I need your help guys cause I'm really confused right now...
What is real balance? I mean every time any of us comes across a dilemma, when you need to make a choice, usually the answer is ''Balance is the key''. But what that really means?
The last post I made and Freddie's reply got me thinking... What makes a real person, a balanced human being, a true artist?
I'll use the examples of 2pac, Immortal Technique, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan to illustrate my point. Before I go on, I''ll just say that I respect all of them and do not want to make this ''either or'' type of discussion. They all deserve recognition for their life's work and we all should learn from them. However I do prefer Jackie Chan and Immortal Technique and here is why...
I don't think that 2pac and Bruce Lee were balanced artists. They died young so we will never know how their life and expression would have turned out but based on what I know, I believe they were not, like Bruce Lee said, honestly expressing themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they were fakes, not at all, I'm just saying they were not as enlightened as most people think. In my opinion they were confused and conflicted. Like Chuck D from the group Public Enemy said, the key is to know yourself and the environment you're in. Tupac and Bruce lacked that knowledge, and that in the end resulted in their early deaths.
Immortal Technique makes songs that are politically driven, and although they're all sharp and on point, one may argue that after a while it becomes repetitious. 2pac, on the other hand is more colorful, beside social problems, he raps about doing drugs, violence, sex, making money etc... That supposed to make him a more developed artist? Well what makes a real artist? True artist, in my view, is a person who is true to him/herself. If world politics is something that inspires you, and you feel the need to express yourself about social injustice than do it. And that is exactly what IT is doing. 2pac made great songs that can make you think but he also made this type of songs:
Is this a real expression? Is this respect towards women? Is this a road towards enlightenment?
NO! You can't rap about how white slave masters exploited poor black women then make something like this. You can't promote health and fitness then make a McDonald's commercial! You might say well he's being real, this is the way he feels, his total expression, blah blah blah.... Hell no! So Lebron James doing a junk food ad is also being real? No, it's exploitation! IT would never make a song like this, not because he is boring and lacks creativity, but because he's faithful to himself and his principles. Jay Z is a corporate sellout, he does his thing, makes money, doesn't give a fuck about what is going on in the world. In hip hop world Jay Z stands for MMA- the exploitation! IT stands for the truth, he represents the martial arts! 2pac was neither. He aimed for social justice, he opposed racism and police brutality, promoted peace, but he also wanted money, fame women, power and he has songs that glorify that way of thinking. Do not be naive and think that 2pac represents the balance of the two worlds, because there can't be one. It's like a martial artist and a mma fighter, you can't be both! 2pac is like a tai chi master who wants to compete in the UFC, it is absurd!
Just watch this video
And you wonder how that guy got shot and killed at the age of 25? I respect 2pac and his work, but no I do not follow him. His heart was at the right place, but his mind wasn't. IT knows he is, what he stands for and is beings smart how he promotes himself and his beliefs. Tupac Shakur was a confused and a conflicted young man, and ultimately payed the price for it. Hurts me to say this but he was no martyr, he was just plain stupid!
He danced with the devil, and the devil is not fucking around... IT is saying that over and over again, he might not be as entertaining as Jay Z and the rest of them, but he is being real and balanced and that's why I enjoy his work and music.
Thanks Freddie Lee for the opportunity to express myself on this blog. I'll continue in my next post why I prefer Jackie Chan over Bruce Lee. That might be quite controversial. Guys give me your thoughts and help me understand what real balance is so that I can improve as a martial artist.....
What is real balance? I mean every time any of us comes across a dilemma, when you need to make a choice, usually the answer is ''Balance is the key''. But what that really means?
The last post I made and Freddie's reply got me thinking... What makes a real person, a balanced human being, a true artist?
I'll use the examples of 2pac, Immortal Technique, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan to illustrate my point. Before I go on, I''ll just say that I respect all of them and do not want to make this ''either or'' type of discussion. They all deserve recognition for their life's work and we all should learn from them. However I do prefer Jackie Chan and Immortal Technique and here is why...
I don't think that 2pac and Bruce Lee were balanced artists. They died young so we will never know how their life and expression would have turned out but based on what I know, I believe they were not, like Bruce Lee said, honestly expressing themselves. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they were fakes, not at all, I'm just saying they were not as enlightened as most people think. In my opinion they were confused and conflicted. Like Chuck D from the group Public Enemy said, the key is to know yourself and the environment you're in. Tupac and Bruce lacked that knowledge, and that in the end resulted in their early deaths.
