Wasn’t born hustlers

One of my favorite albums by the rapper Jay-Z is “Blueprint”. I was eight years old when I first listened to it. Even though I was so young listening to that album, I resonated with a lot of the songs and lyrics on the album.

One song on that album that I liked a lot is called “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”. It had a catchy hook and good lyrics. The lyrics in that song that always stood out to me the most was when Jay- Z says “Wasn’t born hustlers, I was birthing ’em”.

In the book “Decoded” Jay -Z explains a lot of the lyrics in his songs. Regarding the “Wasn’t born hustlers, I was birthing ’em” lyrics, Jay-Z explains hustling and the nature of passing the skills down to the younger generation. He says: “They know that if they find the right kid, they can put him under their tutelage and he’ll get it fast, step right into the rhythm of the life. If that sounds predatory, it’s because recruiting new workers is one of the most predatory aspects of the game. When you’re doing it, it’s hard to see it that way because everyone comes into the game as a recruit – including the ones who eventually become recruiters.”

I think this explains all of the youth. None of us are born hustlers, or delinquents, or even doctors or lawyers. We are nurtured into these things from our support systems and environment. The kid who was turned into a hustler and is in the streets could have been the same kid that became a doctor or engineer or politician, etc.

We all have influence on the youth and each other. It’s ok to “birth hustlers” as long as it’s doing something positive.

I graduated from college as well as played football professionally because when I was a kid, I was put in the right environments to develop my skills athletically & academically, and also develop my morals and values. I was put into sports. The importance of education was emphasized. I went to church/Bible school three days a week. Not all of my peers were fortunate enough to have that. They may have had other influences around them, causing them to go down a different path.

I don’t think it’s ever too late to change though. Although, it is better to change and help the kid before they are negatively influenced and make a fatal error in life.

Make sure you are being a positive influence for the youth as well a positive influence for your peers. Also, make sure you are around others that are “birthing” you into something positive and purposeful in life. It’s possible.