Alright, I'm speaking as someone who'd been an Eminem fan since I first heard him - just quite rap, Em.

You've stopped being the only beacon of talented rap and just become part of the crap that's garbage music that's been oozing out of the industry these days. Recovery was utterly awful.

We didn't like you because you were offensive - we liked you because you were purposely and intentfully offensive to prove a point, had a remarkable keen eye for biting satire, and a level of talent not seen since Biggie (yeah, I said it).

Stop being offensive, get an actual flow, and stop laying God-awful punchlines on us (go study Reasonable Doubt or something). I'm sorry, Recovery was offensive to me, it was so bad. You're supposed to mature as an artist, not regress.

From a review of Jay-Z's Blueprint 2:

-- The second disc opens with a stripped-down ''Diamonds Is Forever'':
DB: I liked the straightforwardness of it.
ND: There was a moment of clarity: ''Yeah, I sold drugs and I feel bad about it, but this is why I did it.'' That line ''I come from the city where the skinny niggas die'' is almost poetic.

FAIL! That's a 2Pac line. Jay's a good artist, but, if you're reviewing a rap album, you ought to be able to recognize that.

So, Eminem, Li'l Wayne, and Drake performed at the Grammys, I was informed:

On the comments of this video, someone had said, "Great moment in hip-hop."

Is that so?

For a genre that was founded on pushing boundaries and trying to bring awareness to issues that - quite frankly - the country didn't give a damn about hearing, it's kinda embarrassing as a rapper to hear Wayne censor every two words of his song. Now, of course, he's not (by any means) using cuss words in any purposeful fashion. Jay-Z's immortal "I kept feeding her money until her shit started to make sense(cents)" both utilizes the words for double entendre and are aptly appropriate for the character construction in the song. Further, since cuss words are words of frustration, often enough they can be utilized for the appropriate show of anger.

But fine, it's not the ideal use of the words and, let's face it, you can't hope to go mainstream if you don't censor yourself a bit. Plus there are ways to subvert this concept through censorship.

Let's focus on the quality of the verses instead. ...haha. Other than Eminem, they SUCK. And I feel I have to be that blunt, that big, that obnoxious about this, I really do. Because rap is a beautiful genre which really calls on the voice as an instrument and speech as a form of rhythm and delivery in a skilled fashion - yet we are utterly unaware of this.

Yes, rap became commercial, hit the mainstream, etc. Yay! But at what cost? Alright, the songs are somewhat angsty. Teens like angsty, right? Forget actually knowing what they're talking about, it sounds nice, though. No, seriously, I mean, did you hear Drake's rhyme schemes? Anyone who starts off with "Last name 'Ever'/First name 'Greatest'" should not be allowed to touch a mic again. You call that wordplay?? And then you continue that pace of rhyming for the rest of your short verse??

I know Wayne got famous for his use of wordplay - but I don't hear any. Honestly, Em puts these two to shame. Intensive rhyme schemes and unique flows, he's the only one pushing himself in this current music industry as an artist (even if his subject matters are treading old ground without the same amount of focus often...).

Alright, fine, but this is just rap. The commenter said hip hop (as in the culture), right?

Now, I'll admit - I actually like the polished, computerized beat. I like the harmonized singing which is pure pop. Culturally speaking, these are not hip hop (though they are hip pop). Actually, I wouldn't mind them becoming a further part of hip hip (and, let's face it - computerized beats are pretty much hip hop by now).

Admittedly, I really like alternative rap. I like lyricism. For me, I like hearing words rhymes. Show me how you move around the beat, give me an impressive flow. That's why Linkin Park's Reanimation is still something I listen to. More of a hybrid between what's emerged as rap these days and old school hip-hop, it's got fantastic lyricism for a lot of its songs, plain and simple. I can't understand most of what Curse is saying - but Hell, the guy knows how to rhyme and that's a pretty damn impressive flow:

And, yes, Flobots doesn't sample (though using live instruments gets a similar result, the point is that it's different from the cultural roots of rap in terms of creation), but they're pretty insane lyricists.

But rap in terms of the culture has changed greatly. As HipHopDX put it about Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique, an album like that can never happen again. The amount of samples used can't be recreated simply because of copyright laws. Whereas beats used to be taken from carefully chosen drum work on different songs, now they must be created on the computer, making them mostly sound the same and not as authentic.

Nas's New York State of Mind or Jay-Z's Can I Live (it's the song playing on my profile page) or Brooklyn's Finest are very hard to come by again.

Further - well, the subjects just aren't the same that they were. I'm not saying we need to bring back Afro-centric lyrics, though they did bring out the plights of the ghetto and racism, just as the Hip Hop Renaissance brought out the frustrations of the crack generation, poverty, and even larger increasing crime (even if not in as focused a manner as the Golden Age of Hip Hop did).

And it's there that the notion of this moment being great for hip hop becomes downright ridiculous. Lack of any genuine revolutionary change, a major departure from the roots of the culture, a crowd cheering at these things with (likely) a complete lack of knowledge of the culture and its roots, and reduced and skipable subject matter - this is a great moment for hip hop for you?

