Perhaps one of the greatest hip-hop albums of the last decade is The Documentary by West Coast rapper, The Game. One of the stand-out tracks on that LP is “Dreams”. Marking his first collaboration with Kanye West on production, Game masterfully narrates the story of his difficult journey and dreams to become a rap legend while at the same time paying tribute to fallen icons like Aaliyah, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, The Notorious B.I.G, Tupac and even Martin Luther King Jr. All these people went from nothing to something because they had a dream and they pursued it viciously till they saw it come to life.
Granted, “Dreams” is an expletives-laden rap song (typical of a lot of commercial rap in that sense) and, though it’s a really deep and sometimes moving track, I also wouldn’t let my kid listen to it. But the message is pretty sharp and clear: if you have a dream, don’t give up on it. Regardless of wherever we find ourselves in lives, our dreams should be so powerful – and our tenacity to see them fulfilled so great – that nothing can stop us.
What have you given up on in life? Remember that your dreams will always face stiff opposition and certainly won’t be handed to you on a silver platter. Remember also that the bigger the dream, the bigger the wars you may have to fight.
Stay strong, hang in there and achieve your dreams.