firstly, i think that responding to jimbo's comments with such hostility does little to inform, educate or enlighten someone who needs a little tutoring. the kid is simply saying he feels alienated by some of common's material (whether or not his analysis of common's cover art is wrong or not). i think that all of us would say that common has never been one to bite his tongue in a dialogue on race relations. and without speaking his mind, common would be doing both himself and his listeners a disservice. that doesn't mean that i always agree with him, but i don't always agree with anybody.<P>one observation that i have to make is that i think white kids who have been listening to hiphop for a long time are much more comfortable with their role than are newjacks. you can't even compare anything that common has ever said to the venom spewed on "horny little devil", "cave bitch" or "you and your heroes". if you don't know the songs i'm talking about, you might be one of the cats who hear "coffee shop chicks and white guys" and go nuts. relax. cats must be so self conscious that they think any reference to "white people" is personally directed towards them. relax.<P>by the same token, a few black people need to realize that some things that artists say are indeed offensive. common's somg off the "white boys" soundtrack was ignorant and completely out of character (common talking about "passing gats"). just because a white person is questioning a black artist doesn't mean that the white person is completely unjustified in his complaint. stupidity is stupidy, no matter what color mouth utters it.<P>take emotion out of racial debates and be purely objective. people of any color arguing on a foundation of emotional outrage always end up sounding like idiots.<P><P>"A&R's had me feeling like Moss in the draft" -- Jay-Z