Hell, in terms of rap, even - it's pretty bad. Like I said, Eminem's the only salvageable piece of this. Reasonable Doubt being performed at Radio City by a live orchestra was a great moment for hip hop. This was not.

Just for a reminder of flawless music:

     "A-ha, yeah...we're not going to talk about where that stain came from."
     He shot me a look of amusement. "Forget I even asked," he muttered out of a crack of a smile.
     I shrugged and lay back on the couch, my feet dangling over the arm and my head on one of the seat cushions. "It's dirty as all fuck, but what would I do without it?"
     Jim didn't answer and just swirled his drink around. He wasn't all too concerned. But then, why would he be? It was my couch regardless.
     I glanced toward the T. V. and quickly glanced away. Bears were losing by 14 points; fantastic. I attempted the classic too-lazy-to-get-up-so-lean-head-as-far-as-possible-to-look-behind-you-upsidedown move (luckily, it's less difficult to perform than to say). Katherine was talking to Tyler by the sliding glass door to the balcony. They had kept the door halfway open, allowing a breeze to waft through easily enough. The light from the stars struck the glass, smearing brilliantly downward.
     Jim gave me a disgusted look, picking at something brown and hard that clung to the fabric. I laughed, despite myself; he quickly withdrew his hands. I waved my own, saying, "No, no - nothing to worry about. It's just a rather old fruit rollup." His look of disgust intensified.
     "It's brown. What'd you do? Wait, lemme guess - you took a perfectly good fruit rollup, smushed it into your couch, and then shat on it. Maybe you took the time to mix all of it together well and evenly."
     I patted my couch nostalgically; "Only the best for my baby." Jim just shook his head, then jumped at the sound of a crash. He was actually always jumpy.
     "Christine?" I asked. He nodded. I sighed.
     I had wanted to paint the walls green, when I had first bought the place. It wasn't like it was a color I liked now, in any case. The walls were a wretched yellow, the color of baby vomit and shattered teenage childhoods.
     Not that the green we were going to use was much better of a color, but that was precisely the point.
     I met Katherine through Christine the day I was moving in. I had needed help and amusement, so I called Christine up. She had a friend over, so I ended up meeting Katherine because she had to tag along. Not that I minded. There was something about Katherine, when I met her right away, that made you pause. She was more withdrawn at first glance.
     "Did you decide to piss all over the place?" Christine asked the second she entered the room.
     "Oh, so you noticed. I was worried it would be too subtle."
     She laughed. "Please tell me the landlord isn't going to make you keep it like this? It's horrid."
     "Oh, I most certainly agree," I told her, falling back against a wall to keep myself up in my laughter.
     Katherine walked around the room, surveying the room and its walls. As she passed by the glass door, she was assaulted by the sun gushing through. Comically, she batted at it like it was a swarm of flies, backing away in a spastic fashion. We all laughed, a semi-embarrassed smirk coming from her own face.
     "You should paint it green," she told me, her face lightly animated.
     "Like a pretty jade?" I asked her. I was patronizing; I can admit that now. She shook her head.
     "Vomit green." I gave her a look of confusion. She simply smiled. "It's not as bad as piss vomit; and you can't really expect things to be ideal. You can only get a little better."
     I had liked the idea, but the landlord refused to let me alter the place. So I was still with baby vomit and smog plastered to my walls.
     "Fuck!" Jim snorted, jolting back.
     "Hey, I never told you to go sniffing my couch," I told him, catching the iPod change to Can I Live. The soft jazz of the beginning wound itself around the sharp contours of the room, trying to mask the desperateness of its question.
     I glanced Katherine shooting daggers from her eyes at Christine. "College is a big moment, they say," I muttered to Jim. He shrugged.
     "I suppose I keep this old thing," I slurred to him slowly, though he already knew despite the difficulty he gave me, "because it's been with me since as long as I can remember. I mean, sure, there's some...well, interesting things it's been through." I rubbed my finger over some plastic that had clutched to the threads from an art project I had worked on. "But that's going to happen. I'm not going to throw some dumb plastic cover over it or try to clean it up. I can't ignore or avoid it. It wouldn't be the same." Jim smirked at my sentimentality. "I'm not throwing this fucker out."

Race, Sex, Sexual Orientation - An Intelligent Assessment of Controversy

This is NOT the past.

We, in America, do not teach about marginalized groups in an appropriate way.

The general conception is we've to treat everyone equally and fairly and everything is solved. Everyone gets along happily and everything is fixed.

As idealistic as this mindset is, it is not adequate to truly understand marginalization.

The first issue we run up against is the way that racism is thought of. I read once somewhere that a man visited high schools and found that black and white students consistently talked past each other on terms of race. The white students see racism as discriminatory actions towards others while the black students see racism often as institutional.

And there is our first problem. I'll give you a hint: it's not that the students see racism in different terms.

The man observing these students makes the claim that the black students see racism one way and the white students another. Ignoring that this binary excludes every other possible race, it makes the mistake of claiming that a certain way of thinking belongs to each race. Not only is this statement momentary and will likely change as time passes (not to mention it is a generalization), it doesn't get at why this is the current way these two races view racism.

