As I run to catch the bus I stop to plug in an AirPod, a necessity in my life. I press play on my phone and the thunderous beats reverberate through my ears as an electric wave rushes through my body. 

Suddenly, I transform from my catatonic state to one bursting with energy and vigor. I am now ready to take on what I know will be a tedious day.

Growing up, I never really enjoyed music. If it came on in the car, I would listen. But I never was able to connect with it beyond thinking it sounded nice. During freshman year, my friends suddenly became obsessed with their playlists, and I couldn’t fathom why. 

However, I slowly became more invested.

After listening to one of my friend’s playlist I decided on a whim to get Apple Music (to this day she is still the only other person I know who prefers it over Spotify).

I started adding more and more songs to my playlist, but it still wasn’t as important to me as it was to others. It wasn’t until I saw Lizzo announce Latto as one of the guests on her Special tour that I had my first encounter with the genre that would forever change my life.

I recognized Latto from her song “Big Energy” and decided to check out her Instagram page, after all if Lizzo was going on tour with her then she must be good. I saw a lot of promotions for “Boom Pt. 2” and listened to a clip of it. To my surprise, I did not hate what I was listening to, in fact, it was the first time I had felt truly alive listening to music. 

That was the first rap song I added to my playlist.

Since, my playlist has grown exponentially reaching 130 songs, most of which are rap. Everytime I tell someone this I usually get the response:

You like rap? Are you mentally OK?

I always laugh in response to this, they don’t know what I know: Rap is one of the most expressive forms of music.

Rap has been around for more than 50 years and comes from the streets of New York, one of the biggest hubs of culture and creative expression in the world. Rap has not only transformed the lives of the artists but the listeners as well.

Kennedy Center writer Sean McCollum thinks rap has been a way of addressing society’s problems all while celebrating humanity.

“But it also has blended and transcended them to become a means for seeing, celebrating, experiencing, understanding, confronting, and commenting on life and the world,” McCollum says. “Hip hop, in other words, is a way of living—a culture.” 

Rap motivates, uplifts, energizes and empowers its listeners to achieve their biggest dreams and to no matter what, never let the world tell you “no.” It is exactly this reason that I fell in love with the genre. 

In my darkest moments rap has empowered me to fight back harder and motivated me to become even stronger. It has inspired me to keep fighting for a cause I believe in and become my sidekick as I go through life. I truly believe I would not be where I am and I would not be the person I am today if not for rap.

Time and time again the poetic, combative words of Latto’s songs pulled me out of the darkness and into the light, giving me a laugh along the way. So, dear reader, never doubt the power of a few bars. It can create culture, empower the powerless and unite us all in this crazy world.

I lace up my shoes, step outside, breathe in the crisp, cool air and plug my AirPods back in ready to start the day anew and empowered to make a difference. 

All with rap by my side.

Follow Nyah (@nyah_rama) and @CHSCampusNews on X.