Favorite Video Friday - I love rap, but I'm tired of defending it.

The last few days I’ve had a Chris Rock line stuck in my head.

I love rap music, but I’m tired of defending it.

He then proceeds to discuss how “old-school” rap could be respected as art because of its groundbreaking work and for the content. Today, we’re not getting much of that. Someone asked me why I avoid rap/hip-hop that appears on the current billboard charts. The reason is simple - it’s catchy as hell but it sucks.

I can’t claim to only love conscious rap. I do and I think it’s some of the best stuff I’ve ever heard. However, a quick perusal of my most recent playlist will show that there area hell of a lot of songs that you wouldn’t expect from me given my political/social/environmental/justice views.

Why do I love rap music? Because for the most part, it’s brilliant. I’m not talking about all the bling crap that is on the radio now. I’m talking about good rap - songs with more than one verse and a chorus, songs that showcase the creativity and intelligence of the artist, and songs that you can’t help but remember. I know this view isn’t popular and I’m not entirely sure if I care. If you can get past all of the ridiculousness that comes with the stereotypical rap scene, you’ll find that a lot of rappers are REALLY smart, well-rounded and kind of awesome. One of my favorite things to do is to listen to some of these older songs and hear an obscure reference or clever plays on words. I’m friends with a burgeoning rapper, and he has completely changed the way I look at the genre and the artists keeping it alive. This kid has an amazing vocabulary (it might rival my own and that’s saying a lot), is so well-read and just well-rounded in general. He’s a great guy and his skills are something to behold.

But back to rap music - it’s been said that the music of your childhood and teenage years is the music you’ll always come back to. I didn’t believe that entirely until last year. I turned 33 and for once I started to feel my age. When I go through a drive-through pumping out my favorite rap songs, I realized that the workers there weren’t even BORN when these songs were produced. Terrifying.

So today, my video of the day is a favorite that I don’t have to defend. Happy Friday.