Cantwell Cooper - NY State of Mind by Nas

The person puts on their AirPods while their teacher starts a video lesson. They decide to listen to a new album called Illmatic and find one of the songs, "New York State of Mind," to be amazing. They listen to the rest of the album secretly during class. Later, they talk to their dad about the album and have a friendly debate about their favorite songs. The person explains the meaning of "New York State of Mind" to their dad, and it leads to a newfound bond over music between them. I slipped the cold plastic airpod into my right ear as Mr. Creaseback loaded up today's video lesson. In an attempt to stay awake, I threw on music while he wasn't looking. I scrolled through my Spotify when I decided to listen to something new. I typed Illmatic into the search bar, the album that was brought up at lunch during a debate between my friends about the greatest albums of all time. I pressed my finger against the large, green play button displayed on my screen. After a short intro track containing dialogue between Nas, the artist, and his friends, one of the greatest songs I have ever heard began. The four-minute track, titled New York State of Mind, was filled with everything I'd ever wanted in a song. A collection of different samples stacked upon each other with long verses containing strong imagery and thoughtful lyricism. The song opens with samples used for drums, sound effects, and piano, the most notable being the sample from Joe Chambers' Mind Rain. I finished the rest of the album while hiding my airpod from Mr. Creaseback, but after class, the song that stuck with me the most was New York State of Mind. Later that day, when talking to my dad about my day, I mentioned the album. My dad immediately recognized it and expressed his love for the song called One Love, the only song I disliked. This triggered a friendly debate between me and my dad about the best song in the album, much like my friends argued during lunch. I argued that New York State of Mind is one of the most influential hip-hop songs with its in-depth storytelling, while my dad argued that One Love's production is better, but admitted to missing the story. I explained the first verse to be about Nas' life in the Bronx, and more specifically the story of a shootout he was in. Nas talks about having to kill other men in the street, hearing the cries of people around him, and having to run from the scene after his gun jams. He then talks about how the people firing the guns today were much younger than they were when he was in the Bronx, displaying the corruption of gang violence in New York. My dad, with his new knowledge of the song, changed his opinion and began to like the song even more. This debate between me and my dad allowed for a whole new thing for us to bond about, music. Me and my dad never really talked about music, because I thought our music tastes would be completely different. Once I figured out we listened to similar music, we began talking more and more of our opinions on different artists and albums, creating countless memories I can cherish forever.