When people ask what my favorite music genre is, I have no answer. I can say that I hate country and heavy rock, but other than that, I’m open to anything. Jazz, rap, 60’s folk, anything. If you show me a song, chances are I’ll love it.

While I have many favorites, I’ll talk about one genre in particular: rap. When I say that you probably think of really bad (yet somehow extremely catchy) songs, or ‘craprap’ as I like to say, but no. I’m talking about J. Cole and anything Kendrick Lamar. I’m talking about songs that have an actual message. Here’s an example: “High for Hours” by J. Cole. In it he talks about oppression and how things need to progress.

Cole talks about our current cycle. He says, “See the people at the top, they get to do just what they want till after while the people at the bottom finally get smart. Then they start to holla revolution, tired of living here, destitution.”

One lyric that summarizes the whole song is “What good is taking over when we know what you gon’ do, the only real revolution happens right inside of you.” I interpreted that as our system is flawed and it has to change, but the ways we keep trying aren’t working.

Most rappers these days talk about things that are popular and not things that matter. For example, Panda by Desiigner. The song is literally about a car he likes. That’s it. Why would someone listen to that rather than meaningful music? People talk about how bad music is today, but believe me, it’s all just what you look for. There are still great artists and songs out there, you just have to find them. When people think of rap, they think of pop culture and mainstream things, but it is so much more; it’s a great way of promoting change.