Gangsta’s Maya: Coolio and Shankara’s Shared Wisdom
Why are we so blind to see? Illusions in 90s Hip-Hop Hit and Vedanta
Truth can show up in odd spots. Take this hit rap song from 1995 that ruled MTV - not where you'd look for deep wisdom. When Coolio made "Gangsta's Paradise," he likely had no clue about a wise man who once walked India with bare feet. But his words align with what Adi Shankara - the great sage who brought Advaita Vedanta to its peak and stands as one of history's deepest thinkers - taught us back in the 8th century about Maya - that grand veil that fools us all. The way these two minds link up across time makes me think: that maybe some truths keep coming back, no matter who tells them or when.
Remember that haunting opening choir and Coolio's first verse? "As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" perfectly mirrors Shankara's observation in the Vivekachudamani: "Due to ignorance, one roams in the forest of Samsara like a person who is blindfolded." Both describe life as a perilous journey through illusion, where danger lurks in the shadows of our own making.