it really bothers me when i think about it... and i guess i've been thinking about it a lot since that new Prodigy track dropped, to rave reviews.

it just made me think about how the pro-Black rap that nurtured me in the late 80s and early 90s and that i loved so much... it really warped the perspective of a whole generation of black (and white and Asian and Latino) people.

it's not completely the rap's fault, of course... a lot of the ideology came from other places. but the popularity of hip-hop helped spread it across the nation (and beyond) and cement it.

and now i'm wondering how we can break it down.

i talked about it a bit with scorpion over the weekend, and he urged me to post about it... i said i would, but now i feel a bit hesitant because i don't really feel like dealing with the inevitable, drawn-out shitstorm (complete with Aquaman, Earl Flynn, Zap Furer and explizit coming out of the woodwork to rebuke me).

also: i'd be lying if i said i wasn't slightly... not "bothered" but... made *cautious* by that post breaking down the racial composition of the Lesson. there's a part of me that doesn't feel comfortable discussing "family business" in front of Ofayplayers.

but then again... why not?

i'll up this post later and really get into it.

________________

"Do you know what a nerd is? A nerd is a human being without enough Africa in him or her." © Brian Eno, "A Year With Swollen Appendices"