Love: Jewel 10 of 12

As we near the end of our 12-part jewel collection series, KC Wonder hopes you have been enjoying this pilgrimage and that you have learnt about the message and values of this culture we all love, Hip Hop. When fans and connoisseurs speak on Hip Hop, there is a light in their eyes and their heart. In everyday life, our souls are not complete without it and this is what represents Love as the 10th jewel in our collection.

Love comes in many forms and from many places, whether it is the love from our family, our friends, our community, our religion, from art, from sport, from music. One can experience many different types of love in their life and according to RZA love is considered the highest elevation of understanding between two people or between all members of mankind.

Love, from Yasiin Bey’s (formerly known as Mos Def) classic Black on Both Sides (1999) album, is the inspiration behind the 10th jewel in our 12-part collection.
In the track Bey flips between rapping and singing, crooning;

I start to think, and then I sink
Into the paper, like I was ink
When I'm writing, I'm trapped in between the lines
I escape, when I finish the rhyme
I got love, l-o-v-e and I be
Love, l-o-v-e to emcee

Bey touches on letting the beauty and positivity of love to drive you and how his love of MCing and Hip Hop made him successful. Sometimes it is easy to shelter your heart but if you are open and loving, you will be rewarded in return.

For this collection, the apparel features a design that pays homage to Yasiin Bey and his song Love. The apparel has a screen print of Yasiin Bey’s face pulled from his Black on Both Sides album cover, with the Arabic script for the word Love printed over in a deep red. As with all of the jewel lines, this collection features a t-shirt, hoodie, long sleeve crew, snapback hat and poster.

Released by Rawkus and Priority Records, Black on Both Sides was Bey’s debut album, heralded a classic on release, placing Bey firmly in many top rappers lists. The album’s production, that included music DJ Premier, Ayatollah, Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Diamond D, featured mostly live instrumentation coupled with Bey’s socially conscious lyrics. And if this album doesn’t resonate love from all angles for you then, we really don’t know what does.

Until the next jewel, we hope you all stay safe out there and spread love not hate.

Peace and Love, 
KC Wonder