Frantz Fanon put out the fantastic argument that systems create racism. Trying to fight racism as actions and opinions is futile because these opinions and views of people will continually be created by the systems in society. Destroy the systems, destroy racism. While I don't entirely agree with this paraphrased version of Fanon, it gets at a point. For example:

Some of the school systems in Chicago are based on (either) a tax system or where the student is living, with each place having a different level of taxes needing to be payed (I can't entirely remember). However, the other drawback is that the schools that receive students from low-tax areas are also poorer in quality. That means the ability to move up in society is greatly reduced. Combination of lower education and poverty (and all the frustration that goes with poverty)? Higher criminal rate and antisocial and -cultural habits within the people. And, as you might've guessed, the majority of people located in these areas are minorities.
This system creates people who act out a role which allows the solidification of racism.

And think about it - don't the stereotypes about blacks include poverty, living in a ghetto, being uneducated, and acting unruly? It's important to remember that this system originated in our nation's racist housing situation starting in the 50s (I won't take the time to explain that one here; I'll just take it on faith that your education in life has covered that part of history).

Of course, you could object - that's not a racist institution. It's discriminatory, sure, but along class lines, not race. It was started by racist intentions, sure - but it's motivated by a monetary situation now. Switch out the blacks for any other race or put a mix of races there and you get the same situation. And, for the most part, I would agree. I actually do take the mainstream opinion that race is based upon the actions people take and views people hold. Racist institutions and groups can be formed, but whether that depends upon the group trying to promote racist ends (KKK) or it only requires a system to be founded with originally racist intentions in mind (the previous Chicago example) is not an important debate.

Fine, don't fight it on arguments of racism. It's still a poor system that needs to be reformed. However, we must understand all of this I've just explained to understand why certain racial groups may argue about racism and the changes necessary to combat it in the way that they do.

Which brings us nicely to Affirmative Action. I right now admit I don't believe I know enough about AA to speak wholly intelligently on it. I already know there are different forms of Affirmative Action; and it doesn't work quite like it is generally portrayed in the mainstream (you're black? Get a full ride for college!). Actually, GodlessLiberal did a well done post on AA quite a while back (if you happen to meander over, check out how the guy's been doing; he's been fading in and out of Xanga for a bit now). To summarize, he argued that AA should be based upon class rather than race (again, I stress, I do not fully understand the ways AA works. I'm assuming that GodlessLiberal's descriptions of it are correct. His serves as a good example, regardless, because of the lesson in perspective learned from it). I agree with his argument. This makes sense. However, if AA is based on race in implementation, we have to see why.

Arguing against a staunch black AA defender that AA is an unfair system will not win the person over. As far as they're concerned, you're simply arguing for further suffering in a system that specifically picks out blacks economically. AA should reverse the inherent racism of the system that holds most blacks back. However, as we've already discussed (at least in this specific example of economic injustice situated in Chicago), the system is not racially motivated (though, even in millions of years, with no change to the system, it's unlikely any large amount of blacks will break from this system in a way that will reduce the number of blacks caught in the system. The most likely difference would be to add and trap other races in this system). The argument really should be that the system is abolished, thereby allowing equal economic opportunities, regardless of race.

All that I've just said? That's the amount of unsaid material that happens in our current discussions on race. Now, I'm not entirely sure what types of systems may exist out there for other marginalized groups and how they may work off the top of my head. Since discussions of race and racism are so large and plentiful in our country, however, it's the easiest example. But this is only one side of the coin (if you've made it this far, I'm impressed; we need more people like you who are willing to adapt their mindsets).

Two topics related to each other, this side of the coin is split in half. The first half is representation.

Often, marginal groups will bring up issues that the majority of the country rolls their eyes at and don't understand the fuss over it. The perspective of the marginal group is lacking. You cannot just apply a veil over everyone and expect to treat and see them all the same. As much as I'd like that (and I do agree with the mainstream again and believe that is the goal), reality keeps us from doing so.

The history of marginalized groups is important and must be taught - because it does inform the present. It explains why things are the way they are (think of the Chicago example above).

Last week, there was an article on the front page that questioned whether Miley's possible use of the word Gay as an insult is offensive or not. Hell, why is it even important? Same question we've heard many times before. And it's here that the picture above draws relevance as well: defamation, ignominy, contempt.

There's a reason why when an artform first created and performed by a marginalized group is taken in and performed by the mainstream and majority, some get angry. The artform was born out of struggle and persecution. Its history is often erased. The representation of your suffering is gone.

"That's so gay!"

Around the world, millions of 15-year-old boys and girls will be told they don't exist. And one of the few non-offensive words (faggot, lesbo, pederast, etc.) that they have to define themselves has been reduced to a mere petty insult. When you spend most of your life growing up being told that you're a fad or a phase and that you really can't be gay, this trivialization is more than just a changing of the meaning of a word and insulting to the very personage.

I AM A MAN; I exist: do not deny me.

The other half of this side of the coin is how we view marginal groups. I'll use myself as an example.

I was raised in the suburbs. As a result, most of my tastes, interests, and what I think was formed by what is generally mainstream society. I consider myself a goth, identifying with the sub-culture. I love rap, writing some of my own as well. Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z is, to me, one of the best albums ever. I was pretty much raised on Bruce Springsteen. Around high school I discovered Black Sabbath - and fell in love. Most of Freshman to Junior year, actually was stuck somewhere between Atreyu, Slipknot, and Cradle of Filth.I consider myself a nerd, loving video games and the such. My ethnicity is German, Haitian, Spanish, Polish, French, English, Scottish, and American. I grew up eating almost always Haitian food. I was raised Catholic and still piously practice Catholicism.

