O
n his Monday walk from Bas- com Hall to Camp Randall Sta- dium, Wisconsin defensive end David Gilbert bridged his two campus worlds; academics and
athletics, political science and football . There were many things going on in his head, including the voice of Kendrick Lamar, a 25-year-old hip hop recording artist and song writer from Compton, Calif., a notorious Los Angeles suburb. "When I hear of a new artist, I usually give him a listen to see if I like what I'm hearing,'' said Gilbert, a junior from Coral Springs, Fla. "He's one of my new favorites. He's like a new- age Tupac.'' Lamar, in fact, has credited Tupac Shakur for influencing his music.
"He talks about a lot of things that every-
body has dealt with growing up,'' Gilbert said. "You've got your girl problems, you've got your friends, you've got your school.'' In sum, you've got your questions; more questions than you can answer. "Where am I going to go in life after this?'' Gilbert posed. "It's that kind of sound.'' Specifically, he pointed out Lamar address-
es the "obstacles of success and overcoming them.''
Any young student-athlete can surely relate
to the process and the ramifications — to Gil- bert's thinking — whether it's dealing with fo- cus, time management, distractions, fear, or expectations.
Gilbert is younger than most; a fourth-year junior, he just turned 21 at the end of October. A political science major, he is also particu- larly in tune with the fear of failure. It's on his short list.
"It's a big motivating factor — not failing,'' he said. "I'd say it's pretty big for me.'' It applies to who he is — on the field and in the classroom.
"I try not to channel that (fear) because it's pretty negative,'' he said. "But you have to re-
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