Happy New Year, Readers! We’ve just wrapped up 2023, and as always, most of my resolutions are career-oriented, specifically relating to this platform. Even without dedicating as much time to Spice as I would like (and that’s changing, I swear this time!), my numbers and statistics have continued to make me proud, and I am so thankful that all of you would take the time to read what I have to say. I’m going into 2024 with a reasonably positive mindset. I’m prepared to dedicate my time and energy to growth and development, and so much of that is because I got to cross off a bucket list item right before the year ended.
In December, I returned to India. But this time around, we visited a very special city by the name of Amritsar. Amritsar, which is in Punjab, is home to the Golden Temple, one of the holiest places of worship for Sikhs like myself. While I’m not sure if I’m the most religious of people, I’ve found a lot of comfort and spirituality in my faith. I feel a sense of calm and peace in Gurudwaras, where people of my belief go to pray, and I knew that this pilgrimage would provide me with a few moments of clarity, even if just for a second. And even with the constant foot traffic and the light shoving, everything felt still for a moment.
Spirituality can manifest in so many different forms. It’s something so subjective and personal. For me, spirituality reminds me to breathe. It reminds me to focus on the bigger picture when everything crumbles around me. Spirituality appears to me in the form of my grandparents’ memories, and my mom’s cooking, and Persephone’s soft purrs. Seeing the Golden Temple made me feel similar sentiments, with the added bonus of connecting even deeper with my roots and heritage. In this post, we are going to reevaluate spirituality through the eyes of some of my favorite rappers, illustrating just a few ways to channel it and what it means to us with the help of some of my favorite Hip-Hop lyrics. Hopefully, this post will be a reminder to take a step back, take a deep breath, and walk into 2024 with a refreshed and self-aware mindset.
I often think that the people we lost are most connected to our spiritual journeys, far more than those who play active roles in our lives. As I mentioned, I associate so much of my identity with my grandparents. Although I never met my Nani (maternal grandmother) and spent most of my time away from my Nana (maternal grandfather) since he lived in India, I see them in so many different aspects of my life. I genuinely believe that my body houses much of my Nani’s spirit. I felt closer to my maternal grandparents and their memories because Sahil and I were their only grandchildren. Still, it doesn’t change the sentiment for my Dada (paternal grandfather) and late Dadi (paternal grandmother). In fact, my Dada is my only surviving grandparent, and when I went to see him this past December, he gave me a book dealing with self-awareness and answering many of the world’s critical spiritual questions. Sometimes, he struggled to comprehend who we were when we visited him. It was a 50/50 chance that my Dada would remember who we were. And even then, he knew exactly what I needed during this time of my life. My dad gifted me a plant that ended up being the same one my Dadi would nurture in India, taking care of them with the same love she did for her children. With every leaf that grows, I feel her watching me progress through life, intertwining us from the roots upward. I hold my grandparents close to my physical body, either in the form of tattoos or their jewelry. Mentally, it reminds me of their journeys and how they set me up for my own.
The late Lisa Left Eye Lopes comments on the connection between our loved ones whose physical bodies have left the world with our spiritual paths in her song, “A New Star Is Born.” Throughout the song, she recounts her father’s life and memory, demonstrating how it has shaped her life and continued to prepare her for what is to come. Given her short and tragic life, the haunting motifs are not lost on me. Still, her lyrics continue to illustrate just how spiritually enlightened and misunderstood she was as an artist, even years after her passing. In the song, Left Eye raps, “the day I learned you were gone, a new star was born. Distant voices fill my mind, said look up in the sky, and when I did you were there.” After her father’s death, Left Eye’s father took the form of something we look to for guidance and tranquility. The stars help direct us, playing a significant role in our destiny. He ensured he would be a part of hers, even if physically absent. She continues, “first of all, I give you my thanks for preparing me to be open and free. I release my mind, releasin’ my soul, release the courage to break the mold. Release my record 20 million sold. Release my pops, you’re free to go. Create a new galaxy, yes dad, you’ll still be right next to me.” Her father’s transition aided in her own, encouraging her to put herself at the forefront and prioritize her own freedom and happiness over the material and physical things that were only withholding her from becoming even more extraordinary.
