to take care of him on her own and survive in the crime infested community of Holly grove, New Orleans. Even though he divorced his mother and remarried, his father forced the two live with his own mother and came by to abuse Lil Wayne’s mother on a consistent basis.This situation went on for three years until Lil Wayne’s mother eventually remarried and relocated to a different part of town. Growing up he did very well in school. He was actually enrolled in his school’s gifted program at a point and received top grades. He got into music at a very young age and wrote his first rap song at the age of eight. Lil Wayne had the drive to be the best and successful at his craft since he first began. At the age of nine he was challenging others twice his age and older at rapping. He would consistently go to neighborhood parties or events to rap and most of the time he was better then whatever adult he was going against. As a testament to this, at the age of nine he start receiving attention from one of the two co-founders of his future label, Slim Williams. From Slim, he then received other co-founder, Bryan Williams, phone number and what he did with it after that was truly caught the Bryan’s attention. He continuously called the number over and over leaving rap songs on the voicemail of Williams until he agreed to meet him in person...
Rap music has given me personally something to look up to. Not a role model but hope of continuing my dreams because rappers successfully made it. “For what’s money without happiness, or hard times without the people you love” is from a song called “Love Yourz” by J. Cole. He clearly understands how there is “beauty in the struggle and ugliness in the success” because he’s lived that life. Other songs such as “2Face” or “The Autograph” were instantly relatable to me because he has been through several struggles from the beginning of his childhood. Cole’s father left when he was six leaving his mother and younger brother alone. Cole became “the man of the house” but becoming a rapper is not as easy as it seems. Cole’s messages in these two songs are relative because I too, have had several issues with my mother and father creating a sense of lonesome. Hearing music like Coles helped me overcome my
Hip Hop was, at its inception, a means for African Americans to tell their unaltered story. Towards the mid-’90s however, the genre began to be way more salse conscious than it ever was before. Artists, such as Nas for example, began to stray from their genuine and authentic selves to start making music about drugs, violence, and sex because that was what pushed their sales to the corporate level. This album was Lauryn Hill coming to re-educate the people in an attempt to bring them back to the root of Hip Hop. This poem focuses on many different themes, however this focuses on religion. In the poem Mystery of Iniquity the writer Lauryn Hill examines religion to illustrate racial discrimination, corrupting and crooked
This was a turning point in his life as he always maintained an admiration of his father, describing him as ''his hero and his friend''. Inheriting a third of his father's wealth, he began misbehaving at school and was harshly punished. He became increasingly sceptical regarding Christianity, pointing out inconsistencies in the Bible to his religious teachers, and went against the Christian morality of his upbringing by smoking, masturbating, and having sex with women, including a prostitute from whom he contracted gonorrhea. In response to his debauchery, he was sent to live with a Brethren tutor in Eastbourne, where he took chemistry courses at Eastbourne College, and developed his interests in chess, poetry, and mountain climbing. (-- removed HTML --)
...of breakdowns throughout the book and some may say this was caused by what happened to him as a child. Once this crazy fact was finally discovered he got help and realized he didn’t have to handle his problems alone, he finally found himself.
In the essay “Shame”, by Dick Gregory, the author narrates how two painful experiences during his childhood reflected how difficult it was to grow up as a poor African American. Gregory was ashamed of being on welfare and of his poverty, so much so that he got of rid of the warm hooded mackaw he received because it was a reminder that he and his family were on relief. Gregory also expresses his embarrassment, shame, and desire to hold onto his dignity throughout it all. In the essay “I Became Her Target”, by Roger Wilkins, the author describes how it was difficult for him to break the ice with his classmates because he was a new student in school. In fact, Wilkins was the only black student in this new school which only worsened the situation. Moreover, he was the target of both
He had been scared about being at the bottom of the food chain again. He pulled through well, but had a couple of social issues as this stage in his life progressed. For example, he had some experiences with peer pressure by his fellow classmates. It was important for him to go through this, because he needed to learn about standing up for what he believes in.
...d studied to help sick and hurt people, he still managed to change his thoughts and ways to the complete opposite. Without even feeling guilty for what he did. His life is a good example to show that not everybody is who they say they are. Or simply people can change very easily.
...He is forced to see that the new hedonism he embraces with open arms is not without price to himself and those around him. It leads him deeper and deeper into sin and depravity until he cannot be redeemed for his faults. In a fit of madness he decides he no longer wants to have his own faults, the results of his impulsive, narcissistic, and selfish behavior visible to him. He takes a knife to the canvass and, in doing so, ends his own life. A life devoted to following his impulses without tempering them with reason, a life of thinking only of his own selfish desires and disregarding the hurt caused to the people around him. The legacy begotten by new hedonism.
After his mother passed away, Alaric always had a feeling of loneliness and discomfort. His dad was never the helpful
Tupac’s childhood and upbringing were heavily influenced by his parents and their ideals regarding the Black Panthers, and criminal activity. Many members of his immediate family were either convicted or charged with crimes and all spoke heavy Ebonic influence in their speech. Also growing up in the East Harlem his childhood was based on the street education. He was an avid reader however and enjoyed many styles of classical literature and this is what led him to join and perform in the 127th Street Repertory Ensemble where he learned how to act and also where he began his rap career. He not only succeeded at his new school but also was the starring role in plays like the Nutcracker and A Raisin in the Sun. These influences helped h...
all of the adversity, he managed to keep his optimistic outlook and his diligent work