Ah, there's nothing like having the mp3 player on shuffle, one can go straight from Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy to Straight Outta Compton.
Behind the Music has become one of my favorite TV shows to watch when I just feel like sitting in front of the TV and doing nothing. Back-to-back episodes on Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre gave me a newfound appreciation for their music. While I've always been a pretty big rap fan, I fell out of it when all the gansta misogynist stuff took off. Refreshing alternatives like The Pharcyde were rare and I found myself replaying older favorites like De La Soul and BDP. Hearing both Dre and Snoop talk about their lives was pretty interesting, and showed that both have grown and matured since the days of "Doggie Style" and "The Chronic." So I've added them into my rotation and I'm trying not to get too pissed off by the lyrics. [Update: it's not easy. Not easy at all. Ugh.]
Strange, this affinity I had for rap and hip-hop back in the day. I was talking about NWA with Jason at lunch and was telling him that when "Fuck tha Police" came out, I thought it was incredible. It resonated with me, this middle-class white girl who'd seen one gun in her life, for some reason. It was more than music, it was an important political statement, and I really believed The Man needed to hear it. Of course, I was quite a revolutionary back then, what with my communist tendencies and all. I think during the past ten years, I've forgotten some of those important beliefs. I've gotten more complacent as I've gotten older. And I don't think that's such a good thing.