Hip-hop taught a lot of us a lot of things growing up if you listen to the content of the song. That's why a lot of music is getting so criticized because it's not really a message to a lot of songs that are coming out. You pretty much find a nice beat and just dance around or just have something to listen to when you go to the club. That's why I tend to listen to a lot of songs that came out in the 90's because there's a lot of content in the songs that came out around that time frame. One of the songs that I listen to a lot lately is the Ten Crack Commandments by The Notorious B.I.G.
Before I say anything else about this song, I just want to express that music is how you interpret it and that can be a lot of different things to a lot of different people. So I want to give a disclaimer that the lyrics are a little graphic, but just deal with it or go back to the main blog page. This song is important to a lot of black males because it taught us some valuable lessons about life when we didn't know too much. I'm going to break down each commandment and what it means to me. So let me jump right into it now that you have that little background:
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"Never let no one know how much dough you hold, cause you know the cheddar breed jealousy, 'specially if that man fucked up, get your ass stuck up." | Basically don't let everyone dig in your pocket and know how much money you make. Time and time again I find people always trying to decipher how much money I have and where it's coming from so they can either stick their hand out looking for an offering or they always want to throw it in your face when they think you can afford something or you can't. Either way, don't let people know how much money you have because at the end of the day it'll only bring more headaches than anything.
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"Never let em know your next move. Don't you know Bad Boys move in silence or violence." | This is one of my main rules for the simple fact that people talk much and jealously is a very real thing. People will want to know every single move you make in life just so they can talk about it with other people, period. I learned that real quick when I told one person one thing and then another person I hadn't talked to in months came up to me asking me questions about said subject. At that moment I developed that "keep it close to the chest" mentality. I don't like people's need to always be in someone else's business for the sake of having something to talk about. I mean there are a few people that I can tell things to, but that's about it, no need for the whole world to know your every single move.
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"Never trust no-bo-dy. Your moms'll set that ass up, properly gassed up, hoodie to mask up, shit, for that fast buck. She be layin in the bushes to light that ass up." | This may seem pretty harsh to some, but it makes sense when you have to build yourself up from nothing. Time and time again when I found myself down and out early in my life I rarely found help from the people that should have been helping me. Thus when I got to my older age, I tended to lean on my own merits and I developed a knack for pulling myself out of holes that were created from extenuating circumstances. I still have problems today, and I still pull myself out of tough spots, but I do have help, and those people are greatly appreciated it. But for the most part, this rule is very valid.
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"Know you heard this before, never get high, on your own supply." | Lol if you have a business, it's best to not indulge in whatever you are selling. To me it means to never get too caught up in self because in the end, being wrapped around about how great you are is a downfall that most have run into. Being humble and realizing that you can get better every single day is good enough reason to always be on top of your game. Just look at all the men that became too wrapped up in self and see how they ultimately self destructed. Just saying, being humble isn't such a bad way to go sometimes.
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"Never sell no crack where you rest at, I don't care if they want a ounce, tell em bounce." | Never ever do dirt where you lay your head at, ever. We do a lot of things in our 24hrs, but all of those things should be done away from your home. Where you lay your head at should be the most comfortable place on earth. Now granted there are people, police officers included, that are starting to run up in people's apartments more and more, but still you should at least have the environment where for the most part, no one can come in and disturb. I don't know about you guys, but my home is going to be my castle, and whoever decides to come in there disrupting it, well it's going to be a bad day for them.
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"That god damn credit, dead it. You think a crackhead payin you back, shit forget it." | I was told "If you don't have it to give it, then don't give it. But sometimes even if you do, don't. People rarely value you the good deeds you do for them and they'll keep coming back with their hands held out". Same rules apply here, people will forever ask to borrow something and then not pay it back or create uneasy situations because they think you're going to go all mobster on them and break their knee caps. I always told people when they borrowed something for me to not worried about paying me back because I'm going to ask a favor down the line when I need it, always worked out for me. But for the most part, if you can help it, don't give out any loans for the simple fact they never get paid back.
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"This rule is so underrated, keep your family & business completely separated." | This is so true, this is so damn true. I never ever put my family in my business that deals with my job or my blog because they don't understand either avenue. A lot of things can happen and a lot of unwarranted advice comes up from people looking to be overprotected of you. This kind of goes back to rule number two as well. It's just something unsettling mixing people that are quick to tell you to leave something when it's not working or to tell you it's not that bad. It's a mental thing I suppose as well because family will always push towards decisions that you wouldn't normally make. Granted they may know you better than you know yourself, but for the most part, if you are handling your business, then you won't need to mix them with it.
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"Never keep no weight on you. Them cats that squeeze your guns can hold jobs too." | I take this as never carry cash or anything of value that would cause me to be mad if I got robbed or lost my wallet. I'm always told that I should carry money in my wallet in case my cards don't work or the card machines are down. But something about having money on me doesn't set right. I lost $100 one time and it really sucked because that was a lot of money to me at the time. So now I just do without and I don't really look back anymore. But that can also go for women who stuff any and everything in their purses, be very careful about what you throw in there and forget, never know when you might need it.
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"If niggaz think you snitchin ain't tryin listen, they be sittin in your kitchen, waitin to start hittin." | Pretty simple one here, mind your business and if isn't hurting someone else or a child, then don't go around telling on people. This falls under that minding your own business category. If I have a problem with someone doing something, I'm going to have a little talk with that person and tell them to stop doing it or move somewhere else. After that point we might have a problem, but nine times out of ten we don't because of the respect factor. But at the end of the day, mind your own business because you never know what could come from not doing it.
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"A strong word called consignment, strictly for live men, not for freshmen. If you ain't got the clientele say hell no, cause they gon want they money; rain, sleet, hail, snow." | Never say you're going to do something and then don't. Making empty promises not only make you look very unreliable, it can also make you look like that person no one ever wants to come to for favors or do anything for. If you're going to make a promise and do something you said you're going to do, then do it. Most people make empty promises all of the time, make sure that you are not one of those people.
There you have it, my interpretations of the Ten Crack Commandments. I mean they're pretty straight forward, so there shouldn't be too much confusion about what they mean. But this is just one of many songs that taught me a valuable lesson without me even realizing it. I mean I've never sold drugs or done crack, but it still applied to me, so Biggie is greatly appreciated for throwing this joint together.
Can you relate
to any of these commandments or the song in general? If so, which ones stick
out or apply to you? Leave it in the comments below.
Until next
time guys!
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