words: swagrporters

Earlier this week, swagrport tweeted about the Silicon Valley investment funder superstar, Ben Horowitz, of Andreessen Horowitz fame, that utilizes a rap music motif in his personal blog. The recurring theme had many Silicon Valley herbs scratching their heads. Why does one of the industries most heralded and successful investors have such a love for hip-hop?

The article goes on to explain that Horowitz, a $15 million investor in RapGenius, developed a love for hip-hop while a college student in New York City. Horowitz appreciated that the music personified life’s struggles, “celebrating having nothing while aspiring to have everything”. He credits LL’s Rock the Bell’s as the turning point that helped his childhood friend, who had been blinded by a gunshot wound to the face, climb out of a dark place. A true ‘Hip-hop saved my life’ story á la Lupe.

Finally, the connection made. The motif explained.

Around the same time that Mr. Horowitz was having his hip-hop ah ha moment (we all have one), Minneapolis based rapper, Slug, was teaming with producer, Ant, to form the rap group Atmosphere. The duo made a name for themselves by heralding life as an everyday, working-class American struggle. They would go on to form their own independent Rhymesayer’s label, putting their money and their mouth in the same place. In the ‘One of a Kind’ track, Atmosphere reaffirms their independent status proclaiming, “F*ck a major label till it limps.” To this day, they continue to be at one with their subject matter and the audience that champions it.

Atmosphere followers have always speculated as to the true meaning of the recurring ‘Lucy’ theme that appears in the names of albums and song titles. Many postulated that the character was a former unresolved love interest à la Eminem and Kim.

In the Felt side-project with Murs, Slug finally explains the Lucy motif in his music on his 20 Answers track. After trading questions back and forth with Slug, Murs asks pointedly, “Who. Is. Lucy?” Slug sheds light on the symbolism: “She’s the extra that gets to play the devil in my movie.” She is the personification of the struggle, the affliction. She is the characterization of his pain.

Slug, who has openly discussed his challenges of growing-up mixed-race and battling with drug and alcohol addictions, has channeled this affliction in one character. And like Ben Horowitz’s childhood friend, hip-hop was instrumental in helping him to surface from the dark.

Now tell me hip-hop isn’t a beautiful art form.