Brian really enjoyed rap. He rhymed and rhymed. He wrote lyrics which proved to be quite complex. The thing I never truly appreciated and may still have wrong is that rap is the story of experience. At times it combines fantasy but fundamentally it talks of life and one’s journey through life. I always wondered why it had to be so harsh. Today I accept that the harshness is merely a reflection of life. A life that doesn’t reflect as my reality. But, that doesn’t mean I can or should dismiss another’s reality.
As I read through some of his songs I ask myself how did we get to this place. What did I not understand, what did I not choose to see? When Brian was around 10 he was rolled in an ally by a bunch of thugs. It had a huge impact on him, one I never truly appreciated. Funny thing though is that it happened to me around the same age. The difference, years later, is how we learned from that. We each learned something different. Brian clearly wanted to tell a story. Wanted to share his experiences.
We grow older and our collection of experiences grows. Brian’s collection was wonderfully diverse shaped by his own global adventures. That contributed to the beauty of his mind. Brian knew how to converse. It wasn’t superficial nonsense, weather, fashion or something similarly meaningless. He engaged you and you had to expect to answer some difficult questions. I loved it and I miss it.
One of my favorite conversations was the ones we had about God. He challenged me. He challenged with complex arguments that weren’t easily answered. It has made me a better man and I am so thankful to my Brian for that. He taught me that not all rhymes are simple, some rhymes tell a story worth being told. Brian’s story is still being told the ending though we know. As his beautiful mother reminds, the ending, his salvation, we can’t deny.
Beautiful Blue Sky 