Immortal Technique makes songs that are politically driven, and although they're all sharp and on point, one may argue that after a while it becomes repetitious. 2pac, on the other hand is more colorful, beside social problems, he raps about doing drugs, violence, sex, making money etc... That supposed to make him a more developed artist? Well what makes a real artist? True artist, in my view, is a person who is true to him/herself. If world politics is something that inspires you, and you feel the need to express yourself about social injustice than do it. And that is exactly what IT is doing. 2pac made great songs that can make you think but he also made this type of songs:
Is this a real expression? Is this respect towards women? Is this a road towards enlightenment?
NO! You can't rap about how white slave masters exploited poor black women then make something like this. You can't promote health and fitness then make a McDonald's commercial! You might say well he's being real, this is the way he feels, his total expression, blah blah blah.... Hell no! So Lebron James doing a junk food ad is also being real? No, it's exploitation! IT would never make a song like this, not because he is boring and lacks creativity, but because he's faithful to himself and his principles. Jay Z is a corporate sellout, he does his thing, makes money, doesn't give a fuck about what is going on in the world. In hip hop world Jay Z stands for MMA- the exploitation! IT stands for the truth, he represents the martial arts! 2pac was neither. He aimed for social justice, he opposed racism and police brutality, promoted peace, but he also wanted money, fame women, power and he has songs that glorify that way of thinking. Do not be naive and think that 2pac represents the balance of the two worlds, because there can't be one. It's like a martial artist and a mma fighter, you can't be both! 2pac is like a tai chi master who wants to compete in the UFC, it is absurd!
Just watch this video
And you wonder how that guy got shot and killed at the age of 25? I respect 2pac and his work, but no I do not follow him. His heart was at the right place, but his mind wasn't. IT knows he is, what he stands for and is beings smart how he promotes himself and his beliefs. Tupac Shakur was a confused and a conflicted young man, and ultimately payed the price for it. Hurts me to say this but he was no martyr, he was just plain stupid!
He danced with the devil, and the devil is not fucking around... IT is saying that over and over again, he might not be as entertaining as Jay Z and the rest of them, but he is being real and balanced and that's why I enjoy his work and music.
Thanks Freddie Lee for the opportunity to express myself on this blog. I'll continue in my next post why I prefer Jackie Chan over Bruce Lee. That might be quite controversial. Guys give me your thoughts and help me understand what real balance is so that I can improve as a martial artist.....
To be consistent and calculated is not being real. That is what a politician does. An Artist is someone that is real to the moment. If he is angry, he is truly angry, if he is sad, he is truly sad, if he is happy, he is truly happy. 2pac did not hide himself and neither did Bruce, they were both real, almost as real as it gets in mainstream media, and that is why they both died early. You quoted IT yourself in the first post, IT was saying that he would gladly die early to live with purpose. 2pac and Bruce Lee had purpose in their lives, that is why they ended up dying early. A great life is not simply a life that is long lived. A great life has substance and purpose. Many great people died young but lived a life full of purpose. 2pac, Bruce Lee, Malcolm X, MLK Jr., Jesus, Socrates, Bob Marley, John Lennon, and others.
ReplyDeleteThere are not that many real people in this world, there are many calculated people in this world but not that many real people. The balance of yin/yang, the balance of White/Black. Yes I eat healthy but I also eat unhealthy. Yes I have love but I also have lust. Yes I have happiness but I also have sadness. 2pac and Bruce shared both with the world. Most others will only share one part, the good part, the accepted part of society.
IT will not put out music that objectifies women because it goes against his principles. IT will not make a music video with ass and titties flaunted all over the video because it goes against his principles. But IT sure doesn't have a problem swearing and using the N-word over and over again. Many can criticize him for that. He sets his own principles and he lives up to his own standards.
I don't really see him as a great Artist, I see rapping as his secondary craft. His primary craft is to be a politician. I see that his heart is in Politics, not music. 2pac's heart was in music 1st and politics second.
2pac died young only at age 25. If any of us died at the age of 25, we would never be able to achieve what he had been able to achieve in such a short time. Of course his expression was "immature" he was only 25! He was being real to his age. IT is much older, IT was definitely not an angel when he was growing up. IT was bragging about his crimes before getting locked up. With age, you will grow and become more mature. Most people will say that the rap game is not for the old people. The commercial rap world is about exploitation. If you are not willing to exploit then you do not belong in the commercial rap world.
When you judge something as good or bad that is not the way. The way is beyond judgement. The balance is difficult to understand, most of us all will fall into extremes. With 2pac you will find some "unenlightening music" but you will also find music like "Unitl the End of Time" "Changes" or "Dear Mama." 2pac expressed the violent and the peaceful in a creative and artistic way; that is why in my eyes he was a great Artist. One of the realist Artists to ever make it mainstream.