Once again, hip hop proves to be one of the truest forms of social commentary

[Dbdmjs1022]

So I just purchased the new Nas album, "Untitled," and like most of Nas' work it totally blew me away. This isn't "bling bling" club rap fodder (not that there's anything wrong with that either, but it's almost an entirely different genre from true hip hop), it's soulful and moving commentary on life in the world today. Nas doesn't hold back anything about politics, the media, and the overarching theme throughout is race relations in America today. What's great is the rebellious streak this album has. For those who don't know the back story, the album was originally going to be titled "Nigger." Of course, this led to a huge controversy, because when a white guy uses that word for a book title it's thoughtful and inspiring, but when a black man tries to use it for a rap album about racism in America it's "degrading" and "atrocious." So eventually they just made the album untitled, because as Nas said in an interview, "everyone knows what the real name of the album is."

Seeing as how our friends at Fox Noise and the MSM are so popular right now, here's the lyrics from the track "Sly Fox."


So we look at what's going on -- this as an EXTREME aggression, um
I'm also hearing about it from EVERYWHERE!
It's-it's on the islands, it's on the continent, it's here: it's everywhere!
And this is, if you will, a WAR -- An all out assault by...



The sly fox
Cyclops
We locked
In the idiot box
The video slots
Broadcast
The Waco Davidian plots
They own YouTube, Myspace
When this ignorant shit gon' stop?
They monopolizing news
Your views
And the channel you choose
Propaganda
Visual cancer
The eye
In the sky
Number five
On the dial
secret agenda
Frequency antenna
Doctor mind bender
Remote control
soul
Controller
Your brain holder
Slave culture
Game's over
What's a Fox characteristic?
Slick shit
Sensin'
Misinformation
Pimp the station
Over stimulation
Reception
Deception
Comcast digital Satan
The Fox has a bushy tail
And Bush tells
Lies and Foxtrots
So I don't know what's real



Watch what you watchin'
Fox keeps feeding us toxins
Stop sleeping
Start thinking
Outside of the box and
Unplug from The Matrix doctrine
But watch what you say Big Brother is watchin'

Watch what you watchin'
Fox keeps feeding us toxins
Stop sleeping
Start thinking
Outside of the box and
Unplug from The Matrix doctrine
But watch what you say Fox 5 is watchin'



The Fear Factor got you all rattled up
O' Reilly
Oh really?
No rally needed
I'll tie you up
Network for child predators, settin' 'em up
Myspace pimps, hoes, and sluts
Ya'll exploit rap culture, then ya'll flip on us
And you own the post, and ya'll shit on us
What is they net worth?
They gon' try to censor my next verse?
Throw 'em off the roof neck first
While I'm clicking my cursor
Reading blogs about the pressure they put on Universal
It gets worse while I'm clicking my mouse
While they kickin' my house
They figured us out
Why a nigga go south
It's either he caught a body, no sleep they watchin'!
I watch CBS
And I See B.S.!
Tryin' to track us down with GPS
Make a nigga wanna invest in PBS



Watch what you watchin'
Fox keeps feeding us toxins
Stop sleeping
Start thinking
Outside of the box and
Unplug from The Matrix doctrine
But watch what you say Big Brother is watchin'

Watch what you watchin'
Fox keeps feeding us toxins
Stop sleeping
Start thinking
Outside of the box and
Unplug from The Matrix doctrine
But watch what you say Fox 5 is watchin'



They say I'm all about murder-murder and kill-kill
But what about Grindhouse and Kill Bill?
What about Cheney and Halliburton? (Halliburton?)
The backdoor deals
On oil fields
How's NaS the most violent person?
Ya'll don't know talent if it hit you
Bringin' up my criminal possession charges with a pistol (pistol)
I use Viacom
As my firearm
And let the lyrics split you
Who do you rely upon?
They shoot shells at Leviathan
I'm dealing with the higher form
F**k if you care how I write a poem?
Only Fox that I love was the red one
Only black man that Fox loves is in jail or a dead one!
Red rum
Political bedlam
Don't let the hype into your eyes and ear drum
Murdoch on Fox
Not 18 with Barracas
And he hate Barack cause
He march with the marchers



I pledge allegiance to the fair and balanced truth.
Not the biased truth
Not the liar's truth
But the highest truth
I will not be deceived
nor will I believe
In the Propaganda
I will not fall for the Okey-Doke
I am tuned-in



Watch, cause they're watching
Watch what you're watching

Better watch, cause they're watching
Watch what you're watching

Me-Me-Media
Misleading ya

Watch what you're watching

[vadawg]

1. gibberish

mayby showing my age and lack of cultural awareness, but im not seeing this as one of the great pieces of societal changing writing. Reads like one of those crazy Psych tests were someone says something nonsensical and you reply equally with nonsense.

[Skittles]

2. did you really read it with an open mind?

