What album did you buy WAY too young?

Ice Cube - Predator Cypress Hill - Black Sunday Snoop Dogg - Doggy Style Dr. Dre - The Chronic These were literally the first four CDs I got from my parents for my 13th birthday. I also got my first portable CD player—the one that skipped if you breathed too hard 😂. For context, I was an undiagnosed/untreated ADD/Neurodiverse awkward 90s middle-class white boy 😑. I still vividly remember the first time I heard these songs uncensored. It was a mind-blowing, eye-opening moment 🤯. The perks of growing up during the last generation with minimal or no adult supervision or restrictions meant I was fortunate enough to listen to and experience pretty much anything I could get my hands on. Looking back, I realize I was lucky enough to be exposed to an under-appreciated slice of history. These albums planted the seeds for me to start understanding the realities of societal injustice—especially how it affects marginalized communities based on the color of their skin. That awareness helped me recognize and challenge the biases ingrained in me by my not-well-meaning boomer parents. Their ignorance and toxicity-fueled perception of reality may have seeped in deeper and taken root if not for the exposure of these amazing artists. Sorry if I veered into a bit of a soapbox—I didn’t plan to, but it feels very relevant these days. Our generation is up and has the responsibility to shape the future, and if we fail, it’s a future where our children’s possibilities are cut short.