It was the end of June in 2019. I had been in Morocco for exactly one week, though it felt like a lifetime. I was half-way through the three-hour bus ride from Rabat to Tangier, looking out into the barren landscape of the Moroccan countryside, when a song I’d never heard started playing on my Spotify. For the first 20 seconds, I was confused. Why was the singer mumbling indecipherable words about kids over what seemed to be a guitar-like rock melody? As the beat came in, I wondered, what genre even is this song? And finally, why had I dissociated from everything around me, to the point where I only existed as a singular, moving entity?
The song “Kids Turned Out Fine” by A$AP Rocky came to me exactly when I needed to hear it most. After living in Morocco for less than a week, I was nervous about the rest of my time there. I knew that it would be difficult moving to a country by myself where I didn’t speak the language, however I had not anticipated the challenges that would arise within my first week of being there. Already, I had been caught in the middle of two violent street fights (one happened in a grocery store!) and was still getting used to the gender power imbalances and roles that differed from what I had known in the United States.
While I was in Morocco through a government program and knew that I was going to be safe, it was difficult to not feel overwhelmed and completely lost at times. This sounds crazy, but once I heard A$AP repeat, in his soothing voice, “The kids will be alright,” I knew that I, too, would be fine. Over the next few months, this song became a source of comfort and validation for me; I was growing in a multitude of ways and would come out stronger at the end of my time in Morocco.
“Kids Turned Out Fine” has a cathartic and peaceful tone that makes it feel akin to a warm blanket. Every time I listen, it transports me to that moment on the bus; I now realize the power that music has to change an experience, mindset or perspective.
If you ever need reassurance that everything’s going to be okay, go to A$AP Rocky’s third studio album, “TESTING,” and click play on the 11th song.