When I connect with myself spiritually, I feel so much more empowered. Sometimes, I can have a turbulent relationship with myself, nit-picking at all my flaws and mistakes. However, when I feel more connected with the world and beauty around me, I give myself much more grace. I allow myself to simply exist, reminding myself with every step I take that, at the end of the day, I’m a human being with imperfections that make me who I am. A beautiful example occurs in Ms. Jill Scott’s “One Is The Magic #.” Throughout the song, she concludes that no matter the circumstance, we always have ourselves. She ends the first verse by singing, “so many times I define my pride through somebody else’s eyes. Then I looked inside and found my own stride. I found the lasting love for me. If I am searching for my spirituality passionately, I must begin with me.” I’ve always detested the idea that we can’t love others until we love ourselves. It took me so long to be close to at peace with myself, yet nothing felt better than showering others with love. But I am learning now that when you have a good relationship with yourself, you won’t care how it’s reciprocated as much. You’re less likely to crave validation and the approval of others. Instead, you’re more likely to advocate for yourself and demand more respect, and if that doesn’t happen, you keep it moving. And even with these beautiful, flourishing relationships, there’s no one you’ll want to spend time with as much as yourself. Because at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, the one person who will always show up and be there for you, is you.
It’s not uncommon for artists to connotate spirituality with wisdom, especially beyond what we can solely learn through textbooks or trial and error on the streets. In Hip-Hop, spiritual wisdom is a plane that we all strive for. Talib Kweli is a fantastic example. Sometimes, his thoughts are outlandish and misinterpreted because of his ego and delivery. But with that being said, his rhymes discuss themes of spirituality frequently. Although I can’t entirely agree with a lot of what he says, I do believe he always aimed for that spiritual enlightenment, hoping to communicate what he learned through his lyrics. One short example is in his song, “Je Dois Partir,” where he raps, “They value people for paper, like animals for they hides. And the battle cry, is that there’s value in their lives. Spirituality over money is where our power lives.” Much of this song has underlying themes of racial dynamics, with the ‘they’ referring to wealthy white people. Spirituality is something more associated with older cultures, including Indian and African traditions, to name just a few. While it is becoming more mainstream in Western cultures, spirituality was such a guiding force and nature for some of our roots that it is our strength. It helps us view things from perspectives that only some have always had access to, simply because of the cultural relevance of spirituality as an educational and mental tool.
Jurassic 5 took on a much more visual approach in their track “Action Satisfaction.” In the song, Chali 2na raps, “But now my rhymes open brims of spirituality. We be giving power that you can share with your family. Aerodynamically cutting through danger, ripping your narrow mentality, nothing but flavor.” We underestimate just how much of a spiritual awakening music can provide, and old school Hip-Hop pioneered that. Songs like Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” go down in history for its lyrical ability to expose flawed issues within societal issues like systematic racism. It helped empower the masses by giving them the courage to speak up and fight back. In this song, Jurassic 5 reiterates how impactful it can be to use music for educational purposes, using lyrical content to expose topics to the masses far beyond what school curriculums could teach. By “[opening] brims of spirituality,” we can gain perspective on essential matters and widen our scope.
