The staff here, a collective greater than the quantitative measures of mathematics (see 1), have always strived to assist in the progression of targeting certain ideas without deviating from the script.
On that note, let's revisit the idea of the Things I've Learned from Rap Music.
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According to the massive breadth of rap music I have been privied to, it would seem that contextually - words do not matter. A very small percentage of what rappers actually put on vinyl is factual.
Not much different from fictional literature, the words are meant to tell a story, paint the proverbial picture and provide a form of escapism for its readers or listeners. The problem with this is that rappers posture themselves to give the impression that what they say is the truth i.e. Real talk.
While Master P aka Percy Miller might want to convince you that his driveway is actually similar to a dealership based on the number and production date of his automobiles, C.S. Lewis would never try to have us believe that their is indeed an amazing fantasy land blanketed by snow and inhabited by strange woodland creatures easily accessible at the rear of your wardrobe.
Which reminds me - this video is a nice introduction:
Let's face it - rappers are artists no different than a folk singer or a writer - they have a passion for their craft and even at the most unreknowned of standings, give said craft effort. Based on my experiences, its impossible to be both in the studio and on the block chopping that rock at the same time. One or the other I'd reckon.
When an artist is talking about his army of luxury vehicles or his arsenal of weapons with armor-piercing rounds, inevitably he is lying. Perhaps these false statements are metaphors or intelligently veiled notions meant to inspire its listeners visuals, but nonetheless, they are factually incorrect. There are examples that both come-off a blatant lies and those that sound false, but are more difficult to prove.
Let's have a gander at a few examples;
Bling, Bling - B.G. feat. Hot Boyz, Birdman and Mannie Fresh (1998)
B.G. "I got the price of a mansion around ma neck and wrist, my dog Baby got a special-built machine, Mercedes Benz 700, V-14." (@3:15)
This track is stuffed to the brim with braggadocio and inaccuracies, however perhaps B.G. takes the cake. Not only does he say that he has the price of a mansion around his neck and wrist, which cannot be true, even if we were to fast-forward a decade and purchase that post-Katrina home at 90% off, but he states that Baby aka Birdman had a custom-built automobile made for B.G. that was a V-14. The V refers to the cylinder-type of the car, where the 14 represents the number of cylinders. The original Benz 700 1998 was a 8 cylinder (V8) which was a common for a luxury vehicle at the time, however even if Baby had the scratch to afford a V-14 modification, he would have had a struggle finding somebody pre-millennium to do the mod. He lying.
Hustlin' - Rick Ross (2006)
In the very insular hip-hop community, there has been a fair bit of backlash concerning Miami's own Booby Boi Ricky Ross. Prior to entering the world of recording arts, Rick Ross was a prison guard, which contradicts much of what he has to say about being a drug-dealer and all-around hustler. His 2006 breakout smash hit Hustlin' is ripe with lies and inaccuracies.
Rick Ross - "I know Pablo, Noriega, the real Noriega he owe me a hundred favours." (1:10)
Here Mr. Ross is very clear that he knows that actual Noriega, who's first name is Manuel, and not Pablo, so I assume he's also speaking of Colombia drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who was murdered December 2nd 1993. Here he's differentiating between Noriega the rapper, and Manuel Noriega, the 'politician'. Stating that Manuel Noriega, the former military dictator of Panama, owes him a hundred favours seems bizarre, since Noriega was captured and imprisoned in 1990, making said favours more or less obsolete. If there's anything Ricky Ross hustles, its likely the ladies at the local drive-thru who upsize his combo at no additional cost.
By the way - the unedited version of this track is exponentially better than this version.
Despite the proliferation of lies in rap music, there are several artists like Jedi Mind Tricks and Immortal Technique who pride themselves on truth and educating their listeners through their songs, however they are unfortunately not as popular (see mainstream, shit) as other artists.
I could go on and on copying and pasting videos from YouTube and pointing out all the inaccuracies, but the point has been made no? Rappers talk so much shit that they cannot be taken seriously - the problem is that kids are impressionable and believe a lot of bullshit they hear in songs. Because of this they have principles and value things in life that are only wasteful and counter-productive. Fuck - whatever it's a loss cause - can't blame me for trying.
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