I don't think I need to be the one to tell you that you could racialize pretty much every single one of those descriptions. But, in that context, some of them seem to contradict each other.

The mainstream (and when I say that this time, I mean the intelligent faction that doesn't make generalized statements about particular races (I'm sure you could think of plenty race jokes for examples)), for the most part, holds the view that race is not attached to culture. As just seen, I'm a decent example of the types of cultural influence that may affect a person.

I actually don't even have a racial identity. I don't see myself in terms of race. Sure, I'm aware that I'm a mixed child. I'm aware that most view me as "black" and that sometimes I'm confused for being mostly Hispanic (or other nationalities). But I don't see race in terms of culture. That makes no sense to me. I recognize my heritage (as listed above) and the cultures associated with each respective culture, and I identify as American and with the American culture. Again, I don't have a racial identity. I would actually argue that race is a socially constructed mechanism for labeling others.

Alright then, why the Black Panthers? Why Afro-centric movements? Why a Latino culture? I remember finding a personal opinion someone had put into Wikipedia under the Harlem Renaissance that both offended me and put the answer quite clearly. Towards the end of the entry on the Harlem Renaissance it's explaining the goals of the movement, particularly in terms of the New Negro and trying to create a unique black culture that would legitimize blacks on the same level as whites of that era. The person who wrote the entry finishes it off with, "But the positive implications of American nativity have never been fully appreciated by them. It seems too simple: the African-American's history and culture is American, more completely so than most other ethnic groups within the United States."

Because the positive implications of American nativity was blatantly clear (or not at all possibly offensive at the time) in contrast to slavery, Jim Crow South, and continual prejudice on many levels from other Americans.

Why might the writer of that quoted statement not understand a refusal of the mainstream culture by blacks?

I believe cultures evolve out of an isolation of specific people (whether voluntary or involuntary) and the creation of rituals, ideals, etc. out of that isolation. America has isolated blacks for years. That is why there is such a thing as a Black Culture.

For those who want that race-blind view, that is problematic. I remember my mother bringing home an Ebony magazine one time. I tried reading the first few pages and stopped. It was too weird. As I said before, I have no racial identity. Having something have meaning out of the concept of being a person of color, as a form of identity, is just weird to me. I wouldn't fit too well into all of current black culture.

But why do these cultures exist? Why might what is considered specific attributes to "blackness" be extolled?

In the case of our example of blacks in America, because of previous prejudice. There would be no Black Panthers if not for prejudice.

And (this is important to understand for those who honestly do believe in a color-blind view of humanity) we cannot simply expect blacks in America to join back into the mainstream culture. For one, they have probably been raised in a different culture most of their lives. Further, racism still exists in America (as we all well know) or, at least, institutions which continue the creation of racism do. These alternate cultures built along the lines of race came into existance due to something. Finally, harking back to the concept of representation - often the mainstream portrays blacks poorly on a consistent basis or doesn't portray them at all (and, yes, that is direly important).

Now, I'm of one of the mainstream opinions. I believe in treating people in a color blind fashion. I believe in associating the culture of a person not with what "race" they are but simply by which culture the person says they identify with (the notion of someone of Korean ethnicity partaking entirely in Irish culture isn't as impossible as some would have us believe, especially if the person was adopted by Irish parents when they were just a baby).

However - this is not realistic in terms of our world. Many people don't see themselves simply as people and identify heavily and strongly with concepts of "race" - for a multitude of reasons which we would do well to know. And while I would argue that the eventual goal is to see marginalized people as simply people rather than in terms of what caused them to marginalized (for example, think of how we see brunettes as people despite a characteristic which does set them apart from others), the history of the marginalized group and what it means is direly important in terms of giving the proper respect to a marginalized group - and understanding that group. In trying to view the world entirely as the same, it often erases the past of marginalized groups and that past does inform the future. A "insert group here"-blind viewing means that equal representation isn't necessary - and in this world, right now, that often means a mainstream dominated by the majority with mindsets thinking that is how the world is. And for many who probably aren't racist, sexist, sexualist, etc. they will still subconsciously think of their world in terms of the majority. I'll save you further examples; I'm sure you can think of others on your own.

I've said twice on here before that race relations in this country were heading toward a complete train crash. I take that back now. We are so talking past each other on issues of race that we couldn't possibly hit, even if we wanted to. Everyone has these different concepts of marginalized groups, for a variety of reasons, and they only understand their own beliefs. Only once we get on the same footing of understanding can we move forward (though quite difficultly) in addressing these issues.

***note: you'll notice that most of this addresses race (and only in terms of black and white) and touches on sexuality while biological sex (and any other groups) isn't addressed at all. The largest reason for the large focus on race is because of the great attention it has received in our country and, therefore, the familiarity of knowledge with it by most Americans.

