Memory Lane

Today, like other days this week, was mostly a complete blur.  My head feels like the size of at watermelon and I feel like I am in slow motion.

I rearranged my classroom today, or rather what small amount of furniture I have, listening to Nas (big shocker.)  I really like Illmatic and Stillmatic a whole lot.  I still lack desks, chairs, a computer, a telephone, a whiteboard, a TV, a DVD player, and a camera.  All classes have to be recorded on video for security due to the nature of our program.  They have until Monday to get a camera put in…

In response to my friend Wes’ comment on my last entry, I think you’re right.  Nas’ new stuff isn’t good, it’s amazing.  I mean seriously.  What new *mainstream* rapper is saying anything intelligent, meaningful, or significant these days?  Shit, what mainstream rapper is saying anything other than a slight variation of “I want to fuck this bitch” or “I have a cubic fuckton of money, mang.”  If you know of anyone, I’d love to hear them. Seriously.

I could not agree more with the point Nas makes in the song “Hip Hop is Dead.”  As far as I am concerned, Nas helped reinvent the original point of hip-hop: a cathartic, raw, rhythmic way to express real feelings; not the new “snapping” of synthesized, meaningless, passionless shlack.  Like anyone still listens to Dem Franchise Boys.  Like anyone will give a crap about Soulja Boy in 2 years.  Rappers like the members of NWA, Tupac Shakur, Nas, Jay-Z, Eminem, Outkast, and Kanye West are *REAL* rappers and that is why they have and will continue to endure as rap icons.  They create funky rhythmic beats and lyrics WORTH buying and hearing over and over.  These men have creative talent and usually something to say aside from “She got a donk” or “Imma superman dat hoe.” 
This of course is not to say that none of the aforementioned rappers have never had a song or a lyric dedicated to the more materialist things, but that they have illustrated in many other songs that they have skills past repetative synthesized drudgery.  As Kanye says in “Breathe In, Breathe Out,” a song he made with Ludacris, “I always said if I rapped, I’d say something significant, but now I’m rappin’ about money, hoes, and rims again.”

The point, however, still remains that the best, most meaningful rap that has become “classic” are by and large passionate songs that tell of a personal struggle. Songs like Tupac’s “Changes,” Jay-Z’s “December 4th,” Outkast’s “West Savannah,” Kanye West’s “Home,” Eminem’s “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” and so forth are all very personal songs that have more to say than “crank that robocop.”

I am curious to hear other opinions on this matter.

Why *does* J call himself Hova?