*(Familia)*

“1996 (Grasshopper)”

“…my pops knew exactly what he did when he made me/tried to get a nut and he got a nut, and what” — Jay-Z

Inspiration. Yes, like so many others, I am a child born into the late 70’s, coming of age in the late 80’s and early 90’s, without his father in the home. And while I cannot say that rap raised me, I can say that I was one of many young boys who borrowed what would become their own postures and mannerisms, from their favorite wordsmith.

The first time I heard Jay-Z, aka “Jigga”, “Jigga Man”, “Hova the God”, Mr. Sean Carter, I was drawn in, and not from the standpoint of what I spoke to in the previous paragraph, with regards to learning postures and mannerisms. For me, Jay-Z spoke differently. Not only was he cool enough with all of the flashy things that he talked about, to gain my ear; the stories told within the cd casing of “Reasonable Doubt” felt like I was listening to a book, totally not about me; however, bits and pieces of it spoke to some of my own experiences. Couple that with his lyrical precision, and it was one of only three albums I listened to until I left for the Army. The other two belonged to Biggie Smalls and DMX.

I’m 30-something. My father is from a small, but often-known place in southern Virginia. I haven’t seen my father in over a quarter of a century. I grew up feeling almost indifferent about him…