This post also makes some pretty generalizing statements and those statements must be understood fluidly for marginalized groups to be fully understood (for nothing stays stagnate). For example, gays and women have less of any type of culture outside the mainstream because they have had less isolation from the majority than those of different races. Another example is that if the concept of looking at everyone as being equal and the same does eventually someday come to fruitation, these concepts will likely become obsolete or must be thought of differently. That day is far, far, far, far off - but we cannot allow our thinking and understanding of concepts to become mired.

Also, the title is an allusion to this Xanga post: http://www.mancouch.com/716194723/race-sex-sexual-orientation-and-abortion/

Well, I futzed a little bit around with the layout, as you might be able to tell (I admit, while the Subscriptions tab in the home page simplifies things greatly and makes it easier to check up on everything in one place, it leaves the whole point of a layout and design really pointless, because people barely see it, other than those few seconds to comment a post).

To remove the issue of the difficulty to read the posts, I moved the picture to the right side. Also, I was kinda irritated by the fact that you could only hear the music on one page. I know some people complain about music just starting up when you reach a page, but - seriously? One, that's just an aspect of the site. It's as important as the text colors and visuals you find on the page to articulating the mood, message, whatever of the layout. Plus what would you expect when going to a site of a peer-to-peer website? Also, computers were made with volume buttons for a reason. But anyway.

As far as the whole content of the layout, and what I had wanted to communicate with it, the song was important. "Can I Live" is a very poetic and reflective review of life and it fits beautifully with the layout.

However, in my attempt to get a playlist of songs (some of which, admittingly, don't entirely fit the message of the layout), I had to transfer the custom module to the Main Content area. Well, despite what the theme page says, I found after saving the changes with the player in the footer section that it still works. So, you can still pause the player (if it so bothers you, though you have to be on the main page) and it still plays on every page. The players, unfortunately, covers the picture if you scroll to the way bottom (despite my attempts at messing around with the code to get it in the center), but it's a short price to pay.

My only real worry is the picture. I'm curious what you guys think - visually, does it work? Regardless of what works best for being able to read the page, etc., does it visually look okay all the way on the right, there? All things considered. Thanks.

I honestly hate my damn internet sometimes. Stupid thing crapped out and my aim signed off on me. It didn't sign back on and, of course, I didn't notice until 12:30 in the morning and, naturally, you've already gone to bed, Laura. Ay.

Alright, time for a post I had wanted to write for a while now and never got around to.

The largest motivator for it is the (continual) sentiments of rap being crap and that there is no (stunning) artistic quality to the genre. While this largely has to do with the mass public's ignorance towards knowing how to analyze rap (much like literary analysis is something which has to be taught, to some extent), I'm not going to address that here. The songs focused on here are what're usually referred to as "storytelling songs", meaning that they specifically focus on some form of story with a plot and describe the events in detail. I'm focusing on these because, by virtue of what they are attempting to do, they denote talent, and it doesn't take much for the lay-listener to understand and appreciate the song.

I wish I had more, but all I've been able to scrounge up are 8 songs. They come from my own childhood and tastes (hence why half of them happen to be Eminem). Anyway, enough of me blathering.

"My Fault" by Eminem off of The Slim Shady LP
Definitely one of my favorite songs, possibly ever. While Em happens to completely ruin the poignancy of the song with the skit that prefaces it on the album, taken on its own, it's a flawless song.

In short, the song basically surmounts to Eminem going to a party and meeting an ex-heroin addict who confides to him she's thinking about going back into using. Not really concerned, Em offers that she tries 'shrooms instead. Never having had psychedelic mushrooms before, the poor girl (Susan) ends up downing 24. During the course of Susan "tripping" completely over herself, she starts to reveal aspects about herself which she probably never intended to share with anyone at the party (at one point she admits, "I'm 26 years old and I'm not married/I don't even have any kids and I can't cook"). Towards the end, Em flips out and runs to get the friend who gave him the 'shrooms from the bathroom, exclaiming, "Dave! Pull up your pants!/We need an ambulance/There's a girl upstairs talking to plants/Chopping her hair off". The unfortunate end to this song is we just hear Em sobbing and choking out, between tears, "Susan, wake up! Please wake up. You're not dead.... You're not dead! Oh God..."

Admittedly, not the most cheerful of songs. What makes it interesting (and more than simply a possible Don't Do Drugs advertisement) is the growth of the main character. At the beginning, he clears cares very little for Susan at all and even crassly jokes that she only came, "to get laid and tied up/With first aid tape and raped on the first date". He's not a likable character (nor do I think he's supposed to be). So by the time he offers Susan the 'shrooms, we're mostly just groaning in our heads.

By the time we get to Susan divulging things about her past, the character looks more bothered by what he has to deal with than actually concerned about Susan's well-being. We do find out that Susan was abused by her father as a child ("Susan, stop cryin'; I don't hate ya/The world's not against you; I'm sorry your father raped ya/So what you had your little coochie in your dad's mouth?/That ain't no reason to start wiggin' and spaz out!"), which only makes his previous joke about raping her all the more distasteful.

This time in the chorus, the character has gone from apathy towards trying to avoid blame. After the first line he cries, "Whoops!" and then at the end, "It was an accident!"

