I Scream This Shit on the Way Home!

There are times when one must use their own words. However there are also times when others penetrate our souls with such precision with their own articulation that we have no choice but to let their words bleed for us . . . This is one of those times, "tell everybody that you know. . ."

Barak on Hip Hop

Ok, I have been on the Obama fence for some time now. I wasn't sure if he was black, white, Cablasion (as Tiger calls it). I wasn't really sure where he stood on the issue of his "blackness." To me that is very important, especially, in today's socio-political and economic climate. To be honest I'm not sure I feel any more affinity for Obama now but I do know this... Watching this clip didn't give me the usual jaw clenching feeling I usually get when I hear the "Civil Rights" generation talk about hip hop. They talk about it from such a far removed place that it's almost impossible to take their opinion and criticism to heart. Furthermore, they have this old school way of thinking i.e. I'm older than you so if I say hip hop is bad it's bad. Respect your elders... back in my day we didn't blah blah blah." Not to seem disrespectful but that just doesn't fly with today's youth. The control parents once had came largely from control of what your children knew or experienced. Now, the the innovation of the Internet and text messaging, parents have virtually no control of what information their kids have access to. So when you get people around your grandparents age or even your parents (if you have parents that are actually parent age! Not like your 25 and your mom is 32, lol) barking mindlessly about your music without even taking the time to listen to a song that wasn't looped on Hot97 or BET (Black Embarrassing Television) a million times, it's hard to take seriously.
In this clip Barak comes off like a concerned dad. He seems like he's taken the time to listen to a Jay-Z album and see the quality of his lyrical ability in SPITE of the "Radio Play" tracks. He says he met with Jay and Kanye. Not that every parent can do that, obviously most can not! However it's the sentiment of his effort. He points out the bad in such a tender and kind way that you can't help but say "damn, I need to stop cursing."
Overall, I'm not handing out any "Black Passes" or anything, but I'm not mad at him...

~H. Herald~