There’s so much they didn’t teach us in school. We picked up a few important lessons from watching The Jerk (The Lord loves a working man, don’t trust whitey), but for the most part, we were left in the dark. Luckily for us, there was old school rap to fill in all the blanks the teacher wouldn’t or simply couldn’t fill in for us.
What we’ve come up with here is a little musical guidebook for life. We defy you to find a problem you’ll encounter in your day-to-day life that isn’t covered in this list.
We’ve never once used Algebra, but many a time we’ve been stuck, wondering “Is it OK to kick it? I’m just not sure!”
Find out the answer to that and the rest of the important things we learned in The 12 Best Lessons Hip Hop Taught Us About Life.
12. Never Let Me Slip, ‘Cause If I Slip, Then I’m Slippin.
The teacher: Dr. Dre
The lesson:
11. It Takes Two to Make a Thing Go Right
The teacher: Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
The lesson: Whatever the hell you’re doing over there right now, if you’re doing it all by your lonesome, then you’re doing it wrong!
10. Strawberry! Strawberry! Is the Neighbourhood Ho.
The teacher: NWA
The lesson: Stay as far away as possible from Strawberry. If you don’t, you’ll find out all about CWA (Crabs With Attitude).
9. It’s Tricky to Rock a Rhyme, to Rock a Rhyme That’s Right on Time.
The teacher: Run DMC.
The lesson: Be all you can be. Being this perfect ain’t easy!
8. Can I Kick It? Yes, You Can!
The Teacher: A Tribe Called Quest.
The lesson: No matter where you are, or who you’re with, or what you’re doing… it’s always the right time to kick it!
7. Don’t Believe the Hype
The teacher: Public Enemy
The lesson: Don’t be a sucker. Other life lessons from P.E.: 911 is a joke, and no matter what, you Can’t Truss It.
6. You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party
The teacher: The Beastie Boys
The lesson: When they outlaw partying, only outlaws will party.
5. Ain’t No Half Steppin
The Teacher: Big Daddy Kane.
The lesson: Do everything with the whole of your ass. Big Daddy made it all the way. You know how stupid it would sound if he was just “Medium Daddy Kane,” don’t you?
4. You Can’t Touch This
The teacher: MC Hammer
The lesson: Back the hell off. You’re all up in my personal space.
3. You Ain’t Fresh
The teacher: Boogie Boys
The lesson: Son, you’re trying too hard. Like Louis Armstrong once said, if we have to explain it to you, you’ll never know.
2. I get paid to do the wild thing
The teacher: Tone Loc
The lesson: Your broke ass ain’t getting anywhere near this. You’d better get a job.
1. You Gots to Chill!
The teacher: EPMD
The lesson: Yo, everyone just chill the hell out. I got this.
Want some more? Check out these other posts:
The 10 Best Dance Moves in Hip Hop History
DJ Jazzy Jeff: Too Gangsta for Kansas City
Who’s Down with GOP? The Top 5 Conservative Raps
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