Cullen Flynn is a rapper from Boston who just released his new track, “Diamond in the Rough” off his new mixtape Winding Roads, and I am really liking this one. This is a track that about inspiring others and being inspired, regardless of whether that was Flynn’s purpose. While it contains heavy messages of pushing through hardship, feeling undeserving of success, and the overwhelming feeling of stress, the beat is light and positive.
But what stands out for me the most, and also what I really admire, is how much this track is also about Flynn’s daughter. He refuses to fail her emotionally and financially , no matter what cost: “I reject failing my daughter/ The thought of it makes me livid/ Deserves the shirt off my back and the body that came with it”. He continues, proudly addressing his financial struggles as well as his own demons about his self-worth: “But I won’t have it/ No one can take me backwards/ I’ll never deny the fact that my daughter once shared a mattress/ with a minimum wage father/ With nothing more than some passion/ A talent of shaping words/ And a knack for some of this rapping/ Or the fact that yeah, I strive to be perfect/ Hiding dreams of getting big, I didn’t think I deserve it”. It’s amazing to see a rapper show his adoration and promise to his daughter and her future through his music.
This track really becomes relatable to everyone, regardless of their situation. I think that Flynn has spoken from the heart here about his struggles, and really, that’s what good Rap and Hip Hop are all about.