I mean, really

[vadawg]

4. yeah

and as i said it just dosent work for me, i just dont see it as being a cultural landmark or societal changing writing. To me its like the scribblings of someone having DT's

[Skittles]

8. I don't see where the OP claims it is a landmark or societal changing

it's more of the insightful and speaking the truth commentary

[exothermic]

30. Worse than gibberish...it's just mindless babbling. I am amazed some DUers

think it's "culture" or some such bullshit.
:eyes:

[Blue_Tires]

33. funny...

at different times in history, words similar to that effect have been used to describe just about every music form originated by black americans...and please tell me, what makes a music form "culture;" O erudite critic?

[Skittles]

3. awesome

:thumbsup:

[vadawg]

5. you really think its awesome

i guess my brains just wired differently or something (wish i knew how to do the shrug thing)

[Skittles]

6. yes - and I am 51 yr old very white gal

read the words - get past the fact that the style of speaking is not yours and really read the words - it rings right on truth, it does

[vadawg]

7. sorry it just dosent work

for me, no matter the content, its just like someone rambling, throwing out random words. i guess ill stick to country music,

[Dbdmjs1022]

9. Just like any art form, it's not for everyone, so no worries :)

And I never said it was society changing, just that the album was really good and brought up some great points.

[vadawg]

11. lol thanks mate

ive read it about 10 times now, i see what they are saying but it still just seems like jail grafitti in a detox cell. :)

[Heidi]

10. Belated welcome to DU, vadawg.

I enjoy many art forms, including country music from time to time. Can you recommend some of your favorite country music that includes social commentary? Thanks! :hi:

[vadawg]

12. lol getting embarressed

i kinda am really digging taylor swift at the moment, so im not sure if theres wnything socially viable there, but she sure has a great voice and sings a great tune.

[Heidi]

13. I'm a big fan of the Dixie Chicks.

Beautiful voices, beautiful instrumentation and, often, meaningful social commentary. You? :)

Thanks for the recommendation. I'm gonna check out Taylor Swift on youtube now! :hi:

[vadawg]

15. honestly

im not a big fan of the chicks, my wife thinks its crazy, but the singer reminds me of a crazy chick i dated years ago (gives me the willies) and the other blond one looks like my sister. its a wierd psychosis thing, though i do like josh turner as well, he writes a great tune, and of course the usual stuff ie cash. but as a foreigner im kinda new to the country stuff. still learning.

[Heidi]

18. Just checked out Taylor Swift. Beautiful young woman, nice voice.

Johnny Cash did plenty of social commentary stuff. Here's one of my favorites: "The Man in Black"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCqpPj87ekE

The Man In Black
Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

[vadawg]

21. unfortunately im in the county jail at the moment

so i cant access youtube, though i know the song, i guess for me music is just stuff i drive to and sing along i dont really dig to deep into it.

[Heidi]

22. I'm assuming you're an LEO,

and not a prisoner. In any case, I understand completely. I don't go looking for social commentary, but I enjoy it when I find it. :hi:

[Dbdmjs1022]

14. My girl's a big Taylor fan. Great voice. I just don't like the "pop remixes" of her stuff.

[vadawg]

16. yeah

me neither, i think when she does her stuff, theres an innocence to it that makes you really think back to when you were that age and thats what hooks you.

[Syrinx]

17. he was on the Jimmy Kimmel show last week

I'm not a big rap fan, but I tuned in hoping that he would do that song. But he didn't. :(

[Heidi]

20. Hi, Syrinx. Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Uqk3fxFEs

[Syrinx]

24. hi Heidi!

Thanks! I just posted the same link about five seconds ago! :hi:

[Heidi]

25. Jinx!

Great minds and all. :rofl:

How ya been? :hug:

[Syrinx]

26. doing good

But you "owe me a Coke." That's a southern thing probably, I don't know if it applies in Switzerland, so I won't hold you to it. :)

:hug:

[Heidi]

27. I was born in Arkansas,

raised in Oklahoma, so yeah, I owe ya a Coke. :rofl:

:hug:

[Syrinx]

19. YouTube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Uqk3fxFEs

[Dbdmjs1022]

23. Awesome find! Must view for anyone who wants to hear the song and see what it's about

[knitter4democracy]

34. Very powerful.

The rappers are the truth-tellers when they remember that they are the word men and not the money men.

[DangerDave921]

28. Nas

I find it depressing when people resort to song lyrics as social commentary. I think THAT in and of itself is a sad commentary on where our world is now.

[Dbdmjs1022]

29. Works of art have been forms of social commentary for centuries.

When you think about it, music is just poetry with a tune set to it. And poetry has been social commentary since the days of Shakespeare and even before that. Using song lyrics to discuss social issues is no different than using paintings, plays, movies, or anything else. It's not just a recent thing.

[DangerDave921]

32. maybe just a bias

But I have a hard time thinking of the current hip-hop, gangsta folks as being insightful social commentators. "911 is a joke" was a great song. I got that one. But today's music is so full of hatred and bigotry and womanizing and cussing. I can't listen to it anymore.

[Cid_B]

31. Meh...

Hard to take this fine "gentleman" seriously...

[shadowknows69]

35. Good stuff, love that style of verse.

[shadowknows69]

36. I'm down with the cause Nas

Somone hand me a sledge hammer. B-)