A Cursory Glance at Class and Economic Mobility in the Author's Ancestral Homeland As Narrated By Three Soulful Hip Hop Tracks

That's it, that's my song...

Fig. 1: The 1980 Census

Vital Statistics: In 1980 -- 15 days before my birth -- in the town where I grew up, the median salary for males was $36,338.40 (today's dollars.) 65.8% of the population were high school graduates, and 9.5% had completed a college education. Percentage of children living in poverty: 13.8. Track: The RZA, "Grits."

I won't front and pretend I had a hard life growing up, but being one of 4 children meant there were not a lot of luxuries around the house. Now that I'm old enough to know the meaning of "disposable income" and "spoiled brat," I'm thankful both for what I did and didn't grow up with. Track: Kanye West, "Family Business."

Fig. 2: The Homeland ca. 2000
Click for aerial view

For the year 2000 Census -- 3 months after I left for college -- the median salary was up to $41,609. 87% now had high school diplomas, and 13.3% has college degrees. Modest improvements, but not statistics that support a tech industry. There's always a part of me that would like to go back, but chosing an out-of-state college has put me in the path of a different culture than the one I grew up in. Track: The Coup, "ShoYoAss."

Download: one , two, three
Buy the album: The RZA - The Birth of a Prince / Kanye West - The College Dropout / The Coup - Pick a Bigger Weapon