In the third verse, we have a curious situation where the character is actually referred to by Susan as "Dad". After telling her to be careful, she tells "Dad" to leave her alone and that she's sick of getting her hair pulled, to which he responds, "I'm not your dad". When he's finally done to find the person who gave him the 'shrooms and explains the situation, they respond, "She's gonna die, dude," and he screams, "I know, and it's my fault! My God..."

When we've finally reached the end and he's crying, he's made a complete change in character. It took a tremendous loss, yet the results of his apathy are enough to (probably) make him now repulsed by that apathy.

Like I said, not the most cheerful, yet incredibly well done of a song. And I didn't even touch on the rhyme quality nor the skill of his delivery and voice acting.

"Think I'm Crazy" by Chamillionaire feat. Natalie off of The Sound of Revenge
Wow, I just realized how depressing all of these songs are. Well, you've been warned.

This is another one of my favorites. In part, because it has a more upbeat, computerized sounding beat, it sounds a little more like the commercialized rap that most who've grown up in this past decade are used to. The difference is the content of the song doesn't suck royally.

The entire song focuses around Chamillionaire meeting a girl at this bar. After greeting and exchanging names, they order drinks and start talking. As the conversation goes on, the girl starts to reveal personal information about herself, possibly dealing with a crime she may have committed. As to what any of that is, I'll let you listen to the track for it.

Ironically, for a rapper who hails from the South (and heartily reps it), Cham comes off here (and in other songs, on occasion) sounding more like he was influenced by the Midwest with his fast, muti-rhyme-per-line, clear pronunciation. Packing more lyrics than the average rap listener is used to sifting through, this is a song that manages to tell a story while maintaining intense lyrical quality (rhyme-wise) and enough detail to vividly paint what's happening.

I admit, still, I don't get the ending of the song. Well, I have a theory, but I could totally be off. So I wish you luck with that. It's a song that'll make you think, for sure.

"Stan" by Eminem feat. Dido off of The Marshall Mathers LP
Alright, if you bother to listen to rap, even only on a mainstream level, you've probably heard this song. If not, then you've probably heard the song it samples, "Thank You" by Dido.

The biggest stand out of (and thing that carries this) song is just the amount of talent clearly put into it (and having a nice sounding sample also helps). I particularly love that Em makes enough distinction in his voice that "Stan" and himself sound different during the course of the song. Unlike "My Fault", the plot lacks the complexity. Simply, Em has a fan (named Stan) who writes to him with a level of passion that is obsession. Stan eventually goes so off the edge from Eminem not responding to his letters that he drives off of a bridge with his wife locked in the trunk (stating, "See, I ain't like you/Because if she suffocates, she'll suffer more/And then die too"). The final verse is Em finally responding to Stan's letter (he had simply been incredibly busy), only to realize at the end that he had seen the news report on the car drawn from the river (Stan) a few days ago.

Really, it's just nice to listen to due to the amount of craft it took to make. Plus you have to give credit to a song which was used during the Nas/Jay-Z beef. But it's not quite like the previous two, I think.

"Somebody's Gotta Die" by The Notorious B. I. G. off of Life After Death
Wow, I've got depressing taste (no surprise for those that know me, I'm sure). Another one of my favorites, in part because of it's gritty, 90s type beat. Took a little while for me to get used to, but it's rather calming (which contrasts perfectly with the subject matter).

Nas really captured what the title of this song zeros in on in his own song "Affirmative Action" (It's sickenin', he just finished biddin' upstate/And now the projects is talking that somebody gotta die shit/It's logic - as long as it's nobody that's in my clique). The song starts with Biggie sitting in his apartment, daydreaming. This is interrupted by a knocking on the door. As he checks it, he finds out one of his men have been shot. As B. I. G. puts in, "I open up the door - pitiful/Is he in critical?/Retaliation for this one won't be minimal". The song goes from there.

Exceeding the level of detail that Chamillionaire employed, Biggie manages to drag entire rhyme schemes on (and on) while not being vague at all about what's happening. This is easily demonstrated within the first verse (I'm interrupted by a doorbell/3:52 - who the hell/Is this?/I gets up quick, cocks my shit/Stop the dogs from barking/Then proceed to walking/It's a face that I seen before/My nigga Sing, we used to sling on the 16th floor/Check it/I look deeper/I see blood up on his sneakers/And his fist gripped a chrome four-fifth).

Unfortunately, I can't tell you anymore about this one without ruining it for you. If you trust my word, try it out. It's fantastic. If you don't...keep reading, I guess.

*Spoilers* (highlight the text)
Basically, most of the song is as I've described it. It's the ending that's the real clincher. I can't help but feel the song is some form of message. Of course, Biggie seems to destroy this idea with most of the entirety of the rest of the album. Or maybe I just haven't figured out how to interpret The Notorious B. I. G. yet. Either way, towards the end we continue to hear Biggie's thoughts. As they get ready to carry out the hit, he reflects, ""Slow down/Fuck all that planning shit/Run up in they cribs/And make 'em catch the man 'n' shit/See, niggas like you do ten year bids/Miss the niggas they want/And murder innocent kids/Not I/One nigga's in my eye/That's Jason/Ain't no slugs gonna be wasted/Revenge I'm tasting at the tip of my lips/I can't wait to feel my clip in his hips/Pass the chocolate/Thai/Sing ain't lie/There's Jason with his back to me/Talking to his faculty/I start to get a funny feeling/Put the mask on in case his niggas start squealing/Scream his name out/Squeeze six knuckles shorter/Nigga turned around holding his daughter". As the song fades out, we hear everyone who was involved scream at each other to scatter as the rain falls around them. And through all of it is the cries of the baby, up until the last few seconds of the song. Depressing, yes. But incredibly powerful and, for the most part, unexpected.

