Countdown to Christmas: 11

There is no liberal theorizing without equality of opportunity—and therefore the idea that all individuals have an equal chance to succeed in life. However, such concerns about social justice do need to take aspiration as a background assumption. Because all debates about social mobility would be meaningless if there wasn’t the human drive to better their conditions.
Although the so-called “American Dream” (i.e. from dishwasher to millionaire) unfortunately seems like a platitude these days and feels like a relic from the not-so-distant past, it still represents the quintessential liberal sentiment of ambition. The political philosopher John Tomasi goes as far as saying that this “American Dream” should be the guiding star for all liberal theory.
Yet, aspiration goes further than mere material ambition. Aspiration is transformative in the sense that it renders values and one’s general outlook on life goals. To live a meaningful life goes beyond improving one’s bank account; it implies becoming a true authentic self. And that is, after all, what liberty is all about.

As somebody who grew up with Nas, Notorious B.I.G, Tupac Shakur, Eminem, and Jay-Z, I have been profoundly impacted by the aspirational nature of hip-hop culture. Of course, hip hop is street culture. But it never romanticizes street life. It rather displays the struggle of disenfranchised communities to make ends meet, to become a better version of themselves, and to finally escape the street. When Slug raps “gonna go far, with charisma and skill; until they put my face on a million dollar bill”, he fully encapsulates what hip hop is all about: The relentless aspiration to make it in mainstream society. Because (unlike other subcultures) hip hop does not want to seclude itself from larger society; it is part of the bigger project of the Open Society where each can find their very own pathway to success and meaning.

There are plenty of tracks that could serve as an example here; but Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” (and his life trajectory in general) is probably the ultimate representation of this idea of aspiration. In the song, Jay-Z names all the core pillars of the liberal society that allowed him to succeed: Hard work and dedication, the diversity of the urban melting pot, and pervasive liberty. In a sense, it is a metaphorical homage to the spiritual roots of hip-hop culture in New York’s Bronx.

Note the interesting parallel with Adam Smith in all of this. While Smith talks about human’s natural “propensity to truck, barter and exchange”, hip hop adjusts this to its own version of our natural “propensity to hustle and grind.” Or “Get Rich or Die Trying’” as 50Cent famously put it!