Ol’ Dirty Bastard

“Fuck Y’all”

Hip-Hop is more than just Rap music. Some people outside of the Hip-Hop community and culture may refer to this sound, one of only two musical art forms created in the U.S., as urban music. Hip-Hop is a culture born from the ostracism and disenfranchisement of Black youth dwelling in the inner-city of the Bronx, N.Y. This ignored and would-be forgotten group elevated the genre of Rap music to popular acceptance in main stream American culture and eventually the world. Once considered; noise, ghetto gibberish or a desperate and misaligned attempt at artistic creation, Hip-Hop is now a billion dollar industry.

I love Rap for many reasons. For me, the most important is its indignant independence and refusal to find justification for its existence. In this way, Rap music is akin to revolutionary suicide as written by H.P. Newton: “By surrendering my life to the revolution, I found eternal life.”

Another endearing quality of my beloved Rap is its foundation in Blackness. With this ingrained spirit comes resilience in the time of adversity and the ability to achieve prosperity in the most unusual course - setting this music aside from all others.

Lastly Rap music constantly evolves and for a song and artist to succeed, not only commercially but in the eyes of true Hip-Hop connoisseurs, both must be believable and unique.Ol’ Dirty Bastard was a Hip-Hop artist that embodied the essence of rap. In true Hip-Hop form he “didn’t give a fuck”. He lived how he wanted to as a man and did what he wanted as an artist. His song “Fuck Y’all” is a statement based on determination of will. The “I don’t care” attitude put to music is a staple of the Rap diet. This song captures that feeling.

The three years and two months I have been living in Utah has reminded me of how far Black folk have come in the U.S. and how much of our journey lies ahead. Despite the adversity we carry on and like Rap we remain. ODB, a former welfare recipient and drug addict, found success in Hip-Hop, making songs with artists like Mariah Carey and others. His songs also found their way to the charts and the dance floor in many popular and not so popular night clubs.

Ol’ Dirty and his song give me solace by reminding me never to compromise my ambition in an effort to be accepted; never allow others to determine my worth; and above all never find comfort in mediocrity and loath to stagnantly exist . There’s a saying that reads: “You laugh at me because I am different, but I laugh at you because you are all the same.” Unlike Utah’s social demography, ODB’s rap style was very unique at times never rhyming or even following the beat. Whenever I find myself drifting from my resolve I put on ODB’s song and sing along…”Fuck Y’all”!

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