A few days ago I got to see a talk by Touré, who reports on rap for Rolling Stone magazine. He read from his latest book, and answered questions. I could tell why he was such a good reporter. Besides having a natural way with words, he had an easy-going, yet involved manner. He just sort of exudes a hip sort of friendliness.
It got me thinking, though. My knowledge of rap is quite limited. It's been a major chunk of the cultural pie for a long time now. Ever since I saw people beat-boxing in junior high school, and walking down the halls spurting Beastie Boys rhymes, it's always been there for me. But aside from a few Easy E tapes that Brian V would constantly play in his car, I never seriously listened to it.
Touré's had great things to say about a number of artists, from names that are very familiar (Queen's own "50 cent", at least the early work), to one's I hadn't heard of, like "Ghostface Killah". He is pretty down on the whole South-driven rap scene right now, where the hooks come first and the words later. And, he continued, some of the songs are hardly even songs - they open with a chorus, or a double chorus, or even a triple chorus! The verse is completely forgettable, and not really personal or political in any way.
At any rate, I really should get some rap albums. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.
Posted by ahyatt at April 20, 2006 11:27 PM