live in this world every day saddled
with the challenge of expectation of
labels struggling to find our own
identity and figuring out what success
is
while we constantly accumulate more
pressure and we lose time we want to be
feel as if we squandered and we compare
and most of all we fear these are all
limitations that we can transcend every
single day by committing to one thing
the one thing we share even at this very
moment is now there is no other way
that’s what now stands true for me there
is no other way no matter what you face
but where you are except to continue to
move forward if you want to get ahead
I’ve watched my friends die I watched my
father get sentenced to life
I watched my mother who’s in this crowd
today almost died this summer and every
single time that happened every loss has
been a gain for me because it has made
me commit to the idea that I can only
continue to succeed and to leave my mark
on this world and grow and discover my
individuality if I continue to press on
a push forward every single day we all
face challenges every day we lose in
this very room right now is an
accumulation of pain of suffering of
people who do not know necessarily where
they’re going next but only when it’s
happened before them every day we face
questions and the biggest question we
face every day is the person that we see
looking back at us in the mirror
wondering if this person is good enough
if this person is doing the right thing
if this person is going where they’re
supposed to go when maybe they could be
doing something else when I’m telling
you now is that through my path and
through my struggling through the art a
hip-hop I was able to find my platform
to empower others and help them to
discover their identity as I have
discovered my own I was able to give
somebody the very success that I have
experienced time after time after time
by empowering others to feel the power
that I share because in this moment
right now
and this burden in this decision that we
made with every breath is power we as
people lead and empower others by their
decisions and the standards that we
create and the things that we considered
to be worth keeping but oftentimes it’s
also up to us to let go of the things
that we possess and considered to be our
greatest acquisitions or our assets such
as our pride in order to discover that
there is more to life than simply being
who you are because who you are it’s
often considered by others simply as a
definition of what you are of what you
do so in this in strides with that and
saying what am I am i rapper
am i a a teacher because I teach private
school and I teach kids about hip
hopping out of ROM am I a politician
because I deal with people in political
areas all I am is just like you I’m a
person every single one of us is capable
of the very greatness that were born
with from destined to achieve and
accomplished simply by being who we are
not what we are because in this world
people will place upon you label after
label you go to jail you’re a criminal
you get a degree you’re educated you get
a job you’re a professional the fact of
the matter though is that we often
continue to choose our own limitations
by saying I can’t I told a group of
students one time that if you say I
choose not to instead if I can’t every
time that you go to say I can you will
see daily how often you place limits
upon yourself before this world I’ve had
a chance to defeat you before you have a
chance to say what am I going to do next
what do I do now now my message is not
to be long but to be extreme or to
stress upon you it is simply to say I
placed upon you this challenge turn your
what now and to now what because no
matter what you can’t overcome you can
defeat it but you’ve got to recognize
the power that’s going to come and every
day’s adversity
the value of your failures because it’s
when we failed that we really truly
learn who we are and we find out the
true nature and definition of success
thank you [Applause]