A song from the year you were born
Critics rip apart the music I love for glorifying drugs, killing and the general gangsta mentality. While a case can be made, either way, I will always defend hip-hop because the genre is filled with misinterpreted cautionary tales. Not to mention, glamorized gangsterism dominated pop culture long before hip-hop came along. On Day 18 of the 30-Day Music Challenge, I picked a song from my birth year that gave fair warning to the youth about the consequences of choosing a life of crime.
Slick Rick’s 1988, “Children’s Story” may be one of the most straightforward examples of a hip-hop fable. It ends with “straight and narrow or your soul gets cast,” so you know what it is. Although, up until that point, smaller minds might assume that The Ruler was rattling off about how dope it is that this kid pulled off a major heist, knocked over old folks, and held a pregnant woman hostage at gunpoint. Not only is “Children’s Story” an infectious dance record, reciting it is as good as shouting out corrective Bible scriptures when your kids start acting like they have no sense (don’t at me).
Shout out to 1988 for birthing “Children’s Story” and me. Both of us are pretty dope—if I should say so myself. If you were born in a year that creating some fire records, comment and let me know your favorite. Also, we’ll continue the 30-Day Music Challenge tomorrow with a song that features your favorite artist.