Another group of old-school legends, Arrested Development, broached the idea of spiritual learning in their song “United Minds.” The group makes their point that spiritual enlightenment helps to better society by creating a mindset that we must care for others and partake in volunteering and activism. This point hits home as it’s a fundamental property of my belief system, Sikhism. They begin by rapping, “Let’s give props where due, if it was you wouldn’t you want to know that someone cares for what you do? So let’s show political prisoners, homeless humans, organizations, various movements, that the people in America have some discipline to act on their belief therefore stress activism. Although you are only one person, if for truth you still thirst, well thirst then, make the difference by joining some organization or some movement.” They continue rapping, “Social medicine’s the answer/pure ways of living is not hippish. It’s not white not black it’s just conscious, conscious of your health, conscious of your soul, instead of being so damn conscious of your wealth, or lack of so.” Rather than living solely for ourselves, we can learn a lot about our purpose in life by living for others. When we help those living below our own means rather than focusing on what we don’t have, we gain even more fulfillment and enlightenment. Wealth is not determined by money, and even then, it should not create a hierarchy of life. We all deserve kindness and comfort, and by remembering that, we will learn so much about others and ourselves. They end the song by rhyming, “Traditional societies and islanders, please retain your culture and don’t give up. Don’t you understand we must understand this if we want to live in bliss?” Much like the Talib Kweli track, Arrested Development recognizes that a lot of these practices that help us lead spiritually whole lives stem from cultures outside of the American way. By learning and appreciating them, we can respect them far more and even adopt some of their ideologies that can better the world.
Kanye West’s career after “Never Let Me Down” and that era of his music is a heart-breaking example of what happens when we lose touch with our spiritual selves and feed into our demons. This song demonstrates an individual spiritually in touch with himself and the world. Yet, his music, which claims to root itself in spirituality and religion, showcases a man so lost and confused. In the song, Kanye bears his vulnerable side when he raps, “We are all here for a reason, on a particular path. You don’t need a curriculum to know that you a part of the math. Cats think I’m delirious but I’m so damn serious, that’s why I expose my soul to the globe, the world. I’m trying to make it better for these little boys and girls.” One common theme in these songs is to think globally rather than just from an American perspective, which is such a typical American practice. By opening our eyes to other cultures, religions, and types of people, we can focus on the essential things that matter and attempt to put aside our privilege. Similarly, we find value in our lives by recognizing that we all have a role in this world. He then raps, “Determination, dedication, motivation, I’m talking to you of my many inspirations. When I say I can’t let you or self down, if I were on the highest cliff, on the highest riff, and you slipped off the side and clinched on to your life, in my grip, I would never, ever let you down. And when these words are found, let it be known that God’s penmanship has been signed with a language called love. That’s why my breath is felt by the deaf, and while my words are heard and confined to the ears of the blind, I, too, dream in color and in rhyme.” This verse, which utilizes the skills of J Ivy’s lyricism, leaves me with goosebumps. It is so necessary to live a life where you can recognize how your actions impact the world and people around you. You start being far more intentional with your behaviors. You worry about your loved ones. You make it your mission to discover your purpose and use that to make the world just a little bit better.
Although Kanye may have started to follow a different path, Kendrick Lamar is one artist who discovered the importance of his lyrics and stuck true to them. As another artist who raps a lot about finding your way spiritually, Kendrick is fantastic at explaining things that may hinder finding yourself spiritually but also things that may help connect you to yourself as well. In “Momma,” Kendrick repeats that “[he knows] everything,” including “morality,” “spirituality,” “good and bad health,” “street shit/shit that’s conscious,” “how people work,” “the price of life,” and the list goes on. That is until he truly recognizes “[he] didn’t know shit, the day [he] came home.” Now, this part is open to interpretation, as some people have thought of home as representing either his mom, his home in Compton, or his motherland of Africa. Either way, each of these people and places had a way of humbling him into realizing that, just maybe, he didn’t know everything like he thought he did. He says, “But never mind, you’re here right now, don’t you mistake it. It’s just a new trip, take a glimpse of your family ancestor, make a new list of everything you thought was progress.” Rather than harboring all the things you don’t know, open up your mind to the world of possibilities of what you could learn. Utilize your resources, and take the time to evaluate your journey to make sure you are still on your path. He ends the song by saying, “I can attempt to elighten you without frightenin’ you. If you resist, I’ll back off quick, go catch a flight or two. But if you pick destiny over rest-in-peace, then be an advocate, tell your homies, especially, to come back home.” To be in touch with yourself spiritually, you have to be open to it. It takes a lot of confronting yourself to get to that point, and if you resist it, you’ll find yourself stumped. But by giving in, you can live your best possible life, and take your loved ones with you.
