The Pillars

This is my monologue Hot like a Molotov It is with marvelous pleasure I give you this project Outline the topics yeah All in the grander scheme, exploring the urbanite theme Picture the setting and picture the scene This is a personal album, all of the things about me, are not what they seem This is what sets the stage, presenting a story of coming-of-age They call me Lil N8, and plenty of names I wanna tell you about me and the things I became Don't be confused, I'm not here to lecture I'm far and away from being called a professor However though, hope that my homies can take away something from this Think about shit, this is a project that's more social theory than I can admit Imma commit, I wanna know if it's all in my head or it's all in my spirit Or there's a force at play, getting my critical thinking today This is a character study my way about myself you know okay You know that theory about the identity and the environment eh Can people be shaped and defined by the place The place that they live, walk, breathe, talk, work, that is the case, I'm at it today I'm diving right in I be strapped by the waist I wanna be clear with the life I portray I wanna discover myself, I'm coming to terms with myself I have to be brave, I have to confront the realities so I can move on excel, propel My life going forward is well Little boy N8N8rising is out of his shell Urban environment treating him well Montreal baby I'm under your spell I'm trying to examine you I am the lab rat of this here cell How to define who I am, how do we add up the qualities How do we add up the subtleties all of the nuances all of the oddities How do we add up my hobbies ambitions reflections and all my philosophies All of my personal thoughts, personal traits, I show them with honesty Let me just run through the concept, let me just run through the context This ain't a thing in a book, this is abstract but this is my nonsense I call them my pillars, it's sort of my trigger, it's part of a bigger Notion of things, collective of spheres of interest drawing my figure They give me a purpose, they make me a person I'm molded and shaped by my pillars and that is for certain They give me a reason to stand on my feet with no burden I came here to live, I came here to thrive, I came here to grow I will grow along with the pillars in time I got them when I moved to Montreal I gotta thank you for that I feel I'm complete, I feel like I'm fine But what are my pillars you ask What kind of cultural capital has this urban environment helped me foster Well I'll tell you right now There's food, travel, technology, memes, can't forget about memes Video games, movies, music, other pop culture type shit Minimalism, Asian culture, because I'm slowly becoming connected to my roots Being surrounded by all this wonderful cultural diversity and tolerance That the urban environment encompasses Alright f*ck this, I'll see you in the next song let's see what I wanna talk about Sometimes it's hard to put our finger on it But part of us knows that where we live The places in which we spend our time Play a part in shaping who we are A particular Winston Churchill quote is often cited We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us And the point it makes of buildings Can equally be made of cities, neighborhoods or places As we shape our local area through physical changes and social activities So we collectively define its identity In turn, as stage sets for life, hubs for community and activity These places piece together our own individual, and communal identities But what role does, or can, this people-place relationship play Can engaging with the identity of place help it, or us