Your introduction into the world of music is one of the most important and influential components in shaping your taste, maybe even for the rest of your life. Sometimes it brings back memories, sometimes it genuinely contributes to your taste, and ideally, it’ll do both.
Sometimes, the very first song you remember hearing is also all about nostalgia—and that seems to be at least a part of the case for legendary rapper 50 Cent. He’s considered to be one of the most important rappers working today, and he’s had quite the career that’s not anywhere finished.
As for his beginnings, he spoke on it when asked about the very first song he remembers hearing. He said, “I was one of nine kids, raised by my grandmother, so most of what I was hearing first in the home was stuff that the other kids were listening to, which at the time was mostly Motown music.”
The song he was talking about in this conversation? ‘ABC’ by The Jackson 5. It’s about as classic as you can get, especially with someone who would eventually develop a style like his. Of course, he may also just have been speaking with the general idea in mind, perhaps not about the specific song itself, but about the general idea of having a classic Motown song thrown in there.
Even if it wasn’t actually the very first song he heard in his life, it’s definitely representative of a larger idea of the kinds of music he was listening to at that time in his life. What’s more, it gives a view into the overall picture of his life beyond music, too, as he discussed being one of nine kids being raised by his grandmother. It almost makes the environment more vibrant to describe it in terms of music, and the kinds of music that colour his memory.
If you want to check out the song that 50 Cent describes as the first song he remembers hearing, you can revisit the classic track ‘ABC’ by The Jackson 5 and get your nostalgia going!
