Not an instrument, but 2Pac's Thugs mansion and Ghetto Ghospel got me into rapping. I was a white dude from the burbs, so I couldn't write about the stuff Pac did, though I did try to when I was a young teenager (embarrassin, I know).
As I got older, I found a style that suited me. I actually got pretty damn good to the point I would go to a producer who lived in the hood. We didn't release much content, but we'd freestyle with a whole bunch of hoodlums. I was like Eminem in 8 mile, though I obviously wasn't as skilled.
I gained quite a bit of respect in those neighborhoods, at least. It was always a rush going into the cypher as the only white dude who is also from the suburbs. Id go super saiyan once those around me started giving a few 'damns' or 'ohhh' as I was flowing.
Im older now, but I really miss that adrenaline rush. There's nothing quite like it. I still write some verses and bust some freestyles at parties, though my days chilling in the hood are long gone, and while it's fun freestyling in front of friends and their company, nothing compares cyphering and competing with people who love hip-hop and really take in every line youre spitting (for better or worse, haha)
