Jay-Z Care About Youth Fitness

Although it is veiled as a somewhat militant call to the hip-hop community, careful listeners will notice that Jay-Z's newest hit (feat. Kanye and Rihanna) is actually a call for the youth of this nation to rise up in a different way. Namely, he wants them to get off their hefty loins and "Run This Town."

We get our first hints during Rihanna's introduction to the song, which serves as a disclaimer to those about to participate in this particular exercise:

Feel it comin' in the air
see me the sreets from everywhere
I'm addicted to the thrill
It's a dangerous spooky man
Can't be scared when it goes down
Got a problem, tell me now
Only thing that's on my mind
Is who's gonna run this town tonight...
Is who's gonna run this town tonight...
We gonna run this town

She might as well continue:

Go too fat from eatin' pie
Gotta be atleast this tall to ride
If your pregnant go away
Heart conditions? Can not play
Only thing that on my mind
Who's eligible to run this town tonight...

Of course, if we were to base this only on a few verses, it would be a very unsatisfying reading of the work. However, like all good readings, it is supported by the work itself. Jay-Z's call to wear "all black all everything" clearly indicates a type of uniform set aside for the particular activity at hand. Of course, gym is known for such clothing:
Jay-Z does at one point make a racial statement, one that some may consider insensitive or stereotypical. However, on further examination, it becomes clear that it is a fair steretype: "Back to runnin' circles 'round white folks." Seriously, is anyone going to challenge that? I don't think so. Jay-Z is merely appealing for black children to return to live up to their land speed superiority. His language here is consistent with the over all theme: get off the couch and run your town.

Now, I would be remiss if I did not address Kanye's verse. Although, as it is Kanye, it should be noted that Kanye's verse has absolutely nothing to do with running, towns, obese children, or anything else in the song. Then again, it is Kanye, so what did you expect. This is better addressed in Cracked.com's article, "What if Kanye is Retarded?" http://www.cracked.com/blog/what-if-kanye-west-is-retarded/

It is clear that Jay-Z is aiming to soften his gangster schtick and appeal to a broader audience. Now, as healthcare is taking the limelight, it is clear that Jay-Z doesn't want people to sit and wait for the government to take action, but that along with proper medical treatment, America should be a fit nation concerned with preventative care as well as reforms in the healthcare industry. How true Jay-Z.
One question remains. How does Rick feel about this one?

You Know What Sucks?

When blogs don't update but every five months or so. I'm going to try and update once a week. Don't count on more. This is too much fun for me to really stop. Today, we are going to look at Keri Hilson (feat. Kanye and Neyo) and her song, "Knock You Down."

There is a lot we could say about this song. First, there is Kanye's freakishly obsessive art show ("I'mma take you to an art show that has freakishly large and accurate paintings of you"), the fact that Keri Hilson pretty much only sings "Love gonna knock you down" for the entire song (while falling down, for emphasis), but the most controversial moment comes from Neyo. I do hope you watched the video most of the way through, because Neyo brings up one of the most controversial pieces of hip-hop archeology: the Pimp Ship.

The idea of a Pimp Ship has always been present in hip hop's mythology. In their song "You're Gonna Get Yours," Hip Hop pioneers Public Enemy described their vision of the Pimp Ship as a Buick 98:

"Sucka to the side you know you hate my 98. You're gonna get yours!"

It is possible that the Pimp Ship is a nautical craft, as revealed in the Lonely Island's "I'm On a Boat." Of course, we can not expect Andy Samberg to have discovered the true nature of the Pimp Ship. However, it should be noted that T-Pain collaborates on that song. It is possible that T-Pain's vision of the Pimp Ship as a nautical craft, and that is a valid, if admittedly unexpected, interpretation.
"I never thought I'd be on a boat"

Others believe that the Pimp Ship is lost to history, never to be found again. However, this not deter others from looking. Tupac was last seen looking for the Pimp Ship in the wilds of Madagascar.
Pimp Ship?

