Limbaugh's attack of Kerry is a bad rap (Boston Globe)

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2004/04/13/limbaughs_attack_of_kerry_is_a_bad_rap/

"Oh, sure. I follow, and I'm interested," Kerry replied. "I don't always like, but I'm interested. I mean, I never was into heavy metal. I didn't really like it. I'm fascinated by rap and by hip-hop. I think there's a lot of poetry in it. There's a lot of anger, a lot of social energy in it. And I think you'd better listen to it pretty carefully, 'cause it's important."

Limbaugh believes Kerry's comments were intended to pander to black folks, but someone needs to tell ol' Rush that black folks aren't this nation's only hip-hop fans. And besides, if Kerry wanted to use views on hip-hop to pander, wouldn't it have made more sense for Kerry to condemn hip-hop as a means of shrugging off that clingy "Massachusetts liberal" label? That's essentially what then-Arkansas governor Bill Clinton did in 1992 when he used out-of-context comments from an obscure rapper to present himself as more centrist than liberal. That year, Sister Souljah was quoted in The Washington Post as saying, "If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?"

That in and of itself is a good sign.

By attacking Kerry for understanding hiphop, which in the minds of Rush's bigots is "black" music, then Rush is trying to reclaim some of what Bush lost by having to attack Trent Lott.

Simple pandering to racists, like speaking at Bob Jones U.

File this one under "who cares?".

Unlike the Repubs, who want to kill culture and listen to oldies all day long, Kerry tries to understand culture as it evolves. Much more honest than Limbaugh, who opens his show with a Pretenders song. The Pretenders, led by Chrissie Hines, a wacko liberal vegetarian, represent everything Rush opposes. Rock and Roll was fought tooth-and-nail by conservatives even through the 70s. If Rush's ideological predecessors had won, the rock and roll that Rush looks back on as the right type of music would have been squashed in favor of the Mills Brothers.

Kerry gets that. Culture evolves, and speaks through ever-changing mediums, and those clinging to the past are guilty of squashing the expression of the human soul. Rush wouldn't grasp that, having no soul of his own.

My very Jewish, white, mid-40's good friend in Alaska was the person who turned me on to hip-hop and rap. I wasn't at all in to these genres until he turned me on to some great artists.

If you don't own "Hand on the Torch" by Us 3, go here:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000005HB8/002-6258988-4200033?v=glance

Kerry has hit the nail on the head;

"I think there's a lot of poetry in it. There's a lot of anger, a lot of social energy in it. And I think you'd better listen to it pretty carefully, 'cause it's important."

Hip Hop & Rap catches my attention because of the social commentary that's missing from most popular music.

Here is a snippet from the song;

"Another Bush season mean another war for profit
All in secret so the public never think to stop it"

He touches on MIHOP, suggesting that it was the Bush cabal behind Sept 11, and many other such subjects.

Totally awesome song.

Then again there is his other song "Bush Killa"

But I won't go there... :)

Here is a link to the lyrics of What would you do?:

http://www.letssingit.com/paris-what-would-you-do-jbhxknn.html

Only black people listen to that ghetto music!