Hip Hop Saved My Life

When I look back at my teenage years I can't help but think about how hip hop music and culture played a big part in why I'm alive today. While I was in highschool I latched on to this hip hop music while lots of my friends got into drug dealing and gang banging. I found that hip hop took up all of my extra down time. While my friends were running the streets I was creating the beats, writing lyrics and rehearsing my lines in the mirror getting ready for a performance. I can still remember in February of 1990 the premiere of my so called "rap career" at Verbum Dei High School's black history program. I.T. #1 and I.T.#2 performed stop the violence and increase the peace. I was the Intelligent Teacher #2 who was militant and wanted my people to be free from opression and have knowledge of self. I was into KRS one, BDP, PRT, Special Ed. Heavy D Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, Bobby Jimmy, and a host of others. It was their influence on me and my desire to want to rap that kept me out the streets. This is an ode to old school hip just to say thank you for saving my life!