Hackney 1

Duncan E. Hackney
Rebecca Agosta
UWRT 1103-007
24 September 2014
A Daughter, Her Pops, and some Speakers

I
I wanna my rim shot, hey, digi, digi Erykah Badu
I dont remember many things that happened in my life before the age of five. I just so
happen to know a lot of events, because my parents seem to love to tell me every chance they
get. One thing they have continuously told me is that I have always been into music. Whenever
Erykah Badus Rim Shot (Intro) would come on, I would get excited and ask for whoever was
around to turn up the volume; I still do that to this day. Play digi digi! were the words that
floated through my parents ears on a constant basis. Ive seen plenty of video evidence of me
stopping whatever I was doing to sing and dance to this song, so theres definitely no denying it.
Eventually I took the cd out of the entertainment room and into my bedroom to join the small
collection of cds I had gathered.

Hackney 2
My dad is the reason why the melodic voice of Erykah Badu caught my attention at a
young age. Of course at the time I did not know that he would later introduce me to some of my
favorite artists.
II
Cause you know we got that dance floor crazy, single ladies come and have my baby 2 Chainz
Im sitting in the passenger seat grooving to the sounds coming out of the radio as my
Pops drives along the road. He turns to the local hip hop station and I dont get too excited for
its only a matter of time before he gets fed up and changes the station again. Sure enough, Im
not rapping along to 2 Chainz in my head for more than a minute before Pops pushes the cd
button. Music these days is absolutely horrible. With this opening statement I know that hes
about to go on a slight rant.
I quietly listen as he goes on about the difference between todays music and music of the
past. Now I have to admit that I agree with what hes saying; I keep catching myself throw a
couple of amen nods his way. Its even hard for me to listen to 102 Jamz for a long period of
time. The ratchet music that my friends enjoy has never been something that Ive been into.
As I tune in and out of my dads voice I wonder, Is this how I sound to people when I talk about
how it cant get any better than old school music?
The conversation changes from a rant, to him suggesting CDs for me to listen to and me
telling him how much I enjoyed his last couple of suggestions. I even give him a few of my own
suggestions too, the biggest one being J. Cole.
A couple weeks later I was checking his iTunes library. Hes pretty
notorious for downloading new albums and not telling us, so I try to check it
every so often. It was then that I noticed he had a nice new addition- J.

Hackney 3
Coles Born Sinner album.
III
So tonight Im gonna party like its 1999 - Prince
Its official. After all of these years and many bonding moments, Pops is slacking in a
major way. You mean to tell me, your first born whose love of music you created, that theres a
box full of CDs from the 90s that I had no idea about? Im hurt; a
golden collection as such should never just be collecting dust in the attic.
It did not take long for me to quickly save them from being abandoned.
Some of them now have a new home in my car as the rest wait their turn
to get put into the rotation.
IV
I got one less problem without ya! Ariana Grande
My sister is in love with Ariana Grande and always asks Pops to download her cd
whenever it comes out. Even I really enjoyed the first one, which he has also downloaded. One
day I was walking to class when I felt my phone vibrate in my hand. It was a text message from
my dad. He was at work and had spent the last couple of hours listening to both of Ariana
Grandes CDs. Im at work and your sister has me jamming to Ariana Grande! The whole
time he had the first one he never paid it any mind. Now all of a sudden he decided to listen to
them and really enjoyed them. That was all I needed to add it to my iPod the next time I went
home.
V
If you looked in my life and see what Ive seen - Mary J. Blige

Hackney 4
The best suggestion that I think my dad has ever given me was to listen to Mary J.
Bliges My Life album. Its one of those albums that you listen to all the way through without
skipping one song. You cant help but to sing and vibe to every song and not care about whats
going on around you. I normally try to find every way possible to get a cd cheaper than I would
if I were to download it on iTunes. Surprisingly my dad didnt already have it and that was one
of the times I didnt mind spending my money to get it. I dont really have a favorite cd because
I like so many different things. However if I absolutely had to choose, My Life just might have
to be it.
VI
Let this groove, get you to move, its alright, alright Earth, Wind & Fire
I whole-heartedly believe that I was born in the wrong generation. I often daydream
about what it would be like to grow up in New York during the 80s, when hip-hop first began to
blow up. What is was like to be a teenager in general, in the 80s like my parents, or the 90s
like my aunts. They can recall where they were when Michael Jacksons Thriller first aired and
when he did the moonwalk for the first time. They were there to witness the growth of hip-hop
and see some of the best artists of all time in their prime. I think thats some of the coolest
memories to have and at that point in time I was barely even thought about.
Even when different music award shows come on, I look more forward to whos getting
the big award; BETs Lifetime Achievement Award. I sing and dance the hardest for people like
Chaka Khan, Earth, Wind, & Fire, and Charlie Wilson. After all, I listen to more music from
their decades than I do my own majority of the time anyways.
VII

Hackney 5
Dont it always seem to go that you dont know what youve got til its gone Janet
Jackson
I was always running behind my dad as a kid. Wherever he was thats where I wanted to
be. As my mom slept, I stayed up late with my dad when he came home from work, watched
Sports Center and listened to music. During the summers I would ride with him to Burlington
because thats where he worked and where I went to summer camp. I believe that these were the
times that I was really exposed to the music he listened to and grew an appreciation for it.
Different artists such as Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Erykah Badu and Prince are what
flowed through the speakers and into my ears as we drove down the highway or were just
chilling at home. The first

burned CDs I remember having were Will

Smiths Big Willie Style,

Janet Jacksons All for You, and Alicia

Keys Songs in a Minor. I

dont know many 3rd graders who were

walking around with a

Janet Jackson cd in their cd players but I

was.
Music is one of the main ways that my dad and me have bonded for all of these years.
Hes exposed me to some that I eventually would have come across on my own, but it wouldnt
have been at such an early age. Its nice that I can now return the favor, share some of the music
from my generation and show that its not all terrible. I even made sure that my little sister
listened to a lot of the same things; I couldnt have her listening to trashy music. I really
appreciate all of the music and artists that I now know because some people out there are missing
out on greatness.