go figure.
Not that being socially conscious is anything new to any true fan of lyricism (see: Common, 3000, Kweli, Nas, Black Thought, etc), but coming from Chamillionare it was definitely a pleasant surprise when I heard “Hip Hop Police/Evening News” while flipping through the channels and (sadly) ended up watching BET. I’ve never really liked what I’ve heard from him, but I certainly respect the fact that he doesn’t curse in his music or follow any industry standard ‘cookie-cutter’ formula from what I’ve gathered.
The first half of the song is decent (you gotta love Slick Rick and whatever ridiculocity he’s espousing to), but I really enjoyed the second half of the video in which Cham’s depicted in a back and forth with himself in Whiteface. Take a look at the second half:
Pros: good message, decent beat, no standard issue rap video coonery (i.e. titties, asses, rented cars, borrowed money rolls)
Cons: been done before, will get no spins anywhere.
Of course, this will probably disappear soon because mainstream America doesn’t want to hear socially conscious music AND have no titties in the video. That’s a double-donkey punch. Why would MTV/BET play this again? They exist to perpetuate overarching myths about our music, not inform.
Color me shocked if I hear it on our lame ass radio stations, too.