Can Rap Be Educational?

Can Rap be educational? A geeky writer’s editorial

Most people when they are asked what would be considered intellectual music most would point to classical, country, or pop, but what if there are unorthodox genres that fit this mold? One person in the r ap industry who goes by Boyinaband, David ‘Dave’ Brown has put a lot of thought and care into many of his tracks that leave the listener feeling heard, represented, or at the very least, as if they are not alone; one track that is synonymous with making others aware is a track titled ‘Don’t Stay In School’, which has been covered quite a few times by Brown on his YouTube channel, so I will be discussing some of his lesser-known songs.

First is a song that many fans claim as an anthem for the LGBTQIA+ community called ‘Spectrum’ in which Brown enlists the help of fellow YouTuber friends Minx, a lesbian, and Cryaotic, a pansexual man, to share their experiences of identifying with their true selves when it might have seemed risky that are expressed in the lyrics before the chorus starting with the former. Her lines “You love her/Don’t ever feel you should apologize/Can’t control your feelings or compromise/I know it’s hard to find your guiding light right now/but you’ll come out alive” in the face of parents who are in the past with their mindset might kick her out. For the latter, he would literally be given hell for fancying others regardless of pronoun usage and with a threat of violence that could come, so while it ate him up inside the information of his sexuality stayed a secret.

He realized, logically, he had to “step back from the situation/the world’s not a movie, it’s not fiction/you can’t think “Say it, they’ll accept you”/some people kick you down because you’re different”, which is one of the leading reasons as to why people in the community keep quiet for so long about their preferences. Unless you think they won’t attack at all. The overlying message delivered through this song is for those who are LGBTQIA+ members not to feel pressured to come out if they happen to be in an unaccepting environment since that does not invalidate anyone’s identity, to hold on until they are in a safer environment, and that these issues being faced are only temporary; the most profound of this song is acknowledging that you can choose your friends and family if the ones you have currently are not accepting for some reason, which reinforces that these “issues are temporary” according to the song itself.

Another on Brown’s discography is titled ‘You Look Like A Girl’, which is sort of a diss track aimed at people who call him slurs for having abnormally long hair, but he also uses this particular rap to also address how people who bully based on stereotypes are insecure with a focus on fragile masculinity and need to take a step back. The underlying message is also acceptance like the previous song, but not just to others. A line early on in the lyrics states to whoever is listening may have “some internal conflict”, which combines with a later claim made by Dave that he’s seen as a “threat to gender identity” for his style, which would be a projection of self-loathing from the person targeting him based on appearance. His sarcastic “You can’t tell the girls from the boys it’s a travesty! h no, now you’ll have to judge them on their personality!” is not only a self-defensive line, but one that goes so far as to protect those who are gender nonconforming as he also later calls out that gender archetypes in judging a person are not entirely right reasons and compares gender normative values are crumbling like a cake. “If I didn’t like someone’s look I’d accept it’s their choice and just listen to what their message is”, the final lyric, sums up that this song is double-sided and is not only about his own image.

Another song that has had quite an effect on listeners is a song titled “Empty” that David does in collaboration with another YouTuber, JaidenAnimations, or Jaiden as is her legal name over the sensitive topic of facing eating disorders since his musical guest had suffered from both anorexia and bulimia. They even included a method that is quite a common practice among people who deal with these disorders called body checking with the lines “Arms, back, neck, thighs/Suck it in and pinch my sides/The mirror is betraying me/The mirror is a lie.” to emphasize, along with other instances throughout the rap, that it is not only about weight, but the person wanting to control their body instead of listening to it, which is quite a nice touch along with the storyline that accompanies it via the music video. Though Jaiden wanted to so badly, while facing this mental illness, wanted to push against listening to her mind and trusting her body, which she would eventually learn how to do despite an inner voice trying to convince her to “bite your tongue” when she wanted to eat or try and convince her “just fill up on water and shame/no, I’m not hungry/I just ate” with “every calorie a failure” in the eyes of this disorder. ‘Empty’ speaks volumes of how a victim of this sickness was able to overcome the urges when she could have instead ended up a statistic and no longer endure the never-ending ache of anorexia. 

While there are many others that discuss a variety of subjects, a final song that is important to note among these is one called “I’m Not Dead”, which while not stated out-right does hint at Brown’s own fight with depression and a distaste for how such a slump has sucked the marrow out of his life’s bones. From lyrics that can be shared among others who suffer from the same mental illness of “I feel alone/I know I’m not/I used to talk to lots of people/Lately I’ve stopped” to more specific signs of his own struggle of feeling as if he is not good enough at composing, claiming “I’m pretty good at like 20 different skill sets/At the expense of never being great at any one of them” even though his music has made a difference in those who have found him.

These inside glimpses were quite bold since discussing depression can come off, unfortunately, taboo he also allowed himself to be vulnerable in a different way than expressed through ‘You Look Like A Girl’, coming to conclusions on what could be done to try and combat these slumps with how “I still think I can get better/I still think I can create and get pleasure from it/I’ll keep aiming to make my emotions and logic agree/And become the best version of me” declaring that he also doesn’t want to stop, which hits home earlier lines of “I’m not fixed, but I’m not giving up yet.” which could imply a desire for death, but wanting to persist despite being plagued with this internal conflict. 

David’s musical ability has gone above the expectation of what rap is expected to be in subject and style alike, which leaves an opening for more like-minded individuals to bring up issues through a universal form of media most, if not all, people indulge. If he should return to making music from a self-prescribed break there is no doubt that the envelope will continue to be pushed with his eloquent crafting of words with the assistance of audio manipulation that will get more conversations started.

All of these songs and more can be found on his YouTube channel, Boyinaband, as well as his website boyinaband.bandcamp.com where the tracks are available for purchase along with Spotify and Apple Music. 

Written by Mordecai Russell