5 Most Stoic Rap bars
Stoicism is a philosophy which originated in ancient Greece and most commonly associated with the writings of famous Roman stoics such as Marcus Aurelius and Seneca. Rap is a genre of music originating in the Bronx of New York, in the early 1970’s. What do the two have in common? To be honest, not much. Most rappers have probably never heard of stoicism, but surprisingly they do exhibit a lot of the tenets of stoicism in their verses. Speaking of exhibit, this first stoic verse is from Xzibit himself:
Ain’t a damn thing promised to ya
Except livin your life, and dyin one day, I’m just bein honest to ya…
Somewhere in the heart of man (somewhere, within, somewhere)
There comes a time when he must understand (when he must understand)
The strong withstand, the weak will fall
Cause tomorrow may not come at all…
Life ain’t long, it’s more like a snapshot
You can have the top, I live for the hop
Never take a day I’m breathin on this planet for granted…
Time is of essence especially when you’re countin your blessings
Like any good stoic, Xzibit does not fear death and is aware of the mortality of man. Here, Xzibit expresses the concept of Memento mori to the modern masses. Memento mori in Latin means “Rember death” or “Remember that you will die”. During the parades of victorious Roman generals, servants would continually whisper “Memento mori” to the generals. This was done traditionally in order to keep their egos grounded. Wouldn’t you love having Xzibit whisper these verses into your ear, after a work promotion or some sporting achievement?
If they fuck me over
Then I’ma be thankful
Revealin’ your true colours
Imma say thank you
Fuck ’em off, cut you off quicker than I met you
In this hook, Bexey shows indifference in the face of betrayal from his homies. He will even be thankful to his enemies for showing their true colours and be able to move on unperturbed with his duty of spitting fire bars.
Nah, that’s not me
Act like a wasteman? That’s not me
Sex any girl? Nah that’s not me
Lips any girl? Nah that’s not me
Yeah, I used to wear Gucci
I put it all in the bin cause that’s not me
True, I used to look like you
But dressing like a mess? Nah, that’s not me
Skepta knows his morals and avoids pursuing hedonistic pleasures such as romantic flings. When it comes to clothing Skepta hit it on the nose: In Letters from a Stoic Seneca wrote, “…similarly, only an absolute fool values a man according to his clothes, or according to his social position, which after all is only something that we wear like clothing.” (Damn, with this kind of fire Seneca could have been a battle-rapper)
I’m so fuckin’ sick and tired of the Photoshop
Show me somethin’ natural like afro on Richard Pryor
Show me somethin’ natural like ass with some stretchmarks
Kendrick appreciates the beauty in all things natural. Like Marcus Aurelius, Kendrick appreciates the beauty in Nature’s inadvertence: The stretch marks are like the cracks in bread which form when baking in the oven. Unintentional and yet pleasing to us (full quote in the footnote).
Ask me if I give a fuck about a diss, ay
Ask me if I give a fuck about a clique, yuh
Ask me if I give a fuck about fame, yuh
Recently I just don’t give a fuck about a thing, ay
Here GHOSTEMANE portrays the key defining feature of any stoic i.e. complete indifference to any petty issues or adversary. Ataraxia, is the word ancient Greek would use to describe this state of serene calmness and impassiveness.
To conclude, I understand that if we look at these bars in the context of the rest of the song there meaning may change or may only appear like a drop in a pool of hedonistic and sexist verses. Nonetheless, it is interesting to inspect these lines in a vacuum and take them for face value. I hope that the next time you hear a rap song you’ll be able to catch some nugget of stoic philosophy. What are some other stoic bars that you’ve heard?
Footnote:
“We should remember that even Nature’s inadvertence has its own charm, its own attractiveness. The way loaves of bread split open on top of the oven, the ridges are just by-products of baking, and yet pleasing, somehow; they rouse our appetite without knowing why.
Or how ripe figs begin to burst.
And olives on the point of falling: the shadow of decay gives them a peculiar beauty.
Stalks of wheat bending under their own weight. The furrowed brow of a lion. Flecks of foam on the boar’s mouth.
And other things. If you look at them in isolation there’s nothing beautiful about them, and yet by supplementing nature they enrich it and draw us in. And anyone with a feeling for nature — a deeper sensitivity — will find it all gives pleasure. Even what seems inadvertent. He’ll find the jaws of wild animals as beautiful as painted ones or sculptures. He’ll look calmly at the distinct beauty of the old age in men, women, and at the loveliness of children. And other things like that will call out to him constantly — things unnoticed by others. Things seen only by those at home with Nature and its works.” — Meditations, Marcus Aurelius