The idiom, "age aint nothing but a number" gets bandied about by boys and girls looking to escape the seemingly never ending limitations of childhood and by aging players and playettes alike, desperately trying to convince everybody within ear shot that they've still got "it" - whatever "it" is - and that they still know how to use "it" ... lol.
Growing up, I never really lied to girls about my age - I've always been unusually comfortable (NOTE: I only consider my forthrightness to be "unusual" when compared to the trickery that many of my peers traffic in regularly) in my own skin and on my own time. With that said, when Chi-Ali dropped "Age Aint Nothing But A #" in 1992, it was a rallying cry for young niggas like myself whom (like ALL pre-teens and teenagers do) viewed himself as superlatively mature and waaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond the note passing, catch-and-kiss, he say/she say games of yesteryear. I mean, I was 12 years old ... it's not like I was some little 10 year old kid anymore ... lol.
Anyway, as I jam out to this song today, the ridiculousness of a child rapping about not needing a girl who is "14 and burnt out" is not lost on me 1 bit. Funnier still is when Chi-Ali gets rejected by a girl who is 17 Years old for being too young himself, only to have him skillfully turn the tables and shit on her by detailing the extent of his 13 year old fortune and how now, thanks to her shitty little attitude, she has disqualified herself from rolling with a winner! Seriously, Y.O.U. have to listen to this record with adult ears ... like, right now!
Yes, this song is a classic that is woefully underappreciated. Sadly, most Hip Hop fans only remember Chi-Ali for turning his 30 second role in the HBO cautionary gun flick "Strapped" into some real life shit when he merked his girlfriend's brother in The Bronx about 10 years ago. Nobody remembers the talented kid who was groomed by the world famous Beatnuts (Yes, "Reign Of The Tec" deserves and will get it's own post here @ Livestyle) and was the youngest member of The Native Tongues.
Long after his brush with Hip Hop fame, I met son through my-brother-from-another-mother Cliff and he was a good dude ... real talk. I don't even know what his bid is like, but I pray for the homie and for all of my good incarcerated brothers and sisters. Age may NOT be a number, but that jail sentence most definitely is.
It's too bad that kids don't rap like actual kids anymore. I would much rather hear an honest song like this that explores the universal topic of courtship and dating from an adolescent's perspective than to have some little remedial runt trying to prove to me how "gangster" he is ... lol. Basically, thanks for a Hip Hop classic Chi-Ali. Good shit.
BONUS:
Growing up, I never really lied to girls about my age - I've always been unusually comfortable (NOTE: I only consider my forthrightness to be "unusual" when compared to the trickery that many of my peers traffic in regularly) in my own skin and on my own time. With that said, when Chi-Ali dropped "Age Aint Nothing But A #" in 1992, it was a rallying cry for young niggas like myself whom (like ALL pre-teens and teenagers do) viewed himself as superlatively mature and waaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond the note passing, catch-and-kiss, he say/she say games of yesteryear. I mean, I was 12 years old ... it's not like I was some little 10 year old kid anymore ... lol.
Anyway, as I jam out to this song today, the ridiculousness of a child rapping about not needing a girl who is "14 and burnt out" is not lost on me 1 bit. Funnier still is when Chi-Ali gets rejected by a girl who is 17 Years old for being too young himself, only to have him skillfully turn the tables and shit on her by detailing the extent of his 13 year old fortune and how now, thanks to her shitty little attitude, she has disqualified herself from rolling with a winner! Seriously, Y.O.U. have to listen to this record with adult ears ... like, right now!
Yes, this song is a classic that is woefully underappreciated. Sadly, most Hip Hop fans only remember Chi-Ali for turning his 30 second role in the HBO cautionary gun flick "Strapped" into some real life shit when he merked his girlfriend's brother in The Bronx about 10 years ago. Nobody remembers the talented kid who was groomed by the world famous Beatnuts (Yes, "Reign Of The Tec" deserves and will get it's own post here @ Livestyle) and was the youngest member of The Native Tongues.
Long after his brush with Hip Hop fame, I met son through my-brother-from-another-mother Cliff and he was a good dude ... real talk. I don't even know what his bid is like, but I pray for the homie and for all of my good incarcerated brothers and sisters. Age may NOT be a number, but that jail sentence most definitely is.
It's too bad that kids don't rap like actual kids anymore. I would much rather hear an honest song like this that explores the universal topic of courtship and dating from an adolescent's perspective than to have some little remedial runt trying to prove to me how "gangster" he is ... lol. Basically, thanks for a Hip Hop classic Chi-Ali. Good shit.
BONUS:
Oh yeah, Y.O.U. already know that this song samples the boom bap greatness that is KRS One and B.oogie D.own P.roduction's "Criminal Minded", right? Of course Y.O.U. do. My Livestyle "freshness" guarantee and my commitment to excellence compels me to point out such things though ... lol. It is what it is. How old school New York is that Y.O.U. ask? Very.
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