1. Trophies (Drake)
2. Ambition (Wale)
3. Focused (Wale)
4. Cole World (J Cole)
5. The Sho Goes On (Lupe Fiasco)
6. Fly (Nicki Minaj)
7. All I Do Is Win (DJ Khaled)
8. Let It Go (Queen Elsa)
9. A Star Is Born (Jay-Z)
10. Pinocchio’s Story (Kanye West)
Why These Songs Describe Us?
Trophies, by Drake, discusses Drake’s life of extreme success and his determination to reach his goals. Each an everyone of us wants to achieve something; we just have to move forward and persevere. Drake also says: “They don’t have no award for that”. Simply put, this means that there will be times where each one of us must fight for ourselves, not necessarily for praise and adulation. Ambition by Wale is summed up in the title of the song. We all are ambitious and want to succeed; We want to be great; and we want to reach the top. A lot of us may want the “rags-riches” story and may right now be at the “rags” stage. In this song Wale discusses his past and how through great dedication he reached his goals. Focused, by Wale, is also summed up by the title of the song. In order to be successful and ultimately achieve all our goals we must remain FOCUSED. Cole World, by J Cole, represents the individuality that we each possess. J Cole says : “It took me all night to find some inspiration; it just hit me like a ton of bricks no renovation. Problem with the game now, there ain’t no innovation. I see my sh*t in all your sh*t, we call that imitation”. The Sho Goes On, by Lupe Fiasco, represents our steadfast disposition and determination. Regardless of the obstacles that life throws at us we will remain focused and will not give up. Fly, by Nicki Minaj, represents and reiterates our purpose. Nicki says “I came to win, to fly”. That is what everyone of us have come to Baruch to do; unless some people have come to lose and fall. All I Do Is Win represents our confidence, that we will win and not fail, that we will rise and not fall. Let It Go, sung by Queen Elsa, reminds us that we are in a new place, with new beginnings and a new future. As Queen Elsa says: “The past is in the past”. Whatever had held us back before will not and should not hold us back now. A Star Is Born, by Jay Z ft. J Cole, simply returns upon the fact that it’s our time and that “to stay in this game” you don’t have to change who you really are. It emphasizes on our individuality and our freedom to be whosoever we would like to be. Lastly Pinocchio’s Story, by Kanye West, touches upon an important point that all of us are facing: “Is it more important to have money, fame and power or happiness?”. Kanye discusses his view in this freestyle and we learn that perhaps we should also seek happiness as well as the success. Kanye says “Do you think I sacrifice a real life for all the fame and flashing lights?”. He discusses how chasing ones dreams can leave us wealthy but empty. However, Kanye gives us hope in the end when he says “The wise men say: “you’ll find your way” “.
Everyone of us has a goal to achieve and something to fight for. Remaining focused, determinate, and keeping our goals in mind will help us achieve those goals.
Derny Fleurima
1 comments
Hi Derny,
Your post is definitely well thought out and put together. I like that you are describing each song in the post and connecting to Baruch and life in general, however, I wish you had included something more about yourself and what made you choose these songs in particular.
Best,
Shanima