One Man (or Woman) Can Change The World

The discovery of this song happened last summer as I was staying with an ex-friend. I had to commute about 40 minutes to and from work five days a week. It’s a good thing I don’t mind long car rides! One day as I was heading to work I decided to listen to the radio instead of plugging my music in. The aux input is literally the best feature of my car. Okay, not really. But you get the point. I had about six presets on my car for stations. One of them was for a station that played a mixture of not so great Rap and today’s hits. I mainly listened to the “today’s hits” part of the station. I never realized there were radio stations out there that played a mixture of mainstream and rap. It was an odd combination for me, but I went with it.

On this day they played a song that I never heard of but I fell in love with on the first listen. It was quite different than what I am used to hearing on the radio. There was no heavy bass or lyrics consisting of drugs, sex, money, or weed. Yes I know not every Rap/Hip Hop song out there is about what I just listed, but it seems as if that’s the majority of the songs that play on the radio today. It was a laid back tune with lyrics that spoke to me. The song was accompanied by a piano that fits it perfectly.

I didn’t think to Shazam the song as it was playing, so I had to go to the radio station’s website and look through their recent songs that have been played. After about twenty minutes of searching I found it. I knew from the title that this was it.

The song is dedicated to Big Sean’s Grandmother who passed away. This was the message she told him:

They used to tell me, used to tell me
I hope you learn to make it on your own
And if you love yourself just know you’ll never be alone
I hope that you get everything you want and that you chose
I hope that it’s the realest thing that you ever know
Hope you get the pretty girls, that’s pretty at everything
Million dollar cribs havin’ million dollar dreams
And when you get it all just remember one thing
Remember one thing
That one man could change the world
That one man could change the world

All I, all I wanted was a hundred million dollars and a bad chick
Imagine did so much some nights it felt like that I had it
Back on the mattress
Starin’ at the ceilin’ tryna connect the dots
But it’s hard makin’ those attachments
I’m talkin’ dreamin’ so hard, some nights it felt like draft day, you know?
My, my step brother used to flip them bags outside the crib like it was trash day, no Kim K, but he bagged ye ye
But when you’re getting fast money, slow down, don’t crash
With all the drive in the world, swear you still need gas
Look, think about it, close your eyes, dream about it
Tell your team about it, go make million dollar schemes about it
Success is on the way, I feel it in the distance
Used to look up at the stars and be like ain’t too much that’s different
I be shinin’, they be shinin’, get your one shot don’t you miss it
What you know bout’ wakin’ up everyday like you on a mission?
And I

I hope you learn to make it on your own
And if you love yourself just know you’ll never be alone
I hope that you get everything you want and that you chose
I hope that it’s the realest thing that you ever know
Hope you get the pretty girls, that’s pretty at everything
Million dollar cribs havin’ million dollar dreams
And when you get it all just remember one thing
Remember one thing
One man could change the world
One man could change the world

My grandma taught me if you write your name in stone you’ll never get the white out
I grinded out that black whole then performed up at the white house
Standin’ next to Jim Carrey, we traded stories then laughed
I said you not the only one I know got rich wearin’ masks
Where I’m from I swear their broke, they need way more than the cast
We need more than what you have and then we need more than that
But how am I supposed to say I’m tired
If that girl from West Virginia came up in conditions that I couldn’t survive
Went to war, came back alive
On top of that became a female black captain
When being black you had to extra extra try
Way before James Brown made us proud
She bought a crib on the same street as Marvin Gaye right there on Outer Drive
And she taught me how to drive
And she raised the kids, then the kids’ kids, and she did it right
Taught me how to love, taught me not to cry
When I die, I hope you teach me how to fly
All my life you’ve been that angel in disguise sayin’

I hope you learn to make it on your own
And if you love yourself just know you’ll never be alone
I hope that you get everything you want and that you chose
I hope that it’s the realest thing that you ever know
Hope you get the pretty girls, that’s pretty at everything
Million dollar cribs havin’ million dollar dreams
And when you get it all just remember one thing
Remember one thing
That one man can change the world
That one man can change the world

Thank you for callin’ me, been thinkin’ about me
[Big Sean:] It’s all good I love you grandma
[Grandma:] Bye

As I stated earlier, this song speaks volumes to me in my life right now. I listen to this song just about every day (actually, maybe it is every day). It is used as positive reinforcement. It reminds me how I have the potential to go far in life and create my own definition of success.

The line “If you love yourself just know you’ll never be alone” gets me every time. Right now that is exactly what I’m learning to do. In the past I’ve always focused on the needs and wants of others over my own. Now that I’m 20 years old, I can start to see how that is taking a toll on my life. Now I’m not saying that caring about others and serving them are a bad thing. It isn’t by any stretch. But when you neglect your needs and wants you will never be happy or fulfilled in your lifetime.

It all starts with you.

How can you expect to fully take care of others and love them when you can’t even do that for yourself? I’m in an awkward stage in life with relationships: whether that be friends or a girlfriend. One thing my last relationship helped me realize towards the tail end of it was that now, and I mean right now I had to learn how to take care of myself. I feel as if I shouldn’t have any friends, especially a girlfriend, because I will fall into the same trap I have in the past with looking out for them more than myself. And this is not what I need in my life. It’s as if I’m taking a crash course on loving myself.

Hope you get the pretty girls that’s pretty at everything.

When I hear this line I envision one day having a gorgeous wife that’s “pretty” at everything. Basically having someone that has a good, strong head on her shoulders and is defining her own definition of success. I love how Big Sean simplifies his messages in this song. I believe he does it on purpose, such as the line I am referring to here. Some will argue that his lines in this song are so incredibly simple that a six year old could write them. They act as if the lyrics are too simple. Why isn’t he trying harder? Lazy bum.

Isn’t that the beauty of it all though?

Consider this line by the famous Dr. Seuss:

It is such a simple message, but yet profound at the same time. It can be applied universally, no matter if you’re 5 or 72. I think you get my point here.

A message that is so simple, but yet so profound.

Starin’ at the ceilin’ tryna connect the dots
But it’s hard makin’ those attachments

We go through life wondering the purpose of our existence. I mean, why were we put here on this planet? We question our day to day lives. It’s mind boggling at times to think about these topics. This quote sums up perfectly what this line is talking about:

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” -Soren Kierkegaard

This reminds me of a Commencement speech given by the talented Jim Carrey:

I encourage you to watch the whole speech. It is enlightening, inspiring, funny, and delightful. He is just as brilliant as a human being as he is an actor. In a part of his speech he talks about what we were meant to do in life. He goes on to say:

“I dedicated myself to that ministry. What’s yours? How will you serve the world? What do they need that your talent can provide? That’s all you have to figure out.”

It is that simple. Thank you Jim Carrey for answering that question in the most basic way.

Once we reach the end of our lifetime will we then understand it completely.

Tell your team about it, go make million dollar schemes about it.

Two things here: Make sure your team consists of positive influences who only build you up and support you, making sure you tell those people so you do have that support system and people to hold you accountable and challenge you-even if this is only one person in your life. A team can consist of only two people.

This song will continue to be a positive influence in my life. It will continue to be put on repeat. I will forever cherish the many simple, but powerful messages it contains. Thank you Big Sean for writing this song. Your words have empowered me, as well as thousands of others. And I want to thank your Grandmother who made such an impact in your life, sharing her words of wisdom to her Grandson. I’m sure you were an amazing woman.

What you know bout’ wakin’ up everyday like you on a mission?

What is your mission in this lifetime?