TLDR: Black History Month may not seem like your business. We’ve seen Hip-Hop culture grow to dominate the world of international art and culture, especially in fashion with the nomination of Pharrell Williams as the Creative Director of Menswear at Louis Vuitton, a position previously held by Virgil Abloh. To understand Hip-Hop as the most dominant art movement is to uncover the driver of cultural change and the most powerful marketing tool for Gen Z & beyond.

Kendrick Lamar has been one of my favorite musicians since his first studio album, Section 80. His uncanny delivery and perspective uncovers the brilliant Black perspective of one of the world’s most prolific poets. Before his 2022 album, “Mr. Morale and The Heavy Steppers,” Kendrick’s previous solo album, “DAMN.” was released in 2017; upon each listen I find more relevant themes to the state of our nation from this Pulitzer winning performance. His stories and perspectives mirror many of my own in the times of their releases. I recommend listening to the song "XXX," if you must choose one. It's NSFW, but reality is metaphorical. Here’s a site of annotations if you would like some help, but don't depend on it.

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Writing has been my most valuable strength, yet I feared discussing what matters most. Many of my passions are directly connected to Black culture and I often worry about being unrelatable. Writing about Black History Month requires a bit of energy. The world we know is new, yet our history is dense. Following breadcrumbs to the past guarantees pain, pitfalls, and dead-ends, yet a clear view of where we’ve been illuminates our vision for the future.

Often regarded as the beginning of the BLM movement, Feb 26 marked the 11th anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death. Him and I are the same age. I remember my mother urging me not to wear my hood up when walking around the suburban neighborhood I was raised. Unfortunately, Trayvon’s situation is not unique; I found myself in a similar situation, though fortunately I still have my life and the opportunity to incite change. Major news stories are critical for proof, though they do not express the ubiquity; Trayvon could have been me. These topics are heavy, yet so is the reality that “things” may not be better now than they were during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. To counter this, I’ve linked a personal story below.

For context to the story, my high school disallowed the wearing of hoodies until Fall 2011, because of a belief held by administrators that they were used to denote gang activity.

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One day in February 2012, I was running late for school and I missed the bus because I had to have my overear Beats By Dre headphones. I had just found this rapper named Kendrick Lamar, so digging into his discography was worth being a little late . After all, my neighbor two houses down had a car and didn’t leave yet so I could ask to ride with her. I peeked out the window to see her car running, but no one was in it. I threw my headphones on, queued A.D.H.D., flipped the hood of my coat over my hair, and walked to my neighbor’s house.

When I got to the door, I rang the doorbell and stood with my backpack on my back and a gym bag with my high school insignia on my shoulder. I expected someone to come quickly, as the car was running in the driveway. A suspicious amount of time passed; I only knew because the album was almost over. I peeked up the street, dreading the freezing 3.5 mile walk I was about to embark to get to school. To my surprise, there was a Crown Victoria police car riding down the street slowly. I sensed the element of danger and removed my hood to open my peripheral vision.

My first thought was that I hoped everything was ok in the house. I stepped off of the stoop thinking that I was getting out of the officer’s way, but quickly realized I was the danger. He got out of the car, hand on holster, bombarding me with questions and orders. Headphones made hearing difficult, and pulling out my phone to turn it off could’ve been my last move, so I had to focus and announce where I lived and why I was there. Suddenly, my neighbor’s mom rushed out of the house screaming that there has been a misunderstanding and that I live two houses down, confirming my story.

Much of the situation is a blur after that. Nothing happened, and that’s the scary part. I got in the car with my neighbor and we went to school. The car ride was awkward and the relationship was never the same after.

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Each year, February comes and goes. Since the start of the BLM movement, we’ve seen protests, scars, and miscommunication. Many corporations have “attempted” to change, but behind the curtain is business as usual. As time approaches infinity, those who are capable of understanding the different perspectives of our nation’s history will excel. Those who are not will be left in the past.