"Now she want a photo/You already know though/
You only live once: that’s the motto n*gga YOLO/
We bout it every day, every day, every day/
Like we sittin’ on the bench, n*gga we don’t really play/
Every day, every day, f$%k what anybody say/
Can’t see 'em 'cause the money in the way/Real n*gga what's up?"
You only live once: that’s the motto n*gga YOLO/
We bout it every day, every day, every day/
Like we sittin’ on the bench, n*gga we don’t really play/
Every day, every day, f$%k what anybody say/
Can’t see 'em 'cause the money in the way/Real n*gga what's up?"
-Drake, "The Motto"
The acronym YOLO (you only live once) spread like wildfire and is arguably the most commonly used phrase now amongst the 18-25 demographic. Drake's four letter mantra on life symbolizes the rebellious spirit of our culture, placing sole emphasis on what satisfaction can be gained from the current moment. Those who follow the creed live by simply throwing caution to the wind, ignoring the risk of future consequences for what is available, as Luther Vandross called it, "Here and Now".
When this theory is followed, one must wonder what ELSE is thrown to the wind. The quote begs us to live solely for instant gratification, the thought behind it simply to "live fast, die young" (Ironically another song by former Drake collaborators Rick Ross and Kanye West) Though this song and other bump in the system and keep our heads moving, they create an impact larger than most of us can imagine. Many construe YOLO to be a statement of living without fear of consequence and effect of our actions.
What possibly meant "Have fun and make the most of life" has turned to "Do whatever I feel". By following this principle, we indirectly reduce opportunities for advancement as a people and culture, creating death by poverty, violence, and sexual deviancy.
Make It Rain...Until We Drown
It's slightly unfair to pick on Drake; without "Take Care", I would have never found my future Director of Marketing. As one of the biggest names in music today, however, he reaches millions of listeners and his words resonate. That being said, quotes like "I've never really been one for the preservation of money" validate spending at a break-neck pace and worse, saving negligence. There's two routes we can go with that previous statement. We can blame rappers and say they teach us to "shine because they hate us, floss 'cuz we the greatest", or we can read and educate ourselves, whether it's a bank brochure on investments or Ebony Magazine's articles on finance. Despite what most media outlets promote as important, people of high status are putting away and spending on products whose value appreciates. These include homes and rental properties; that's 2 homes, not "2 Chainz".
Chitty Chitty...Bang Bang
Like money, violence is not a new topic of hip-hop or music. LL Cool J talked about a "Jammy in his hand" back in '90, and he was not the first. Violence and music carry a Chicken or the Egg relationship, where it is questioned which inspires which. The optimist in me desperately wants to believe we can work away from glorifying killing and murdering our own. The result of our behavior is that the attackers and victims are becoming younger and younger. 14, 15 year old BOYS are taking each other out; they believe there is nothing to live for. Why would you care about someone else's life if you don't value your own? It is scary, and we must fight it....fight it for them. In addition to prayer and teaching, we need to attack the problem at the core. Our goal must be to show our children hope and give them love, weapons against the evils of the world.
One Night of Passion...Lifetime of Burden
Our era accepts, even advocates being open and free with your sexuality. Once a behavior attached to men, women grew tired of this double standard (stay tuned for my next blog, "Double or Nothing") and have joined guys in pursuit of intimate freedom. Sex with no strings attached, multiple partners, and other acts are slowly...quickly becoming the norm of our society. Ladies...this was one of those double standards I wish you didn't pursuit. There is NO denying the incredible feeling that sex brings, but its possible effects during the aftermath (emotions, pregnancies, breakups, sexually transmitted diseases) are too great to ignore. Those 20 minutes of pleasure (3 if you're Bernie Mac, 1 minute if you're Missy Elliott's adversary) are highly charged, and too often we are wasting "crazy people" on partners who do not provide us anything more than future headaches.
We're straying too far away from the importance of (dare I say it) love. Again, sex is fun but never when the cons outweigh the negative (and never without protection). African Americans, we're the racial/ethnic group MOST affected by HIV/AIDS; according to several reports, roughly 60 percent of new infections occur in African American women. Their pain is in direct relation to the activity of Black men. Couple this epidemic with unplanned pregnancies and we are putting ourselves in harm's way more often than we should.
"YOLO" can be a mindset that we grow from if used the right way. As talented and gifted men and women, it is detrimental to live only in the moment. God is good to us, and many us live much longer than our ways should allow us to. Not only do we spend as if we're going to die tomorrow, but we treat our bodies poorly. Going forward I challenge all of us to remember that we only live once and we should try to make that life, the ENTIRE life, the best one it can be.
Ceddy P
For more on writer Cedric Perry and "Confessions of a Big Dreamer", like the page at www.facebook.com/cedsconfessions. Also, follow us on twitter @cedsconfessions.
 |
| If Drake was saying "YOLO" to his accountants, He wouldn't be smiling like this. |
What possibly meant "Have fun and make the most of life" has turned to "Do whatever I feel". By following this principle, we indirectly reduce opportunities for advancement as a people and culture, creating death by poverty, violence, and sexual deviancy.
Make It Rain...Until We Drown
It's slightly unfair to pick on Drake; without "Take Care", I would have never found my future Director of Marketing. As one of the biggest names in music today, however, he reaches millions of listeners and his words resonate. That being said, quotes like "I've never really been one for the preservation of money" validate spending at a break-neck pace and worse, saving negligence. There's two routes we can go with that previous statement. We can blame rappers and say they teach us to "shine because they hate us, floss 'cuz we the greatest", or we can read and educate ourselves, whether it's a bank brochure on investments or Ebony Magazine's articles on finance. Despite what most media outlets promote as important, people of high status are putting away and spending on products whose value appreciates. These include homes and rental properties; that's 2 homes, not "2 Chainz".
Chitty Chitty...Bang Bang
Like money, violence is not a new topic of hip-hop or music. LL Cool J talked about a "Jammy in his hand" back in '90, and he was not the first. Violence and music carry a Chicken or the Egg relationship, where it is questioned which inspires which. The optimist in me desperately wants to believe we can work away from glorifying killing and murdering our own. The result of our behavior is that the attackers and victims are becoming younger and younger. 14, 15 year old BOYS are taking each other out; they believe there is nothing to live for. Why would you care about someone else's life if you don't value your own? It is scary, and we must fight it....fight it for them. In addition to prayer and teaching, we need to attack the problem at the core. Our goal must be to show our children hope and give them love, weapons against the evils of the world.
One Night of Passion...Lifetime of Burden
 |
| Hard to find this if you living only for the night...every night. |
We're straying too far away from the importance of (dare I say it) love. Again, sex is fun but never when the cons outweigh the negative (and never without protection). African Americans, we're the racial/ethnic group MOST affected by HIV/AIDS; according to several reports, roughly 60 percent of new infections occur in African American women. Their pain is in direct relation to the activity of Black men. Couple this epidemic with unplanned pregnancies and we are putting ourselves in harm's way more often than we should.
"YOLO" can be a mindset that we grow from if used the right way. As talented and gifted men and women, it is detrimental to live only in the moment. God is good to us, and many us live much longer than our ways should allow us to. Not only do we spend as if we're going to die tomorrow, but we treat our bodies poorly. Going forward I challenge all of us to remember that we only live once and we should try to make that life, the ENTIRE life, the best one it can be.
Ceddy P
For more on writer Cedric Perry and "Confessions of a Big Dreamer", like the page at www.facebook.com/cedsconfessions. Also, follow us on twitter @cedsconfessions.
More Confessions...
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for posting!