[DISCLAIMER] On his third studio album, Love Story (2015), rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer Yelawolf released the song “Till It’s Gone”, which was produced by WLPWR. On the chorus and hook, Yelawolf sings: Ain’t much I can do, but I do what I can But I’m not a fool, there’s no need to pretend Just because you got yourself in some shit It doesn’t mean I have to come deal with it You handle your own when you become a man And become a man when you handle your

[DISCLAIMER] When practicing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), as the main psychotherapeutic modality I employ for personal and professional care regarding mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”), I reject the notion of human perfection. For context, perfection is defined as the quality or state of being perfect (being entirely without fault or defect). As an example, even if you score a 100 out of a possible 100 points on an examin

[DISCLAIMER] I appreciate that lyricist Awon collaborated with music producer Phoniks on the album Nothing Less (2021). In particular, I reminisce upon the song “Fatherhood”, which was produced by DJ Eveready. Through a mix of various audio samples and Awon’s contribution, the chorus states: Be a father (inspiration when I write, I see my daughter’s eyes) Be a father (resurrect through the birth of my son, and live again) Fatherhood, it ain’t nothin’ like it Baby born, an

[DISCLAIMER] In 1994, the legendary DJ and electronic dance music (EDM) producer Danny Tenaglia remixed the tribal house song “So Get Up” by Underground Sound of Lisbon, written and vocalized by Ithaka Darin Pappas. The lyrics prophetically state: The end of the Earth is upon us Pretty soon, it’ll all turn to dust So get up Forget the past Go outside and have a blast The end of the Earth is upon us Pretty soon, it’ll all turn to dust Go a thousand miles in a

[DISCLAIMER] The American Psychological Association defines knowledge as “the state of being familiar with something or aware of its existence, usually resulting from experience or study” and “the range of one’s understanding or information,” as you’ve just gained knowledge of this definition. In hip hop culture, there’s a popular saying “do the knowledge,” as one source succinctly describes it as “to break down and explore a subject with another person.” For instance, wi

[DISCLAIMER] Lyricist 2Pac released his third studio album, Me Against the World (1995), during my senior year of high school. Per my recollection, my peers who weren’t as focused on rap as I expressed adoration for the album. On it was the track “Dear Mama”, about which one source states: Dedicated to his mother, Afeni Shakur, Shakur [2Pac] details his childhood poverty and his mother’s addiction to crack cocaine, but argues that his love and deep respect for his mother

[DISCLAIMER] I enjoy the album The Dynospectrum (1998) by hip hop collective The Dynospectrum (comprised of lyricists Slug, I Self Divine, Sab the Artist, and Swift—all who performed under the pseudonyms Sep Se7en, Pat Juba, General Woundwart, and Mr. Gene Poole, respectively). Noteworthy, the first song on the anthology is “You Can Lose Your Mind” on which Sep Se7en states, “Became accustomed to carrying weight, and waiting for better days to come, and if they don’t come

[DISCLAIMER] In high school, I had a friend who expressed a desire to one day own a gold-plated handgun. “I’m gonna call you Half Ton [stylized 1/2 Ton], because that shit’s gonna weigh about half a ton,” I laughed and responded. From then on, that’s how I’ve referred to him. Recently, when listening to “Solid Gold Guns” by rappers Banish and Conway the Machine, as well as lyricists Recognize Ali and Supreme Cerebral, on German underground hip hop production team Snowgoon

[DISCLAIMER] When dabbling in amateur photography while residing in Bomb City during 2009, I met person X. She was an alternative model, associated with the scene subculture, and someone I once considered a relatively close friend (one attached to another by affection or esteem). To provide an adequate example of our tight bond, when person X told me that she received a death threat of imminent potential, not wanting to involve the police – as was the case with many of my

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Momentix, I heard him spin the track “Body Control” (2025) by T78 and Johannes Schuster. The lyrics repeatedly state, “Let the beat control your body.” Now, the American Psychological Association defines body as “the entire physical structure of an organism, such as the human body,” and defines control as “authority, power, or influence [the power or capacity to cause an effect in indirect or intangi

[DISCLAIMER] When listening to an electronic dance music (EDM) DJ set by Inamar, I heard her spin the song “Delete Time” (2024) by Sevenn and Space Motion. For clarity, to delete is to eliminate, especially by blotting out, cutting out, or erasing. As well, the American Psychological Association defines time as “a concept by which events are ordered into past, present, and future.” When contemplating the concept of deleting time, a psychoeducational lesson on Rational Emo

[DISCLAIMER] I Was Once a Girl Dad, Wife Guy, and Feminist When serving in the United States Marine Corps (1996-2007), I met a female Marine (i.e., woman) who was physically separated from her male Marine husband (i.e., man). Together, they had a daughter (i.e., girl) who was six-months-old at the time when I first met her. After finalizing her divorce, the woman proposed to me and I accepted her hand in marriage (2002). Thus, her daughter became my stepdaughter. Althou

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) was formed by the late psychologist Albert Ellis, who reportedly developed the first cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) psychotherapeutic modality in 1955, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding his book, Ask Albert Ellis?: Straight Answers and Sound Advice from America’s Best-Known Psychologist. Now, as the matter pertains to this blogpost, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines social l

[DISCLAIMER] Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None) – Sexual Assault and Rape When I was in high school, rapper Snoop Dogg released his debut album Doggystyle (1993), which turned out to be a subjectively phenomenal joint serving as a soundtrack to the later portion of my sophomore year. It was a quintessential West Coast hip hop and g-funk classic! Noteworthy, the anthology contained the track “Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None)” which featured the late

[DISCLAIMER] My introduction to gangs and gang sets was in fifth grade, when I was occasionally assaulted and battered by members of the Crips during recess and after school let out for the day. Unlike the common saying “if you can’t beat them, join them,” I simply chose to befriend gang members. In doing so, I was no longer bullied. Then, after having continued friendly relations with the Crips until and throughout high school, I also befriended members of the Bloods and

[DISCLAIMER] In 1989, as a youth, I attended lyricist LL Cool J’s Nitro World Tour, which featured rapper Eazy-E, his group N.W.A, rapper Slick Rick, legendary group De La Soul, and though he was scheduled to perform, rapper Too $hort was unable to attend the Denver, Colorado concert. One of the songs I most looked forward to hearing by Slick Rick was “Hey Young World”, from his debut studio album The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988). I envisioned that the track was

[DISCLAIMER] On Canadian lyricist Classified’s fifth major release, Tomorrow Could Be the Day Things Change (2018), is the song “Accept It”. Personally meaningful, he states on the second verse: He was searching for some work, referred to the reserves Took it further, got deployed to serve his country undeterred His wife worried, crying, when she hugged him and said goodbye Told his kids he had to leave, but they never understood why, no Active duty, overseas, saw some th

[DISCLAIMER] As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) was formed by the late psychologist Albert Ellis, who reportedly developed the first cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) psychotherapeutic modality in 1955, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding his book, Ask Albert Ellis?: Straight Answers and Sound Advice from America’s Best-Known Psychologist. Now, REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate that when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelp