Ever since he was dissed two weeks ago by Kendrick Lamar, I’ve spent my free time listening to more Drake than normal (which is already a lot.) I guess I’ve been trying to remind myself just how good my favorite artist is despite attacks from his peers.
The penultimate track on his mixtape “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” is the best storytelling rap performances of Drake’s career. The song “You & The 6” is a tribute to both his mom Sandra Graham and his native Toronto. In the chorus, he says “You and the 6 raised me right.” In two verses, he claims that the two entities most responsible for making him who he is are the woman who birthed him and the city he calls home.
I can’t think of anything more true.
My mom and I have a lot in common. We’re both night owls: the late nights I’m not at school are spent on the kitchen island working with her. We share our passion for government and politics: my mother has spent the majority of her professional career in public service, a life I hope to follow. Both of us come from strong Church of Christ backgrounds; our youth is characterized by Sunday School and church events more than anything else.
Second to our faith, Dallas is the thing we most share. I’m a proud second-generation Dallasite. My mom, other than a few years spent in Austin, has lived here her entire life. And her love for this city is not only evident to anyone who’s ever met her, but lives on in me more than my brothers.
When we had the chance to move houses in the metroplex, my mom was adamant that we remain in Dallas-proper. I asked why she wanted to stay in city limits, and she said, “To be a citizen of this city means something. To pay taxes in Dallas, to vote for the Dallas mayor means something.”
As I think about the things most important to me, I reflect on my relationship with this city. Dallas and I have a love-hate relationship. I wrote my college essay on how living in a city that is basically two different towns is frustrating. A city that prides itself on contentment and prosperity is somehow always under construction.
But aren’t we all just like the city that, despite its potholes and unfinished bridges, is vibrant, grounded and full of opportunity.
I’m not going to college in Dallas. The odds that end up back in this city as a working adult aren’t great. And yet, just like my mom, I love this city with all of me.
It is a difficult thing to have strong conviction and moral foundation while constantly looking to progress and evolve. To be content and forward-looking is hard for anyone to do, let alone an 18-year old. The only thing better at teaching that lesson than Dallas is my mother.
I’m going to miss a lot about home.
I’ll miss driving on the tollway while listening to “9AM in Dallas” and going to Chuy’s or Rita’s with my family.
I hate that my weeknights won’t be filled with working Mavs games and yelling at Caleb and Luke to come eat dinner.
And, I’ll miss my mom, too.
Mom: You & the 214 raised me right.