Neyo departs from all of these conventions by saying not only that he was commander and chief, but also that he was "flying high." This seems to suggest that he envisions the Pump Ship seems to be a flying craft. Perhaps it is a jet, or a dirigible of some sort. Based on the information given, there is not much we can know. However, there are a few possibilities. We can assume that there were some safety measure in safe, as he was able to avoid the destruction of the "pretty little missile" that knocked him out of the sky. It was probably not Hindenberg or a dirigible of any kind. Rather, it was probably a jet of some sort.
"Flyin' High"

These theories are all based not on experience, but on preference and personality. The Pimp Ship reveals itself to each MC. So, look inside yourself and find your own Pimp Ship.

Big Tymers - We Still Fly

Now a turn away from the serious and back to being ridiculous. These are the lyrics to Big Tymers' song "We Still Fly." There will only be one update this week. Blame the abundance of love between Caleb Sigler and Casey Cannon if you must blame anyone.

Still Fly lyrics
[Baby :]
Whats up Fresh , its our turn baby

Gator Boots, with the pimped out Gucci suit
Ain't got no job, but I stay sharp
Can't pay my rent, cause all my money's spent
but thats ok, cause im still fly
got a quarter tank gas in my new E-class
But that's alright cause i'm gon' ride
got everything in my moma's name
but im hood rich da dada dada da

[Baby :]
gotcha car play gems on shine, said its mine, get a mink, baby girl lets ride
You da Numba 1 stunna, and we gonna glide
and go straight to the mall, and turn out the inside
Prowler Gucci full length leather, Burbons cooler, coogi sweater
twenty inches pop my feather, The Bird man daddy i fly in any weather
Aligator seats with the head in the
inside
Swine on the dash, G-Wagon so Fly
Numba 1 dont tangle and twisle
when it come to these cars i am that nigga
The gucci with the matching interior
3 wheel ride with the tire in tha middle
Its Fresh and stunna and we like brothers,
We shine like paint daddy this our summer

Gator Boots, with the pimped out Gucci suit
Ain't got no job, but I stay sharp
Can't pay my rent, cause all my money's spent
but thats ok, cause im still fly
got a quarter tank gas in my new E-class
But that's alright cause i'm gon' ride
got everything in my moma's name
but i'm hood rich da dada dada da

[Fresh :]
Have you ever seen the crocidile seats in the truck ?
Turn around and sit it down and let em' bite ya butt
See, the steering wheel is Fendi, dashboard Armani,
With Your baby moma playa is where u can find me
Pushing through the parking lot on 24's Cadilac Escalade with the chromed out nose
With the navivgation arrow headed straight to your spot
Where your wife really love me cause the sex is so hot
Put the Caddy up, Start the 3 wheel benz
Hyper white lights, ultra violet lens
Suma tuma tires and they gotta be run flat
T.V. where the horn go, boy can you top that ?
I'ma show you some shit when you press that button
The trunk went Eh-eh and all of a sudden
4 15's didnt see no wire's, and then i heard boom from the amplifiers

Gator Boots, with the pimped out Gucci suit
Ain't got no job, but I stay sharp
Can't pay my rent, cause all my money's spent
but thats ok, cause im still fly
got a quarter tank gas in my new E-class
But that's alright cause i'm gon' ride
got everything in my moma's name
but im hood rich da dada dada da

Let me slide in the Benz with the fished out fins
Impala Loud pipes, Drinkin that Hen
Its the birdy birdy man ill do it again
In the Cadilac truck 24's with 10's
Lookin at my Gucci its about that time
6 bad broads flyin in at 9
New suburban truck with the porno showin'
Up and down and up they go and
Bodies on the Roadster Lexus You know with that hard top beamer
Mommy thats your truck
Im coming up the hood been lovely
New shoes on the whip and i wake up the bubbley
430 lex with convertible top
the rims keep spinnin every time i stop
I got a superman benz that i scored from shaq
With a old school Caddy with a diamond in the back