"Kim" by Eminem off of The Marshall Mathers LP
Okay, I'll admit - this one is in no way, shape, or form for everyone. It's my extremist nature indulging itself.

If you're not familiar with Eminem at all, Kim is the name of Mr. Mathers' ex-wife - and their issues and frustrations are rife, especially during this time. If I'm not mistaken, Em finds out his (then) wife cheated on him. Like most people, he was probably incredibly angry; he may have wanted to hurt her, possibly kill her. Like most people, he didn't kill wife, even if he had wanted to. Unlike most people, he chose to write a (very graffic) song about the feelings he was experiencing and going through (killing his wife).

Like I said, it's not for everyone - but it has its merits, I will always argue.

For a song which is for the most part simply a screaming tirade about his wife's unfaithfulness, it comes through the most clear when he almost confusingly exclaims, "I hate you! I hate you! My God, I hate you! Oh my God, I loved you.... How the fuck could you do this to me? How the fuck could you do this to me?!?" Granted, one might argue, that such a sentiment could have been reached simply in that line alone while the ere mentioned rant and list of grievances serve as fluff for a song ranking at 6 minutes and 18 seconds.

On the other hand, you might note that the premeditated "murder" of this woman is crucial to understanding just how deeply emotionally the character is strung and that cannot be realized unless so vivid in arbitrary detail the event is described before the final death.

Then again, you could always point to that as a reason Em should visit anger management before someone actually gets hurt.

Really, the reason this song sticks out so much is there aren't many like it. And the reason it doesn't get lost in the pile of other violent and graphic music out there is because this isn't senseless or, even, pointless and mindless violence and hate. And we can't forget that, to some extent, through out the track. For as the chorus kicks in and the smooth singing about (albeit in a very bizarre way) the way the main character loves this woman who has caused him so much harm contrasts the hoarse yelling of the emotional maniac, it seems the sanity lies in that basic fact about the whole awful ordeal - and while it shouldn't justify anything he proceeds to do, comically, ironically, and oddly enough our humanity (of all things) empathizes with him.

"Brenda's Got a Baby" by 2Pac off of 2Pacalypse Now
Here's one that near to every has heard before or heard of. Much like "Stan", it has a lot of cultural importance (except this time for black youth in the ghettos of the 90s dealing with the crack epidemic as well as Hip Hop). It's kinda one that you just ought to know of.

Now, that being said, ironically I think this one is incredibly weak lyrically (no wordplay and simple at-the-end-of every-line-only rhyme). It's saving grace is the story it tells. And it brings up some fantastic points that sting emotionally when you hear them.

Quick run-down: Brenda is lured into having sex at a ridiculously young age for the sake of comfort. As a result, she gets pregnant. The boyfriend, only interested in sex to begin with, leaves immediately. The family for the most part ignores Brenda all the time, so she immediately tries to hide the pregnancy (She tried to hide her pregnancy/From her family/Who didn't really care to see/Or give a damn if she/Went out and had a church of kids/As long as when the check came they got first dibs).

Ignored by the family, she ends up having the baby on the bathroom floor. Subsequently, the parents get angry because a social worker keeps coming around after the whole affair and they're losing money. So, Brenda decides to leave. She tries to sell drugs but gets robbed. So, she goes into prostitution. "So she sees sex as a way of leaving Hell/It's payin' her rent, so she really can't complain/Prostitute found slain/And Brenda's her name - she's got a baby".

This is definitely one of the songs on here with a less sadistic main character, so hopefully that helps a bit.

"Murder Murder" by Eminem off of The Slim Shady EP
Great title, no? This actually is far removed from the concept of "Kim".

If you didn't know, Eminem's first album was the majoridly positive (particularly in comparison to his later works) Infinite. After it being a commercial failure and critics saying his flow sounded like he was imitating Nas and AZ, he ditched trying to make an album based around what others wanted to hear and came up with his alter ego persona, Slim Shady. As you can probably guess, The Slim Shady EP (a precursor to The Slim Shady LP) is the beginning of Eminem's more foul material.

In light of all of that I just said, "Murder Murder" would've fit rather nicely in the gangsta rap genre that has (admittedly, sometimes obnoxiously) dominated the rap genre for so many years (at least during the 90s, at the very least in the underground rap world). This isn't to say that this song is entirely about guns, bitches, and money. Rather, it's more in line with Slick Rick's "A Children's Story".

In short, the track is about the main character's attempt at armed robbery that goes wrong at first and just gets worse and worse. Now, that I have admitted that this song would have fit within the gangsta rap genre is slightly ironic, particularly if you know the background of Marshall Mathers. Looking back, him saying, "Left the keys in the van with a gat in each hand/Went up in Eastland and shot a police man/Fuck a peace plan; if a citizen bystands/This shit is in my hands," is kinda comical. But rap has never really been all that much about being truthful (despite whatever they may brag and boast) - it's about telling a story and making the listener believe it. The more intelligent rappers just happen to tell a worthwhile story. Believe me, this is one of them.

