Rappers
 

I never cared much for Rap music, I even question if it is "music".
But I suppose if we accept what other cultures in the far corners of the earth consider their music, we should accept other cultures at home. I consider them another culture as they rap about, therefore rep for, the gangsters, hos, thugs and ne'er do wells.

Now Chance the Rapper comes along and muddles that culture, blurs that line between cultures.

^^^

Awesome People. (tm)

Ah, but how many of us have heard stories about the real origin of rap and hip-hop? I know a great one, one that some sociologists and music historians are backing with enthusiasm.

Back in the late 70s, New York City suffered some serious electrical problems that at least once led to a major blackout. I think it was in summer, and New York in the summer is foul-tempered, hot, humid, and generally cranky. Civil unrest followed the start of the electrical problems (no AC in poor neighborhoods leading to deaths of elders and children can do that) and eventually there were full-scale riots during the blackout.

When all the store alarms that weren't hardwired to an independent power source were off. Needless to say, looting followed rioting. It is believed that this brief epidemic of looting led directly to the development of rap, because having all that stolen electronic equipment dissipated into some of the poorest neighborhoods gave frustrated young people a new way to express THEIR ideas, THEIR culture, THEIR way of life. It was their first real chance to have something all their own artistically, and it built up into the monster that finally killed grunge and led to the proliferation of lifestyle-related reality shows on MTV.

Helluva thing to come from a blackout 40 years ago!

And though I am decidedly not a rap fan myself, I admire the artists who do things like get hugely famous with real talent and are proud of coming from ordinary backgrounds. And there are a few rap songs I like--though I won't defend the fact that 2 of them are from a buncha white Jewish dudes ;). 'Brass Monkey' and 'No Sleep Til Brooklyn' just make me happy. So does 'Baby Got Back'. And I really do like early LL Cool J, my favorites there being 'I'm That Type of Guy' in which he swiped the flying monkey chant from Wizard of Oz, 'Goin Back to Cali', and my personal favorite of his, 'Mama Said Knock You Out' which was dedicated to his grandmother, the little old lady in the video, who raised him. And we can't forget the ladies, such as Salt-n-Pepa (RIP to their beautiful DJ who died way too young a few years back) as recently featured in Deadpool, but not with my favorite of their tracks. No, that title goes to 'Body Beautiful', which I still LOVE that they used as the intro scene music for Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes draggin' it up in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar.

Not a big rap fan either. I liked/like Tone Loc, Heavy D, Dr Dre, Snoop.

"We gonna smoke a ounce to dis
G's up ho's down
While you motherfuckers bounce to dis"