Jul 3, 2007
You went behind a tree and peed
As much rap as I like to listen to, I do not listen to much associated with the Wu-Tang Clan. There's a Rhymefest track that features the ODB and I've got a copy of Fishscale that I've not listened to very much, but that's about it. I'm pretty well versed in most other areas of the rap world, but I'm behind the times on the Wu-Tang. I don't know my RZA from my GZA.

There's a track by the Hood Internet, though, that features "Tooken Back" by Ghostface. The mashup really brings a new dimension to the song, that makes it sound a whole lot more desperate and vulnerable. But Ghostface had the balls to record a song like that in the first place.

It's a rap love song.

I don't think I've ever heard anything like that before. I've heard plenty of rap songs about moms - it's cool to do that, everyone almost respects their mom. But no love songs. Not the probably-bisexual Kanye West, with his "We all self-conscious, I'm just the first to admit it" (I'm OK with bisexuals! Kanye is the man!). Lupe Fiasco, for all the credit his album got, still maintains a relative distance from his subject matter. Even if you take, for instance, anything Jay-Z does with Beyonce, you still have the context that Beyonce is among the hottest women alive and that Jigga is allowed to brag. Is there another major rap act that could get away with "you know I always love you, never meant to hurt you"?

Shit, I gotta start listening to more Ghostface. Dude's got balls.

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posted by jjk at 11:58 PM
2 comments




I agree and disagree with you.

I can think of several rap love songs off the top of my head, most notably Jay's "Song Cry." How about "Receipt" by Lil Wayne. And contrary to your post, Lupe had "Sunshine."

That said, your general point is true. Rappers are afraid they are going to come off vulnerable and they usually avoid love songs...and that's not just mainstream rappers either. It's all part of the pervasive hypermasculinity that dominates hip hop. Money over bitches. Hell, homeys over bitches.

Have you read any of Michael Eric Dyson's books?
# posted by Blogger Michael Denslow : February 15, 2008 at 11:29 PM  

Yeah, it's pretty obvious why no one else does it. Of course there's a bros before hos thing going on. Just ask Cam'ron. Obviously, rap has a lot of expansion to do, thematically and production-wise but I think I'm mostly impressed at how well Ghostface pulled it off.

Sunshine is a good one, but I think that one didn't strike a chord with me because it's all in the third person. There's still some distance.

Re: Dyson - never read, but I guess I ought to, since according to his wikipedia page "HE WAS A VERY MOTHER FUCKIN MAN!!!!!!!!!!" whatever that means.
# posted by Blogger jjk : February 16, 2008 at 3:10 PM  


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