***These songs are in no particular order***
Children’s Story- Slick Rick
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song- Will Smith
Juicy- Notorious B.I.G.
Brooklyn (We Go Hard)- Jay Z
Thinking Out Loud- Ed Sheeran
Leave Me Alone- Michael Jackson
Isn’t She Lovely- Yami Bolo
Bow Wow (That’s My Name)- Lil Bow Wow
No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn- Beastie Boys
Beautiful- Eminem
-Children’s Story by Slick Rick is a song that my dad used to rap to me as a baby, and also as I got older. I never really understood what the song was about until I got older and I could listen to the lyrics, but regardless, whenever I hear the song, I hear it in my dad’s voice.
-Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song is a song that my mother used to sing/rap to me as a very small baby before she passed away. Even though I don’t remember her, I feel nostalgic every time I hear it.
-Juicy by Notorius B.I.G. is a song that was not considered appropriate for a little girl back in the late ’90s, but I grew up listening to that song, and it actually became the song for my senior class in high school. Despite the vulgarity, that song remains in my heart and I know all the lyrics.
-Brooklyn (We Go Hard) by Jay-Z is a song I grew up listening to. Being from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, born and raised, I have a lot of pride about where I am from and what I have accomplished thus far in my life despite the negative connotations about where I am from.
-Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran means a lot to me, even though it is not an old song. I feel that it represents my relationship with my boyfriend who I plan to marry and start a family with in the future.
-Leave Me Alone by Michael Jackson was my “theme song” from the age of 14 to about 16. I felt alone and I felt as if I had no one on my side anymore. I became a recluse and I had a small circle of friends. That song clearly expresses the feelings I was having, but wasn’t able to express them.
-Isn’t She Lovely by Yami Bolo, a recreation of the song by Stevie Wonder, means a lot to me. My mother danced with me in her arms to that song at my Christening as a baby. It is one of the few things I have in my life to remind me of her, even though I don’t actually remember; I can feel it.
-Bow Wow (That’s My Name) by Lil Bow Wow was a song that I had on repeat as a young girl. I was in love with Lil Bow Wow, I even thought I would marry him (lol)
-No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn by The Beastie Boys is another song that I identify with being from Brooklyn. My little brother and I used to play that song on repeat on Guitar Hero because we felt so much pride about where we were from.
-Beautiful by Eminem was a song I identified with all through high school, and I still identify with it. I’ve been told multiple times in my life that I’d be “more beautiful if…”. I felt as if being myself (a tomboyish girl) made me seem not beautiful to people because I was always criticized about the things I liked to wear and the things I liked to do. I loved to play basketball with the boys and wear Jordans; which I still do. I was often called gay, even though I know I am not. This song helped me deal with the criticisms and basically ignore the negative comments by having the “f*ck you” mentality. I realized that life was not about impressing anyone, but about being happy in my own skin despite what other people may think of me.