Do me a favor, if Y.O.U. happen to have children of your own and/or younger brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews or Y.O.U. just work with kids, please inform them that, once upon a time in a world not so unlike their own, Hip Hop music could be both thoughtful and hardcore. I can't quite determine the exact tipping point, but, what is clear is that, somewhere along the line, a devastating divergence occurred where only backpack wearing, chewstick chewing vegans could speak truth to power and where the only authentic accepted expression of "gangsterism" celebrates complete ignorance and gleeful immaturity @ the expense of us ALL.
Believe it or not, much of current Hip Hop has alot in common with the Republican Party - both are terribly intolerant of people not like them ("Real" Americans Vs. apparently "False" Americans and, in Hip Hop, "Real" Niggas Vs. "Fake" Niggas) and both campaign actively against intellectualism.
Thankfully, I was raised @ a time when Y.O.U. could be both book smart and "hood" smart and, not only was it acceptable, it was encouraged. Songs such as this Ed O.G. and The Bulldogs 1991 classic "I Got To Have It" along with their follow up "Be A Father To Your Child" were as much apart of my childhood as Kool G. Rap's "Ill Street Blues" and, later, Black Moon's "How Many M.C.'s?".
Excusez-moi, but I don't want to have to get my conscious rap from stupid pseudo-bohemians who just discovered Eldridge Cleaver's "Soul On Ice" yesterday nor do I want to hear fairytales from frontin' ass rappers who make every effort to out "thug" me, but aint never been arrested, let alone touched Riker's Island. There has to be a balance, right? I mean, there used to be 1 - Rakim was nowhere near soft, NWA dropped "Express Yourself" and some of Tupac's greatest compositions spoke eloquently to the heart of the streets without ever being "sweet". It cannot and should not be all about these internet rap geeks and their trying-too-hard-to-be-"deep"-but-wind-up-sounding-stupid disasterously muddled songs ... lol. When it's time for some tough L.O.V.E. mixed with some heavy bars, I guess that's where a nigga like me comes in, huh? This is Livestyle. Holla @ ya boy in BK!
PS: I might have to play this song election night come November 4th!
Believe it or not, much of current Hip Hop has alot in common with the Republican Party - both are terribly intolerant of people not like them ("Real" Americans Vs. apparently "False" Americans and, in Hip Hop, "Real" Niggas Vs. "Fake" Niggas) and both campaign actively against intellectualism.
Thankfully, I was raised @ a time when Y.O.U. could be both book smart and "hood" smart and, not only was it acceptable, it was encouraged. Songs such as this Ed O.G. and The Bulldogs 1991 classic "I Got To Have It" along with their follow up "Be A Father To Your Child" were as much apart of my childhood as Kool G. Rap's "Ill Street Blues" and, later, Black Moon's "How Many M.C.'s?".
Excusez-moi, but I don't want to have to get my conscious rap from stupid pseudo-bohemians who just discovered Eldridge Cleaver's "Soul On Ice" yesterday nor do I want to hear fairytales from frontin' ass rappers who make every effort to out "thug" me, but aint never been arrested, let alone touched Riker's Island. There has to be a balance, right? I mean, there used to be 1 - Rakim was nowhere near soft, NWA dropped "Express Yourself" and some of Tupac's greatest compositions spoke eloquently to the heart of the streets without ever being "sweet". It cannot and should not be all about these internet rap geeks and their trying-too-hard-to-be-"deep"-but-wind-up-sounding-stupid disasterously muddled songs ... lol. When it's time for some tough L.O.V.E. mixed with some heavy bars, I guess that's where a nigga like me comes in, huh? This is Livestyle. Holla @ ya boy in BK!
PS: I might have to play this song election night come November 4th!
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