Gator Boots, with the pimped out Gucci suit
Ain't got no job, but I stay sharp
Can't pay my rent, cause all my money's spent
but thats ok, cause im still fly

I'm Hot Becuase I'm a Zen Master

While Mims's declaration that he "is hot" should not come as a surprise to any student of Hip-Hop, his reason for being hot presents listeners and readers with a complex and paradox. We see this paradox expressed through the phrase "I'm hot because I'm fly, you ain't because you're not." Now, "fly" as an adjective does not make much sense. So, we will define it further. According to urbandictionary.com (really, what did you expect me to use as a source?) fly is defined as, "cool, stylish."

Thus we find the paradox Mims presents. It would seem that one of the primary condition for being fly is to be cool. Mims explains to us that we are not hot, because we are not fly, which makes being fly one of the chief determiners of who is hot. If we must be fly before we are hot and we must be cool before we are fly, then we must be cool before we are hot.

There are many possibilities for this paradox. For one, it could be a merism, expressing that Mims is cool in all places and on all degrees of a scale of "hotness." I do not believe this to be the case. There are some levels of hotness that even Mims can not ascend to, more likely because of personal choice than a lack of ability. He claims he is hot becuase "I don't gotta rap" (12). Clearly Mims at one time had a choice of different opportunities for hotness, but chose rapping, much in the way that Solomon chose wisdom. Still, it is hard to imagine Mims being equally as hot in Geek Chiq or dressed in Indie flair.

If this is meant to be a merism expressing place, then it is not a good one outside of the realm of meteorology. It is also redundant, as he expresses that he has been to New York, Chicago, San Fransisco, Sacramento as well as other places. It is clear that he is regarded just as hot in these places as in others.

I believe that Mims' hotness paradox is rooted in Buddhism. There are many famous buddhist paradoxes and it is thought that pondering them brings you closer to Nirvana, but not Kirk Cobain, although that would be pretty cool. Many of them, such as "what is the sound of one hand clapping" and "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" are well known even today. It is clear that Mims has invented his own Buddhist paradox "How can one be both cool and hot?"

The establishment of a new paradox means that Mims is clearly one of the greatest Buddhist thinkers of our time, and is extremely hot. We are all fortunate to learn at his feet.

Promises, Promises

I know I said I would try to update again today, but today has turned out to be kind of busy, so I am shooting for tomorrow. Besides, I need to give you the text I will be examining. So, here is "This is why I'm Hot" by Mims.

[Chorus:]
This is why I'm hot [2x]
This is why [2x] Uh
This is why I'm hot (Uh)
This is why I'm hot [2x] Whoo
This is why [2x]
This is why I'm hot

I'm hot cause I'm fly (fly)
You ain't cause you're not (Mims)
This is why [2x]
This is why I'm hot [2x]

[Verse 1:]
This is why I'm hot
I don't gotta rap
I can sell a mill saying nothing on the track
I represent New York
I got it on my back
Niggas say that we lost it
So I'm gonna bring it back
I love the dirty, dirty
'Cause niggas show me love
The ladies start to bounce
As soon as I hit the club
But in the Midwest
They love to take it slow
So when I hit the H
I watch you get it on the floor
And if you needed it hyphy
I take it to the Bay
Frisco to Sac-town
They do it everyday
Compton to Hollywood
As soon as I hit L.A.
I'm in that low, low
I do it the Cali way
And when I hit Chi
People say that I'm fly
They like the way I dress they like
(They like my) my attire move crowds from side to side
They ask me how I do it and simply I reply...

