You know brother you're right, these cats are not perfect. They are striving like everyone else, now just by virtue of the fact that I purchased all these cats albums, I have the right to ask questions, which was the purpose of this post.

Here's my deal, I love hip-hop, and I love the fact that I as a 27 year old male can still listen to some MC's who appeal to a mature 27 year old's mind. But I have three nephews age 6, 9, and 10. I want them to be able to appreciate the great artform. The aforementioned MC's to me are keeping the legacy of the golden age of hip hop ('87-'91) alive. Now I don't want Common or Kweli, or Mos to be my nephews' role models. But I would like them to be exposed to them, so they can have something to offset what they're hearing on the radio and seeing on TV. I would like them to appreciate the poetry, creativity, and vocabulary present in these cats' music. But when they ask me what's the difference between Common saying nigga or bitch gratuitously (as in "Like They Used To Say") and Jay-Z or Ja-Rule saying it, how can I defend that. And if I can't defend that, how can I justify telling them that what Common does is all that different from what Jay or Ja-Rule do.

"I'd be lyin', if I said I didn't want millions...More than money saved, I wanna save Children.."
-Common, "The Sixth Sense

Is music his vehicle? Then obviously he wants children listening to his music. Therefore he has appointed himself a saviour of sorts. Is part of that salvation, showing (by example)that it's OK to refer to each other as niggas and bitches.

"...Sat by this little girl/she recited some verses/I forgot where they was from/In it she was saying how she make brothas cum..."

-Common, "The Sixth Sense"

Another line where Common was clearly stating how it bothered him that a little girl was repeating some vulgar stuff that she heard some rapper say. So what if she would've been on the bus reciting "1,2 Many Niggas...", would that have been OK? I know Com ain't perfect, and he'll be the first to admit that, that's one of the reasons I dig him so much.

But people in the industry, as well as the consumers should not be afraid to take cats to task for what we may view as inconsistencies. There's nothing wrong with dialogue, but we have got to get out of that mold of making the words critic and "hater" interchangeable.

-Sir Lau...out!!!