Sitting on my desktop amid the jungle of syllabi and pictures is a text file simply entitled “BARS.” The term “bars” is another word for “lyrics” in hip-hop culture, and the file contains just that: my rap lyrics. I created BARS while I was on my flight back to New Jersey for winter break so that I could consolidate all of my lines of the past and future into this one file. As of this page’s writing, it contains seven complete verses as well as a “Miscellaneous Bars” section, which contains dozens of random punchlines and rhyme schemes I have devised but find no place for in any current projects. I add anything that comes to mind to this file throughout the day, whether it be a short idea or a more complex rhyme scheme.
The bars in this file are not simply a fun collection of rhymes I have written. Rather, they serve as a reflection of my ideas and thought process. And because my bars are arranged chronologically, I can see how these things mature over time.
The bars in this file are not simply a fun collection of rhymes I have written. Rather, they serve as a reflection of my ideas and thought process. And because my bars are arranged chronologically, I can see how these things mature over time.
As the archeologist observes stratum to examine how a civilization changed over the centuries in response to external factors, I go through my past bars and see how events occurring at the times of their writing affected my lines. The difference is that while the archeologist is detached from his site, I am attached emotionally to what I write. The wall of rhymes I see on the computer screen tells the story of my past and present. Whether it be times of struggle or an infatuation with a cute girl I met in class, I’m inspired by my thoughts and thread them into poetry.