Diagnostic Essay

M.I.A./Nas

            The mash-up between M.I.A/Nas highlights Nas’ lyrics to “If I Ruled the World” to M.I.A.’s beat of “Paper Planes”. It symbolizes how Nas explains his definition of how things would be if he ruled the world. But in a post-colonial opinion he won’t be able to get that power. Nas raps, “Imagine smoking weed in the streets without cops harassing, Imagine going to court with no trial”. As much as some people may wish this was true, it cannot happen. In reality and the way the laws work it’s impossible. The culture of people would be at a haywire. The economy would have no morals. They’re basically free to do whatever they would like. Freeing everyone from jail, as Nas raps, would put Police Departments in jeopardy. The city jails will be empty, police officers will lose their jobs and more importantly miss out on income. The death rate will be at an all-time high because drugs will be legal to all citizens with no consequences. Yes, people sneak drugs now, but legalizing them will make things worse.

“No welfare supporters more conscious of the way we raise our daughters”, Nas rapped. A lot of African-American fathers have walked out on their children and leave nothing for the mother and child. Child welfare is their only hope into getting child support whether the father likes it or not, either way they have to pay or their being sent to jail. Without welfare many children and families without fathers will struggle even more. Food won’t be able to be provided if the mother has a low income and is behind on bills for rent, children won’t get new clothes when their old ones has gotten old, and more importantly… education. Children graduating high school and attending college won’t happen with a family with no money.

Although a lot of us wish we were rich and could wear designer clothes every day drive nice cars, and travel the world whenever we want. Yes, that sounds nice and that’s one of the things Nas raps about if he ruled the world. But that’s living in a dream for us regular people. He can do all of that and more because he’s famous. But for us who aren’t were stuck in a world where businesses are closing and people are being laid off from their jobs and even worse, the killings of innocent people and the killer being free. The world is cruel. We all wish we could change society and rule the world, but we can’t. Nas can’t rule the world either, but because he’s famous and can rap about his dream of ruling the world it makes us believe we can too. Too bad this is reality.