Just a quick update here.  It looks like Judge Mike Erwin has decided to allow prosecutors to introduce some of Boosie’s lyrics in his upcoming murder trial.  This was as predictable as it is unfortunate.  As I’ve written before, this is a very common prosecutorial practice but in my view it amounts to dirty pool.  People who know rap music recognize that violent or sexually graphic lyrics are almost always exaggerated–it’s an expectation, especially from gangsta-inspired acts–and that they are rarely intended to depict pure reality. When I watch the movie Scarface, I don’t believe that Al Pacino, the actor playing Tony Montana, actually mowed people down with a machine gun.  It’s fiction; Montana is a character.  Rappers are also providing a kind of fiction.  Yes, this fiction often comments on, or reflects, the environment they know well, but it’s not to be taken at face value.  Indeed, nearly all rappers adopt a stage name (or an alias) that should signal to us that they are in character and free to embellish.  In fact, exaggeration is one of the hallmarks of rap music, not to mention the oral traditions on which rap is based.  Lil Boosie may have more in common with Torrence Hatch than Tony Montana does with Al Pacino, but he is still a construct.  This is not a tough concept to grasp…

And prosecutors generally do grasp it, which is why bringing in lyrics anyway is kind of cheating.  The articles I’ve read (and referenced elsewhere) on this tactic all agree that introducing rap lyrics is very likely to sway a jury, especially a jury that doesn’t understand or appreciate the conventions of the genre.  And of course that’s the idea–bring in some rap lyrics and forget about the troublesome task of gathering real evidence.  Let’s hope Boosie’s lawyers are fully prepared for this now because if they appeal down the road on the grounds that the lyrics shouldn’t have been admitted, they will probably lose.  That’s how out of touch the justice system is.

Last night on the Jimmy Fallon show, Obama decided to “slow jam” the news with musical backing from The Roots, and in doing so seemed to dip his toe ever so tentatively back into the hip hop waters.  As I’ve noted before, Obama was all about hip hop in the 2008 election but since then has backed off significantly, due in part to anticipated attacks from the right at a time he hopes to woo white independent voters.  I’ve also noted that I think playing into the hands of Fox News morons is not a good strategy for him, and so maybe he’s reading this blog and following my advice?  Here’s the performance:

This is funny, no doubt.  And while the issue of student loans seems to be a pretty soft one to be campaigning on (no tackling the really big issues related to debt, jobs, etc.) the pain for millions of Americans will be real if the interest rate on subsidized Stafford loans doubles to nearly 7%.  This will have traction with a significant number of whites, but also African Americans, who, based on proportion, borrow the most.  So Obama seems to have found a smart issue to highlight–it will simultaneously appeal to that coveted white independent voter and provide badly needed financial relief for African American voters, many of whom are dissatisfied with Obama’s first term.  He is navigating a course between the two constituencies, cautiously.

But what about hip hop?  Is this the first of many attempts to reengage rap music in his campaign?  Doubtful.  For one, this isn’t a hip hop performance, and The Roots, although widely acclaimed (for good reason), aren’t your typical hip hop group.  They play their own instruments, don’t get overly radical/controversial, and eschew the bitches-and-money rhetoric favored by most mainstream rappers.  They are the house band for Jimmy Fallon, so how dangerous can they be?  (Though they did stir up some controversy last year.  When Michelle Bachman came on the show, they introduced her with Fishbone’s “Lyin’ Ass Bitch.”  Fallon and NBC later apologized.)

The staging of the performance tells the story.  With Fallon (a white male) foregrounded and The Roots all the way back, we get a visual representation of Obama’s strategy here.  As with the student loan issue, he’s trying to find a safe middle ground by appealing to white independent voters, first and foremost, while giving a nod to the black community relegated to the background.  I think he’s betting that his roots will run deep enough to survive on a few drops while he waters different fields this time around.  We’ll see.

I was just waiting for the weird (and admittedly pretty cool) Coachella hologram of 2Pac to spawn more 2Pac-is-alive rumors, and sure enough, we’ve got one.  Not so reputable Suge Knight, who was sitting in the car next to 2Pac when he was killed–and took a bullet fragment himself–has just claimed that he thinks 2Pac never died.  He’s nowhere near the first to say this; for 15 years now, the Internet has been buzzing with various rumors that 2Pac faked his death (with some comical readings of his lyrics that reveal “clues” to his fake-my-own-death plan).  And while it’s pretty certain that he died, it’s also true that the murder raises all kinds of questions about who did it, who was watching him when he was murdered (pretty likely he was under police surveillance of some sort at the time), and why the murder of someone so famous and constantly watched by the police could possibly go unsolved.

