Some Heartfelt Hip-Hop for the Steem community!

Peace Steemians,

This is my first post on Steem but this is honestly the type of content I plan on sharing with the Steem community. I am a Hip-Hop generation educator and I love to share and use the BEST of Hip-Hop culture to inspire reflection and thought in my high school students.

Last week one of my students came to me and was like, "Yooo! Mr. Cook you have to hear this track!" Yeah, my students know I am the type of teacher who will actually listen to their music especially when it is thought provoking. I was so moved by the track that I shared it with nearly all of my media literacy classes as the warm up for the day. This track definitely started some deep conversations and discussions about how young people feel and reflect on the behaviors of their parents.

The track is "Just Like You" by Joyner Lucas, an MC making major waves in Hip-Hop with his superior lyrical abilities and dope story telling. I will provide some additional video below that will give you a feel for his skills. Joyner Lucas is a candidate for the 2017 XXL Freshman of the Year and despite being an underdog, he is making a strong [campaign for the 10th spot] (http://freshman.xxlmag.com/10th-spot/). So check out this track and some of JL's other work and let's kick-off a discussion.

Joyner Lucas "Ross Capicchioni" - Now this track is a based on the true story of Ross Capicchioni a kid from Detroit who nearly lost life by trusting and hanging with the wrong person. This story of betrayal and wickedness is told from both perspectives, that of the victim and the victimizer. The videography is well executed and really highlights how much emphasis Joyner Lucas put's into his concepts.

Joyner Lucas "Backwords" - Lyrical skills and creativity on full display here. No he is not rapping backwords but the lyrics in each verse can be spit from the last line to the last line and then rapped from the last line to the first line and they still make sense. Probably one of the most creative tracks in Hip-Hop in a long time, kind of reminds me of Nas' Rewind but JL approached it differently, less story-telling but a dope creative move nonetheless.

Check out Joyner's interview on the Breakfast Club where he goes in detail about his career, influences and his approach to his artistry. Also here is [Joyner Lucas' SoundCloud] (https://soundcloud.com/realjoynerlucas).