My First Love

My taste in music may be "contradictory" to some as it ranges from gospel to hip hop to reggae and many genres in between. Some may believe that it isn't possible to like gospel music and still listen to secular music because of the differences in the lyrics but I personally see music as a form of someone expressing themselves. If I want to worship and praise God, I will listen to gospel. If I want inspiration for my own music or connect with one of my favorite artists through their work, I will listen to rap. There are many reasons as to why I listen to certain music beyond the fact that it's just background noise or vibrations that fill up the empty space in my room. With every song that I choose to listen to, I feel a connection that not only inspires me to continue to make music of my own but it also allows me to somewhat more understand the artist, if their lyrics are true to their lives.

One of my very favorite songs is Pray by The Game featuring J Cole(my favorite rapper). When my friend first told me about this song, I was in 9th grade, experiencing a very difficult time in my life as my mom moved to Connecticut to work and I stayed in Georgia and moved in with my aunt. During this time, (my then, new friend and now, best friend) introduced me to new genres of music that I'd never consider listening to before. Almost every day he gave me one or two new songs to listen to after school as a way to distract myself and to keep my mind off of the struggles of my life. Along with these songs, he told me the importance of prayer, although I'd already known its power. My mind was filled with such negativity that it pushed me away from God and I'd almost completely forgotten about His grace and mercy. Because of this, my friend also used music as a test to see if it would in any way change my mindset and outlook on the things I was experiencing. The lyric that he told me to focus on was "Stressed out, parents getting divorced/ Girl love 'em worth, she ain't try'n to sit in court/ She a square so it's hard to see the angle/ And that's why God gave her a guardian angel/ It's me, and I'm here for her, swear to God that I'm here for her". While I wasn't experiencing those exact things that The Game mentioned, it still had a very magnetic connection to my heart. Seeing as though I was only 13, I'd just started high school and I only saw my mom about once a month, I felt completely different than my classmates and felt that I had no one to talk to about my problems. But this new friend of mine pretty much "adopted" me, checked on me and essentially became my guardian angel, even though we were in the same grade and he is only seven months my senior. Listening to that song made me realize that I actually did have someone to talk to, someone who truly cared about me and my well being and still cares to this very day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7vN_mHnGq4


Another of my favorite songs is a gospel song called Encourage Yourself by Donald Lawrence. Whenever I go on a spurt of listening to gospel and gospel only, this is usually the very first and very last song I listen to because not only do I love the feeling of the song itself, but I just love the very first verse that says "Sometimes you have to encourage yourself./ Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test./ And no matter how you feel, speak the word and you will be healed;/ Speak over yourself,/ encourage yourself in the Lord." I brought myself to the lord when I was 4 years old and again when I was 7. Although I knew exactly what I was doing and fully understood what I was saying as I prayed for God to be in my life, as I got older, it was sometimes difficult for me to understand that everything in my life was a part of His plan and even though it didn't seem ideal at the time, it was necessary for me to appreciate the beauty that was to come in the future. This song helped me understand that sometimes I just have to continue to praise God and thank Him even when my life isn't clear and I don't necessarily feel happy. Speaking good things into existence will cultivate these things and it I learned that it is important to always have a positive outlook on life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFNHmA9a2gI

Seeing as though I am Jamaican, I felt as though it were only right for me to have a reggae song in my list of favorites. No Woman No Cry by Bob Marley is one of first songs I remember listening to in the car as a child, along with Smooth Operator by Sade (which I knew all the words to as a 2 year old but that's another story for a different time). This song is special to me because it reminds me of my mom's radio show that she hosted when I was between the ages of 4 and 7. Her show was called "Natural Vibes" and she played a range of songs from artists like The Temptations and Dionne Warwick to Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Her involvement in music sparked my immediate love for the art and being able to go to the studio with her, watching the process of radio and listening to the calls that came in, it showed me how much music can have an impact on people, especially my great uncle. My great Uncle Val is currently suffering from Alzheimer's but has always had an enormous love for music, especially that of The Temptations. When my mom was preparing for her radio shows during the week, she would call Uncle Val to come over and help her find music to play. Before our family knew that he was suffering from Alzheimer's, we all thought that he was just very forgetful and his stuttering was just his speech. But as time went on and he could no longer remember the names and artists of songs, my family could tell there was a problem. Although he has lost his ability to speak, he still shows signs of remembering certain songs when my family plays them for him. This in itself proves that music can have an eternal impact of its listeners and that is what I strive for in my own music: having a strong influence on those who listen to my art.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x59kS2AOrGM


If you took the time out to read all of this, thank you. Music clearly means a lot to me.

-NP