I like to listen to the Police, Sting, Queen, Pet Shop Boys.

In the words of Mike Will Made It: “I like to listen to the Police, Sting, Queen, Pet Shop Boys.” At first glance, this may seem a casual confession of musical taste, a simple list of artists admired. Yet when the words are weighed as the ancients weighed oracles, they reveal a truth about the soul’s search for inspiration, rhythm, and power. For to speak of music is not merely to speak of sound—it is to speak of spirit. Music has always been the invisible architect of courage, memory, and creativity. In naming these artists, Mike Will names the pillars of his own inspiration, the voices that echo through his art.

Consider the Police, with their piercing rhythms and haunting lyrics, blending the rawness of rock with the pulse of reggae. Their sound teaches discipline and rebellion bound together, a harmony of structure and fire. Then there is Sting, whose voice carries both the cry of the wanderer and the meditation of the sage, teaching that music can be both a mirror of the heart and a window to the world. From him flows the lesson that one artist can contain multitudes—scholar, poet, and troubadour bound in one form.

Next comes Queen, the band of majesty and power. Who has not felt their anthem “We Will Rock You” thunder like an army marching across the earth? Queen reminds us that music is not only to soothe, but to summon, to awaken the giant within. Their harmonies were not just entertainment but proclamation, declaring that life itself is theater, and that each soul must seize its place upon the stage of existence. Their music is the embodiment of boldness, the courage to live large, to shine unapologetically.

And then the Pet Shop Boys, whose electronic brilliance reveals another side of the human spirit. Their songs are filled with irony, wit, and introspection, showing that music can carry both lightness and depth. They remind us that even in the hum of machines and the age of technology, the heart still beats, the soul still questions, and art finds new forms. To listen to them is to understand that creativity never remains fixed; it evolves, bending with the currents of time yet always seeking beauty.

In truth, Mike Will’s words remind us that listening is itself an act of wisdom. The ancients gathered in amphitheaters not only to hear music but to be transformed by it. Music was medicine, guiding warriors before battle, soothing mourners at funerals, and uplifting citizens at festivals. To choose what we listen to is to choose the influences that shape our spirit. Just as the body is nourished by the food it consumes, so the soul is shaped by the sounds it receives.

The meaning, then, is that the sources of inspiration matter. A man who surrounds himself with greatness learns to echo greatness. A woman who fills her ears with noble song strengthens the cadence of her own heart. The artists Mike Will names are not random; they are giants of creativity, each one representing freedom, passion, and innovation. By aligning himself with their music, he connects his own artistry to a lineage of visionaries who dared to reshape sound and culture.

The lesson for us is clear: be mindful of what you let into your ears and heart. Do not waste your listening on noise that corrodes the spirit. Instead, choose music that uplifts, that challenges, that awakens something noble within you. Explore not only the songs of your time but the voices of other ages, for in them you may find the spark of inspiration that lights your own path. Music is not merely background; it is the silent teacher of your soul.

So, let each one of us act: seek out the music that makes you brave, that widens your imagination, that nourishes your heart. Listen with intention, not passivity. Let the rhythms guide your steps, let the harmonies temper your emotions, let the lyrics sharpen your vision. For as the ancients knew, and as Mike Will reminds us in his simple but profound confession, to choose what you listen to is to choose who you are becoming. And in this choice lies the shaping of your destiny.