During Thanksgiving break, while I was in Missouri looking for flowering plants for a photo, I met two young men who were waiting outside Lowe’s in front of the nursery area.
They helped me locate some plants and then I found out they didn’t work there.While waiting for their ride, one told me his story. How he was a Youthful Offender and was admitted to an eighteen month make-or-break program at the age of sixteen. How he had been rhyming since he was six years old. And how he knew he had to turn his life around.
He was now touring as a front band, sponsored by Monster Energy Drink.
His raps help youth understand what is important to him, taking care of his two daughters and his wife and how his audience should listen to what he has to say in order to focus the things that are important in life.
He broke into a few of his rhymes for me and described them as simple language, not a large vocabulary, but still, saying what is deep and what is good in a powerful way.
Since I would certainly never find myself at a rapper concert, I was glad to have met him and learned how events found him and picked him up and gave him a second chance and how he is using his influence to inspire and lift up his listeners.
© 2012 Kathryn Hardage
www.InspiredPractices.com
