Rhymefest gives back

A few weeks ago, Grammy Award-winning hip hop artist Rhymefest was in Hawaii working on Kanye West's new album. Last night, he was at Cabrini Connections speaking to youth about his life, the music industry, fear vs. love, and more. The above video includes:

0:13 Speaks about radio
1:48 Performs "The City is Fallen"
3:47 Students read their freewrite poems
4:56 Interview

Rhymefest spoke for almost an hour and a half, capturing the attention of about 25 students and their mentors. At one point, he said fellow hip hop artist Rick Ross recently asked him, "Would you rather be loved or would you rather be feared?" Rhymefest solicited responses from the students before providing his own. Using the example of Martin Luther King, Jr., he said, "True love sometimes inspires the greatest fear." He went on to discuss radio and say, "Music is constantly telling us not to love ourselves."

He also asked the students, "If you could have any power, what would it be?" Someone said, "The ability to fly;" he said, "You could become a pilot." Someone said "superstrength;" he said you could become a fitness instructor or a bodybuilder. The point being: you can be whatever you want to be, you just have to ask yourself, "What is my power?"

Additional words of wisdom from Rhymefest:

Most people suffer, not from lack of ideas, but lack of resources.

I would die to help people become individual thinkers.

Everything you need to be successful is right around you.

I told myself, 'I'm gonna be bigger than this.' You have to know.

When I wake up in the morning, I think, 'How can I fight ignorance in the world and within myself?'

Money does not bring value or worth.

Don't be in a rush to respond... Don't make anyone think you have to do something immediately.

You can take care of your business or your business will take care of you.

[speaking on Frederick Douglass meeting with Abraham Lincoln] If this person can do it in a time of slavery, why can't we do it in 2010?

Kanye and I always think, if 20 million people are listening... what can we say to effect their lives?

Thank you, Rhymefest, for such an inspiring visit! Our students will remember it forever.

You can support Cabrini Connections by making an online donation here. You can support Rhymefest by pre-ordering his new album, El Che, here.

Bonus footage: