February tenth this year is Chinese New Year. That takes today,the ninth, the eve of Chinese New Year. I detest major holidays. Chinese New Year is the Christmas for the Chinese. Unlike Christmas this holiday is nothing but tedious chores. Chinese New Year in New York City is celebrated in China Town; which I have avoided going for over five years. New York City takes shape during holidays. The city transform to a state that embraces other cultures. I however, find holidays to be of disgust. I find the idea of a day dedicated to showing gratitude to be futile. Why must we show gratitude on this day? Why can’t we show gratitude everyday? I treat all days as if it were any regular day. I live my days in the city with the idea to get by.
Get By by Talib Kweli reflects my philosophy on life. Everyday in New York City is a struggle. We must do what is necessary to get by. The song describes how corrupt the system in New York and how hard we try to fit into this system. we do this because we must in order to survive in this city. Despite our troubles and concerns we do what we do each and everyday just to get by. I used to be a hip-hop fanatic however; that has changed in recent years. I used to listen to the lyrical geniuses BIG, Run-DMC, MosDef, Nas, Rakim, Az, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Wu-Tang and even the west coast artist such as Tupac, Ice Cube, N.W.A, Dr.Dre, Eazy-E and much more. I recently realized that the sole reason I was into hip-hop because I was trying too hard to fit in. During my middle school and high school years they are considered to be hip and popular. To an extent, I enjoyed rap and hip-hop. The reason I enjoyed rap and hip-hop was because of the themes in the songs. Artists describe the harsh life in the ghetto, how much of a struggle it is to live one day, and how they must make it out the hood. The reason I have halted my hip-hop interest is because of the current main stream atrocity they call hip-hop. The current hip-hop industry is getting repetitive with rappers talking about all the “ice” they’re getting(the cash flow) and how they get women. I find the current form to be a disgrace to the brilliant addition to music originated in the Bronx.
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Jun Xing Ke.
