My name is Donald Ullman, but not for long.

For months, I intertwined moments of my life

with the genre of music, hip-hop. However, I am not listening for the instrumental, but rather for the

spoken phrases on top of the beat almost like a lyrical percussion. Fascinated, I was drawn to do my

English project on something that had touched me in a way nothing else had. So, I chose to rap.

As background, I am interested in the way messages and themes are conveyed. As an

example, I have done my iGen project on the different ways the mediums of media affected my

generation. The path a message takes coming from one person’s head to another’s is breathtaking and

how the message is received only develops more layers of beauty. News has taken many different

forms over the past years giving more information which is not necessarily correct. There is a great

competition for attention in our modern era leaves many outlets dazed giving us unclear answers.

The constant shifting of bogus reports from my conscience is tiring leaving the messages a mere haze

of what they once were. This constant drone of reports leaves a bland taste in my mouth. The taste

now is sometimes just unbearable; this climate sours the already horrid atmosphere. I listen to music

to escape these climates.

Before I listened to rap, I listened only to distract myself from the buzz and hubbub of the

world. Even the most legendary classical pieces or the hottest electric track only gave me a little

motivation or slightly influenced my emotion. These were facades of what music could be. The pop

and rock genres always had such broad themes that they were akin to not having words at all.

Relatable songs never appealed to me because the artist could be singing to a million people exactly

like me. The personality of the artist had to shine through, but none of the songs I found ever came

close to what I was looking for. Until I found rap, the sea of music felt like only a pulse. It felt as if I

was waiting beside a coma patient, knowing that they can breathe but could not speak; pulling the

plug on the sound felt like the only option but when I heard rap something changed.

I love rap because it is a paradox of instinct and precision planning. The lyrics come from a

real place and are unique raw feelings. The beat compliments the emotional rollercoaster of rap with
perfect harmony and dissonance to the intense pulse. These combined allow for an amazing listening

experience to be paired with the poetry from the heart. Never, have I ever been so dumbfounded by

the potential of music and its ability to take you places you’ve thought impossible. Rappers tell you

what’s on their mind with no filter or sensor to inhibit the argument from reaching your ears. The

raps that are informative or persuading are always the best. Whether someone wants to write an

autobiography on their upbringing or prove their street cred, raps are a powerful influence that feels

more tangible than other kinds of music.