For as far back as I can remember, hip-hop artists have waxed poetic about how hard they had it, and in most cases they’ve been right. However, it is good to see when artists are able to inject some prospective into their view of the world.
Hip-hop superstar Nas has always been a socially-conscious rapper with a lyrical ability that has allowed him to consistently stay a step or two ahead of his peers. Now he has taken it a step further, teaming up with E:60 (ESPN’s News Magazine Show) to lend his voice and music to a piece about Liberian amputee soccer players airing tonight.
The documentary follows the travails of two Liberian men, Richard and Joseph, who were victims of the atrocities of the Liberian Civil War. In the aftermath of the conflict, combatants and victims alike were lumped together as perpetrators of the violence. The amputees were a constant reminder of the bad times and the bad deeds that occurred during the fourteen years of carnage, that is until a government effort to get amputees off the streets lead to the formation of a soccer team. From there a miraculous thing happened; views began to change and a nation began to heal.
On the experience, Nas has already said, “I realized my realities were like a walk in the park compared to what these kids go through in these other countries.” Check out the video below for more on the documentary.
To find out the rest of the story, check out the documentary tonight (Tuesday, May 4, 2010) at 7 PM on ESPN.
