The Marathon Continues...
Dedicated to the great Nipsey Hussle who we lost this past Sunday. May he rest in peace.
A couple of things that I have learned from Nipsey Hussle’s legacy is to follow your passion(s) and authentically be yourself. I feel a lot of people in my generation get stuck on the materialistic things in this world, instead of investing in themselves, their families, and their communities. Social media is definitely a huge reason for this issue. We are constantly forced to compare ourselves to the next person, instead of focusing on our own journey. Everyone’s journey is unique, although, we are all here to find our purpose and to serve others. It is just a matter of us looking within ourselves to find the answer, just as Nipsey did. He was a pure example of love, peace, and integrity.
The first song I heard from Nipsey Hussle was, “Last Time That I Checc’d,” ft. YG. It is from his most recent album, Victory Lap. The song is great, but the concept of the music video made it even better. Here we have two artists who are using their platform to support the act of ending gang violence. In the video, there are scenes of Nipsey, (representing Crips), and YG, (representing Bloods), dancing in front of a blue and red background split in half. In the beginning, Nipsey and YG are in unison with the colors they affiliate with, while in other scenes of the video they are crossing into one another’s colors. Mind you, on the blue side, there is a white car, while on the red side, there is a black car. When I thought about the white and black car, I thought of the principle of Yin and Yang, which is "all things exist inseparable and contradictory opposites." It was just another detail that screamed out, “UNITY,” and that Nipsey was okay with breaking barriers.
In my most recent blog, I discuss how I am on my path to self-discovery and getting out of my comfort zone. Well, I would like to share more songs from Victory Lap I have listened to. One of the songs that is getting me through my rising season is “Loaded Bases” ft. CeeLo Green, which represents my most present time as I elevate spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially. The chorus sung by CeeLo, goes a little like this:
“Listen to my ambition cause I’m on one,
Swingin’ for the fences for the home run,
Even further beyond in to the universe,
But I got to make it to first, first,
It feels like every second is being stolen,
I risked it for every ticket we sold them,
You got the ball, I’ma take it home,
Bottom line, I’m gon’ make it home.”
It made me realize despite my circumstances, my emotional rollercoasters, and my nay sayers, I am going to get to my destiny.
The other song that has assisted me to shift my mindset is “Real Big” ft. Marsha Ambrosius. Believe it or not, I had this song on repeat before listening to “Loaded Bases.” Interesting, right? This song reminded me that just because the bases are loaded, does not mean that my moment is not coming. It just means that it is preparing me for the moment that I am working towards. Not gonna lie, a couple of days ago, your girl was sobbin’, sobbin’ in the bathroom to this song, and a few minutes later motivating myself. Looking myself dead in the face while staring in the mirror, saying, “You got this. This is only the beginning. You deserve this.” Sounds crazy, right? Don’t worry, this is common. A typical female showing herself love and getting ready for new opportunities arriving in her life. LOL
As you can tell, Nipsey’s music is a blueprint to help you get through your most difficult times as well as to your most successful times. Also, what he did in his community is a blueprint of what many of us should strive for. He was a business man, social activist/worker, mentor to the youth, father, and a faithful man to his woman Lauren London.
At the end of the day, we should aim to make an impact in our communities, if not the world. During this grieving time, we should cry, embrace our emotions, but also come up with a game plan on how we are going to become leaders. I know we all feel the energy shift in the air. With this said, what have you learned?
One more thing, are you going to continue to ride for him?
I hope so…