Some artists have also used the idea of spirituality to describe it as a lifestyle that combats the violent and rugged lifestyle often mentioned in rap lyrics. For instance, in Talib Kweli’s “Manage Your Anger,” Talib raps, “some will rap between a rock and a hard place. Torn between spirituality and the lifestyles to partake in. Trust, my adrenaline rush like a car chase. Flames bust out the neck when I’m speedin’ up my heart race. Tryin’ to find a dark place for me to pull my songs out of, inspiration based on things I ain’t proud of.” According to Talib, things would be far easier if one lived a spiritual life. By opting not to, he is creating a dangerous and unhealthy life. But unfortunately, that’s what gets people excited, and as a result, it’s the one he chooses. In “Live Fast Die Young,” Jim Jones also spends the bulk of his time glorifying an exciting life of drugs, violence, and crime. However, by the end of the song, he has a change of heart. He ends the track by saying, “We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with our higher power. As we understood him praying only for knowledge of his will for Us, and the power to carry that out, step twelver. Having has a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.” Through healthy habits like prayer and meditation, you can live a more mindful life that helps eradicate detrimental behaviors. In following it, you can trickle these practices down the totem pole, improving society overall.
Other artists, however, view spirituality more as a calling or a state of being. In their eyes, it’s far more deeply rooted and less selected. Nujabes creates a beautiful example in the song, “Luv(sic) Part 2.” In the song, he poetically says, “From the heavens where light is the nucleus to this space filled with darkness and negative matter. Anti-gravity pull is what I would rather feel when I leave this shell eventually. Ties to the mother earth ground me mentally, real vibes will keep me alive spiritually.” The scientific diction creates importance around spirituality that classifies it as something as decided as gravity. Even if our bodies are lifted into the atmosphere, our organic matter and spirits are what truly connect us to the world and are what will remain no matter what happens to us.
The Gorillaz, however, contradict this idea that spirituality is considered concrete and factual in their song, “Clint Eastwood.” They instead view spirituality on a fantastical sphere, “like you lit the fuse/fictional/mystical? Maybe, spiritual hero, who appears in you to clear your view when you’re too crazy? Lifeless to those, the definition for what life is, priceless to you.” Although spirituality helps cleanse your thoughts and similarly roots you back to the Earth and reality, it’s thought of as something only we can perceive internally. I agree, as we all have different demons that need to be fought in different ways. Gang Starr also views spirituality as something that helps counteract crazy by repeatedly referring to spirituality as aiding in reality. For example, in the song, “Next Time,” they rap, “With me it’s do or die for this, sreet knowledge, intellect and spirituality. My survival package, as I deal with reality.” They separate street smarts, intelligence, and spirituality as different realms, all required to remain grounded.
One difficulty I ran into with this post was that I wanted to separate religion and spirituality. That was extremely tricky. Many songs viewed them as one and the same, especially in contexts of religions that were quite different from my own and my upbringing, making it a bit tricky to relate to. I even find myself confused by my own beliefs, as I follow Sikhism more for spiritual guidance than religious. Sometimes, it makes me wonder what exactly the difference is. Then I realize it doesn’t matter as long as what you’re following provides you peace and comfort. My favorite example is in Dax’s “Dear God,” where he pens the idea, “I don’t want religion, I need that spirituality. I don’t want a church, I need people to call a family. I don’t wanna tell my sins to another sinner, just because he’s got a robe and he went to some academy.” Organized religion can make it challenging to follow a flexible belief system that adapts to your own ideologies. However, spirituality is far more personalized, allowing you to find what works best for your lifestyle and mentality to help you live your best life.
Embracing a more spiritual lifestyle and mindset has helped me find clarity when I often feel in the dark. Although I gained a lot of insight through a religious experience, the spiritual outlook helped me embrace it for what it was. Remember that spirituality is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It is meant to bring you whatever you need to live your most impactful and fulfilled life, nourishing your mind, body, and soul. I hope your 2024 is packed with personal growth and development, even if in small strides.
Spice on the Beat 