Saturday, August 07, 2010

Dreams and Wishes

Like an old music record album, I usually get stuck in a song repeating the same lines over and over again. In most cases I have no idea how the song crept into my mind. One almost feels like some mysterious cosmic wave infiltrated my brain and implanted an incomplete data base of information. In this case an incomplete song. Yet in most cases you might have picked up that catchy lyric -though incomplete - from your fellow mates, family members or even complete strangers. In-turn the same strangers might have been caught in the same spider's web of what I would call 'lost in lyricism'.  

After a while you might realise you actually do not even know the name of the song or its artist. If you are as curious as I am, you will not resist the temptation of diving into the world of google in search of 'that song that you actually do not know anything about'. The first step would be to type as many words that you can salvage off your memory of 'that song that you actually do not know anything about'. So type away I did and true its status as the best search engine in the world, google managed to precisely get the right hits. Step two is to click one of the links at listed on google to confirm if the lyrics match up to your expectations of what you hope is the complete lyrics of 'that song that you actually do not know anything about'. If the result is to the affirmative, you then proceed to my other buddy christened, youtube. Sorry to write his name in small letters, after all he only exists in the cyberworld. 

The song that had been stuck in my head is by an artist called B.o.B and is called 'Airplanes'. Further exploration revealed a second version of the same song called 'Airplanes 2' featuring Eminem. Now we all know Eminem for his rather unsavory lyrics to say the least. I would not be surprised that some of you might not even bother listening to the rest song and with good reason. After all who wants to listen to a guy who has made a career for himself bashing women (including him mom), glorifying the pleasures of drugs and other negative things that we would go through lengths in making sure young kids never hear of . Well I did listen to the rest of the song. True to his nature there is profanity in his lyrics to ain a song that for most of its part has clean lyrics. I usually cringe when I hear artist revel in vulgarity. My take on this is that one can be creative musically in communicating your message without spitting vile oaths and curses.

Instead of dismissing this song in its entirety, I explored its message. I was surprised that despite the swear words it was very inspiring. How often can one say I was inspired by Mr Marshall Mathers (that is Eminem's real name for the less knowledgeable in te genre of Hip-Hop music). Before you throw me to the wolves hear me out. Looking past the swearing they is no doubt some of these artist work very hard to achieve 'success' as musicians. However the playing fileds for are as equal as most people in this world. Eminem evokes that sentiment (of anything is possible in life) in his lyrics as he talks about the importance of hard work and the need to stay motivated in chasing your dreams. He raps about how eliminated procrastinating and driven by a motivation to succeed how he looked past discouraging words from those who where around him when he was growing up . Yet I bet some will be quick to dismiss him as wayward rapper with no sense of purpose. Whether you life it or not he has a purpose. One can not deny that even though you may disagree with some artist's music and message. One can learn (like in this particular instance) that we all have a choice between hard work so as to fulfill some of those dreams we have had for years. Credit does go to the main artist B.o.B in his debut album.

So what is stopping you? 

The answer to that is more likely YOU. Only YOU is standing between yourself in realising your life's dreams and fuilfiling the purpose for which you where created. Procrastinating, blaming others, laziness, playing the victim all the time, abuse and betting against yourself, are some the self inflicted wounds of a life of abandoned dreams. 

So like Marshall Mathers all things are possible to those who dream and work towards their dreams consistently and persistently.  

Some of the lyrics that stood out to me:

Let’s pretend Marshall Mathers never picked up a pen
Let’s pretend things would’ve been no different
Pretend he procrastinated, had no motivation
Pretend he just made excuses that were so paper-thin
They could blow ‘way with the wind
Marshall, you’re never gonna make it
Makes no sense to play the game, ain’t no way that you’ll win
Pretend he just stayed outside all day and played with his friends
Pretend he even had a friend to say was his friend
And it wasn’t time to move and schools weren’t changin’ again
He wasn’t socially awkward and just strange as a kid
He had a father and his mother wasn’t crazy as s*#%
And he never dreamed that he could rip stadiums
And just lazy as s*#%

1 Corinthians 1:27: But God has chosen the foolish things of this world , that He may put to shame the wise...'

So despite the fact that the song is filled with a tinge of vanity and unpalatable words. Be inspired by the foolish things of this world. Even if they come in the name of Eminem.

nK

*click on link below for the video on Youtube minus Eminem and profanity*

Saturday, March 20, 2010

A dream about to come true

Ever since I was a kid I have always treasured the experience of watching the soccer World Cup. At one moment in history I thought I would be one of the participants in the World Cup. I bet they are so many young Africans who grew up in townships and romanticizes their prospects of being in a World Cup. Even as I write, I am sure they are parents who are currently encouraging their kids of their 'impending' future prowess in soccer.

I guess in a nutshell most of us in this part of the world will have our dream and passion right here in our doorsteps. The FIFA World Cup Soccer is coming to Africa. One of my dreams is about to come true albeit under different circumstances. I can not wait.