What Happened to Rap?

My caddy is broken so I’m borrowing my brother-in-law’s truck. He’s got a pretty good cd player inside, so I’m taking advantage of the situation and jammin’ some of my cd’s. Since I haven’t bought cd’s in a while, all of my stuff is old, but still good.

I played one of my Thump cd’s until the laser wore it smooth; then I moved on to a Pete Rock cd ~ Soul Survivor (circa 1998).

One track in particular, Mind Blowin’ (no. 12), is one that I think is representative of the artist himself, and of the way rap used to be. Check out some lyrics:

We got one life to live baby, just one
We only got one life to breeze, see us live through our seeds

A refreshing change from lyrics of today, urging violence and infidelity.

Only fools fall fast, sellin out for the cash
but this love’s gotta last from the ash to the dust
Build trust, beyond the lust…

A far cry from today’s rap artists. Check out an album review, and an interview.