Good post, miraclejohan.
I also believe that most of the people listening to this type of product aren't smart enough to sift through the lyrics to find any positive message that the artist might be trying to put forth.
Thanks, skyhook.
I think your biggest argument lies with the audience. I agree wholeheartedly that people, in general, don't give enough attention to the messages put forth in music, let alone rap lyrics. But is that Nas's fault? If the blame lies outside of the indivudal listener, I believe the music industry is more to blame than individual artists. The industry, including record labels, radio, tv, etc, is the machine set on keeping the negative, materialistic, misogynistic, violent messages alive because those are the messages which have been producing sales since before Nas, before Biggie and Tupac, before 50 cent, before NWA and Public Enemy....its the culture of money in this country that keeps negative messages alive. That's my humble opinion, anyway.
I think Nas has done alot recently to combat the negative stereotypes that have define rap and hip hop for the past decade. His song "Hip Hop is Dead" speaks to that quite eloquently"
"Everybody sounds the same, commercialized the game/
Reminiscent when it wasn't all business/
We forgot where it started/
So we all gather here for the dearly departed/
Hip hopper since a toddler/
One homeboy became and man then a mobster/
If it dies let me get my last swig of vodka/
RIP donate your lungs to a rasta/
We went from turntables to MP3s/
From Beat Street to commercials for Mickey D's/
From gold cables to Jacobs/
From plain facials to Botox and face lifts..."
Still I am wondering what type of music you enjoy?