When a person grows up in a certain area, they often become a product of their environment. So when you grow up surrounded by gangs, drugs and murders, it becomes easy to get involved. The question that is being asked in this essay is “Can one just live?” That is what rapper, Jay-Z asked his audience on his song, “Can I Live” off of his first album Reasonable Doubt released in 1996.
In the song, Jay-Z raps about the neighborhood he grew up in and how his surroundings had changed him for the worse. Unlike Greg, Jay-Z was pulled into the harsh lifestyle of the projects. This relates to the theme of The Race when Greg discusses how he was raised in a rough neighborhood and had to work harder than most to strive for his goals while staying out of the negativity that stood before him. Unfortunately Jay-Z was not as lucky as Greg to have stayed out of the trouble but he did still have to work very hard to become the artist he is today. In The Race Greg wrote, “Keep ya eyes on the prize, never sell out or compromise,” explaining to you that in order to reach your destination in life, you cannot be inattentive. “Can I Live,” relates to this because Jay-Z said, “I keep my head, both of them where they supposed to be, h**s will get ya sidetracked then clapped from closed feet. I don’t sleep I’m tired. I feel wired like codeine,” explaining that you cannot mind the people around you because there will be others listening that want your fortune without actually working for it themselves and that even though it may seem too hard at times, it can be done. This can also be related to The Race when Greg wrote, “Avoid the approach of a coach named Jealousy and a trainer named Envy.” They relate to each other because they are saying that to obtain your wants or even stay alive for that matter, you must stay focused.
Another reason why this song relates to The Race is because they both talk about how though they were living in struggle that would not be enough from accomplishing their dreams in the end. This is evident because in the beginning of The Race Greg wrote, “Step two, I need ya’ll to be careful of who’s runnin’ with you, ‘cus if they ain’t positive you need to sprint and leave your crew,” implying that if the people you spend your time with are holding you back from succeeding in life, you should separate yourself from them as fast as possible. In “Can I Live” Jay-Z said, “Lock my body can’t trap my mind,” which is followed by, “My mind is infested, with sick thoughts that circle like a Lexus, if driven wrong is sure to hurt you.” Lastly, on the final line of the song he said, “Dreams of getting’ cream, lets do this, it gets tedious, so I keep one eye open like C-B-S, you see me stress right? Can I Live?” This relates to theme of The Race because the message that both Greg and Jay-Z are trying to convey is that you have to let go of the people and the things around you that weigh you down from achieving the dreams in your life.
In the song, Jay-Z raps about the neighborhood he grew up in and how his surroundings had changed him for the worse. Unlike Greg, Jay-Z was pulled into the harsh lifestyle of the projects. This relates to the theme of The Race when Greg discusses how he was raised in a rough neighborhood and had to work harder than most to strive for his goals while staying out of the negativity that stood before him. Unfortunately Jay-Z was not as lucky as Greg to have stayed out of the trouble but he did still have to work very hard to become the artist he is today. In The Race Greg wrote, “Keep ya eyes on the prize, never sell out or compromise,” explaining to you that in order to reach your destination in life, you cannot be inattentive. “Can I Live,” relates to this because Jay-Z said, “I keep my head, both of them where they supposed to be, h**s will get ya sidetracked then clapped from closed feet. I don’t sleep I’m tired. I feel wired like codeine,” explaining that you cannot mind the people around you because there will be others listening that want your fortune without actually working for it themselves and that even though it may seem too hard at times, it can be done. This can also be related to The Race when Greg wrote, “Avoid the approach of a coach named Jealousy and a trainer named Envy.” They relate to each other because they are saying that to obtain your wants or even stay alive for that matter, you must stay focused.
Another reason why this song relates to The Race is because they both talk about how though they were living in struggle that would not be enough from accomplishing their dreams in the end. This is evident because in the beginning of The Race Greg wrote, “Step two, I need ya’ll to be careful of who’s runnin’ with you, ‘cus if they ain’t positive you need to sprint and leave your crew,” implying that if the people you spend your time with are holding you back from succeeding in life, you should separate yourself from them as fast as possible. In “Can I Live” Jay-Z said, “Lock my body can’t trap my mind,” which is followed by, “My mind is infested, with sick thoughts that circle like a Lexus, if driven wrong is sure to hurt you.” Lastly, on the final line of the song he said, “Dreams of getting’ cream, lets do this, it gets tedious, so I keep one eye open like C-B-S, you see me stress right? Can I Live?” This relates to theme of The Race because the message that both Greg and Jay-Z are trying to convey is that you have to let go of the people and the things around you that weigh you down from achieving the dreams in your life.
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