All legitimate questions, and perhaps similar ones can be raised about the unsolved murders of Biggie, Jam Master Jay, and Big L.  After all, we know that rappers have for years drawn more than their share of attention from law enforcement, which should at least mean that they are more likely to have their own murders solved!  Whether fair or not, it’s hard for police to escape accusations that they are omnipresent when they want to contain rappers but invisible when those rappers need help.  Actually, come to think of it, you could replace “rappers” with “African Americans” and the accusation would be equally tough to escape.  And that’s what’s irritating about Knight’s claim–by saying that 2Pac never died in the first place, he does nothing to raise the larger questions about the policing of minorities in the U.S. and instead diverts attention to himself with a new iteration of this tired theory.

OK, the President has decided to weigh in on hip hop again.  At an Obama fundraiser in New York, David Samuels (the same guy who in 1991 argued that rap wasn’t really “black music”) recently asked the President a three-word question:  “Kayne or Jay Z?”  The President, calmly and confidently, answered “Jay Z,” even though he conceded that Kanye is “very talented” also.  Keep in mind that in 2009, after Kanye embarrassed Taylor Swift and himself at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, President Obama called him a “jackass.”  Reminded of this, Obama replied “He is a jackass.  But he’s talented.”

Not sure where to start on this one.  First off, Obama is right that Kanye West is talented–in fact, I’d argue he’s more talented than Jay Z.  David Samuels seems to agree, saying “Whatever you think of the many controversies he has ignited, you must admit that Kanye West is at least some kind of musical genius, ranking among the top five producers and the top five rappers of the past decade.”  This is half right.  Kanye is probably among the best producers (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is but one example of his prowess), but nowhere near the top five rappers.  It’s widely understood by people who like and listen to rap that Kanye isn’t a premiere MC, and rapping alongside Jay Z makes that even more obvious on Watch the Throne.  But the issue is that Jay Z is not among the top five in either category (no disrespect intended) so it’s unclear why the President was so confident in his proclamation.  And Kanye’s a Chicago native to boot!  Is this just an attempt to double down on the “jackass” comment?

Actually, I don’t care.  But I will note that every time that he talks about rap these days, the President seems to betray his ignorance of the genre.  A year or so ago, when asked who he’s listening to, he shortlisted Lil Wayne of all people.  Really, you have hundreds of MCs to choose from, and you pick a guy who doesn’t even attempt to say something meaningful or positive–ever–and who raps about precisely the kinds of things you condemned during your 2008 campaign?  If you’re the President, what message are you trying to send with that?  Now, you let a reporter pigeon hole you into a choice between two mainstream rappers, neither of whom is regularly using his art to raise social consciousness (instead peddling what pioneering MC Rakim calls “luxury rap”), and you actually pick one?  And then it’s the wrong one?  A tip: save the petty “who’s better” debates for the teenagers.  Or me.

If the President is reluctant to talk about hip hop during this election cycle, I get it, but then it might be better if he just remained silent.  That would definitely be better than picking favorites among two players in a genre I am beginning to doubt he really understands.

Snoop is at it again.  This time, he is advertising a new book of lyrics to some of his most famous songs.  Another Anthology of Rap?  Not quite.  What distinguishes this book is that it is printed on removable rolling papers, and the outside of the binding has a striking surface perfect for matches. You’ve got to give Snoop credit for tenacity and consistency–he has long supported the legalization of marijuana, to the point that he recently expressed support for libertarian Ron Paul for President because of Paul’s pro-legalization stance.  Now he’s found a new way to combine his love of pot with his love of rap…

I think most rational people, regardless of political perspective, see at least some wisdom in legalizing marijuana, which is why I predict we will see significant progress on this issue over the next decade.  Until that happens, however, it will be interesting to see how people like Snoop continue to push the boundaries, even when that means getting arrested, as he did in Texas earlier this year.

Jon Caramanica of  The New York Times takes a big swing and a miss with his recent proclamation that Nicki Minaj is the the most influential female MC…ever.  Yes, this is the same Nicki Minaj who’s had one album, total, on Young Money (number 2 released last week), and who recycles the same two or three cartoon voices in all of her songs.  And she’s more influential than Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Lauryn Hill, and Missy Elliott?  Nope. Sorry.  Going platinum with your first album and inspiring a few female MCs who could very well end up flaming out is not enough to get the title of most influential ever.

Without saying it, Caramanica seems to be pointing to the relative lack of influence women have had on rap music.  Just to keep it real, I am the first to admit that female influence on rap–especially over the last 10 or so years–has been underwhelming (with some notable exceptions).  But to declare that upstart Nicki Minaj is already the most influential ever is a true dis in my mind, ignoring the foundations laid by more talented–and yes, more influential–women before her.  Maybe Minaj will eventually take her place alongside them, but (a) I am not holding my breath and (b) she’s definitely not there yet.   If her embarrassing Grammy performance proved anything, it’s that she’s struggling to articulate a coherent artistic viewpoint, and until she finds that (still not holding my breath) it’s crazy to suggest she’s anything other than a fad within a genre that has had more enduring successes.