While, for the most part, removed from the type of material Eminem would later release as his staple, this song does a pretty decent job of getting behind the mindset of the armed robber and his motivation.

This song has some really just fantastic lines which really bring the point across. "Here's your lifespan/And for what your life's worth? This money is twice that/Grab a couple grand and lay up in iceland/See, I'm a nice man, but money turned me to Satan/I'm thirsty for this green so bad I'm dehydrating/[...]But I ain't set to flee the scene of the crime just yet/'Cause I got a daughter to feed/And 300 dollars ain't enough to water the seed".

Honestly, I've already revealed the entirety of the song. Just go and listen to it. The only other thing worth mentioning (plot-wise) is the ending. While he boarders between being comical and serious throughout the entire song, this sets up a feeling that while the entire thing feels unrealistic, there is a level of dark satire, sarcasm, and seriousness to the entire thing (strengthened by the hook - but I'll get to that). This is perfectly capped off at the end when he finally gets stopped and arrested. As he surrenders, he exclaims, "It wasn't me!/It was the gangsta rap and the peppermint schnapps!"

Finally, what I really love about this song is that it screams 90s rap. From the beat, to the scratching, to the sampling. And it's utterly fantastic. The hook is utterly perfect. It first samples 2Pac from (probably) "Outlawz" ("All I see is murder, murder - my mind state) and then Swifty from a track off the EP called "No One's Iller" ("Makes it too late for cops in trying to stop the crime rate"). The 2Pac sample is repeated with then (I'm afraid I don't know the origin of the sample) an, almost, mindless shouting of, "Murder Murder! And kill, kill, kill!"

The song isn't subtle - and yet does a fantastic, artistic job of conveying its message. I love it.

"Meet the Parents" by Jay-Z off of The Blueprint²: The Curse
I just heard this one today and, at first, I wasn't going to post it. Jay tends to write with a (very thick) vagueness which is unsuitable for the type of storytelling I was trying to get at with these songs. Not that it doesn't work for him. He usually has so much damn word play and beautifully subtle double meanings that it more than makes up for the lack of utterly specific details. A fantastic song which falls under this is "D'evils" and, were it story telling as I'm talking about here, I would totally include it. I take back what I said in my review of Reasonable Doubt, that song tramples far beyond your normal expectation for a song.

However, I'm not talking about that one here. I won't say much about this, because it kinda gives away the plot. And, relooking over it, I think there may be deeper metaphores (even if simplistic) that are lurking right under the surface. This is largely based on the last line. Anyway, you listen to it, tell me your thoughts. I dunno what to make of it yet.

And on a final note, I need a few rappers to do a track. I doubt anyone out there writes? I'm not sure where I'm gonna find anyone to collaborate with. Ay.

Hope you're all doing well.

I finally decided to check out Jay-Z's performance at Glastonbury yesterday. It's pretty good. A few pop singles in there, but a good deal of them were rather good. He had some live instrumentation and when Public Service Announcement came on, you knew hip hop was there (that song is just great).

As I was reading through the comments, one person commented that (given the concert is held in England) it was just more "Americana", the same old sound over and over again. Which made me laugh like no other. Jay has one of the most distinctive sounds and flows in the entire game. Same old? If it weren't for Jay and a slew of other "Americana" rappers, rap wouldn't have the styles and techniques open to it today that it does. I mean, there's just certain things which you have to know if you even want to talk about rap. Biggie demonstrated how far flow could really go, Eminem and Big Pun essencially broke the rhyme scheme limit a thousand times over, and a good deal of rappers showed the literary capabilities of the genre. I mean, without American 90s rap, you don't have the progress in skills that have been demonstrated for others anymore. Not to say it's refined to that era or that there aren't talented artist showing capability in other countries. But, honestly, show some respect. You look ignorant when you're unaware of your past.

Well, seems my hope to see you soon Lizzie is going a little contrary to plan. Miss you though.

 Listening to Reasonable Doubt and Renegade makes me want to start writing again. Most of my verses tend to be angsty rather than reflective. My one somewhat reflective song (Conversation In Song) is far too introspective to be laid back reflection. And, of course, the verses I wrote for the If I Get Locked Up Tonight and my other shock song are mostly for humor (though I do need to write more meaningful shock verses).

My unweildy verses change rhythm and flow far too sporadically for my own poor control over a beat to handle. Plus I find my voice irritating to listen to when emotional (which is a majority of my verses...). Oh well, here's one I'm rather happy with. Though I think I'm too slow at the beginning, the rest I do an excellent job of keeping on the beat. Plus, since the beat was so specific, I actually had to change my flow when writing the verse (instead of my usual constant stream of rhyme schemes). The rhyming itself isn't bad, and it gets the message across.

(I just realized the background music will get in the way. You can listen to my verse (around 1:59) at http://thirst2.xanga.com/audio/782ad3461702/)

However, I would like to work on more complex stuff...just need to get better at actual performing...