SKY'S the LIMIT (another Hip-hop Devotional)

This was inspired after I came from the seeing the movie, NOTORIOUS about the like of Christopher Wallace, known to the world of The Notorious B.I.G. In the movie you saw the life, the struggles and the rise to stardom of a chubby kid from Brooklyn, New York, who had a gift with words and one of the greatest flows hip-hop has ever seen, change the world and put NY back on the map! But more importantly, you see a brother who believed in himself, and while you couldn't tell by many of his actions, believed in God and that no matter how things were stacked up against him, that The Sky's The Limit!

On his debut disc, Ready To Die, his narratives about violent life on the streets were told with a gritty, objective realism that won him enormous respect and credibility. His stories were universal and gave a voice to his generation. But on his sophomore CD, Life After Death (which he didn't live to see released and went on to sell over 10 million copies), you see the growth of a man-child into a man. He realized he couldn't continue talking about selling drugs and hustling on the streets cause that wasn't his life anymore. He wanted to do something different. The kinda growth I wish you'd see more in hip-hop these days!

On his first joint he told you he was Ready To Die, but on Life After Death, he showed he was Ready To Live. His lyrics were often still gritty, but there were gems on there like, 'Sky's The Limit.' While the first CD gave a voice to a generation, the second joint gave hope for a generation. He went from 'Ashy To Classy,' as he traded the Tim Boots, Jeans and Hoodies for the classier dress attire, which wasn't da gear of choice for hip-hop heads before B.I.G. He died at the age of 24, but not before leavin' us a legacy of lyrics, a body of work that's a must for any serious hip-hop collection, and a story of how one young chubby cat from the hood can go on the be one of the greatest hip-hop artist in history.

To all my young cats out there that have a dream, no matter what it is, I want to let you know, 'that you can have, what you want, be what you want, if you believe in yourself, no matter where ya from. No matter what your situation looks like now if 'you keep on, Just keep on pressin' on,'The Sky's The Limit! Biggie this one goes out to you and to all of you out there who have the audacity to believe!