[Chorus]

[Verse 2:]
This is why I'm hot
Catch me on the block
Every other day
Another bitch another drop
16 bars, 24 pop
44 songs, nigga gimme what you got
I'm in there driving cars
Push 'em off the lot
I'm into shutting stores down so I can shop
If you need a bird I can get it chopped
Tell me what you need you know I get 'em by the flock
I call my homie black meet on the ave
I hit Wash Heights with the money in the bag
We're into big spinners
See my pimping never dragged
Find me with different women that you niggas never had
For those who say they know me know I'm focused on my cream
player you come between you'd better focus on the beam
I keep it so mean the way you see me lean
And when say I'm hot my nigga dis is what I mean

[Chorus]

[Verse 3:]
This is why I'm hot
Shorty see the drop
Ask me what I paid and I say yeah I paid a guap
And then I hit the switch that take away the top
So chicks 'round the way they call me cream of the crop
They hop in the car
I tell 'em "all aboard"
We hit the studio they say they like how I record
I gave you black train and I did you wrong
So everytime I see 'em man they tell me that's their song
They say I'm the bomb
They love the way the charm hanging from the neck
And compliments the arm which compliments the ear den comes the gear
So when I hit the room the shorties stop and stare
Den niggas start to hate rearrange their face
Little do they know I keep 'em things by waistside
I reply nobody gotta die
Similar to Lil wizzy 'cause I got that fire

[Chorus]

There is much we can discuss with Jay-Z's seminal work "99 Problems." However, I have decided to focus my efforts, discussing only certain key aspects. We will briefly touch on not only the "99 Problems," but also the fact that "the bitch ain't one" (2).

As the title suggests, Jay-Z's main focus is on the "99 Problems." However, in many subjects what is not there is just as important as what is there, which brings us to "the bitch." As Jay-Z is rich, famous and successful, we can safely assume that he could be in a long term relationship with almost any woman he desired. It would be tempting to assume that Jay-Z was a homosexual, but if life is to imitate art, this can not be true, as he is married to Beyonce, who is a stone-fox. It is unlikely that his response to critics ("kiss my whole asshole" [9]) is one he desires, but is more likely meant to show derision and exactly how much he values their opinion. Surely, nothing sweet can come from mouth involved in such action. The less said about that, the better.

Still, it is clear that Jay-Z does not much to do with women at all. In fact, he begins his work "If you got girl problems, I feel bad for you son..." (1) which leads readers to believe that having girl problems is worse than the 99 other difficulties he faces, as he does not feel bad for himself. He also says critics describe him as "money, cash, hoes" (5), which means he must have interactions with women if he is to incorporate them into what is a largely experience driven work. These facts lead me to believe that Jay-Z is advocating a misogynistic lifestyle which advocates using women for personal gain or pleasure. Get outta there Beyonce.

I have already asserted that Jay-Z's work is driven by experience, mainly with critics, the police, as well as papparazi. These experiences seem to make up the 99 problems by which he is identifying himself in this song. If Jay-Z is using these problems to identify and promote himself, he places himself in a very ironic situation. While his success is hard earned and comes with these stresses, these stresses mostly come from the suburban middle-class lifestyle. The paparrazi seem to be mostly white and the police are clearly racially prejudiced. It would be too much to say that the critics are white, but they do not like the direction his music has taken and so are displeased with him. Still, it is not clear whether they would give high praise to Yanni over Jay-Z, so they will not be included.

Jay-Z's identity is Euro-centric. Although he claims he has moved up in the world, he unable to escape the fact that the oppression which he uses to sell his records and identify himself is forced on him by the very things he despises. "99 Problems" is not just a catchy song, but a poinant comment on the status of Black America. One only can only hope that Rick actually was "crazy for this one."

The Mission

Hip-Hop songs have become one of the most dominant forms of pop music in recent years. Although they may appear to only be self-absorbed and pedantic songs, how could a genre become so popular if it did not have something richer dwelling underneath the surface? What deep seated issues about gender, identity, and culture are these artists trying to express in their heart of hearts? This blog will examine the subtext of Hip-Hop and occasionally other genres when they are of literary merit. I will be taking suggestions for songs soon. I should have the first song up tomorrow: "99 Problems, But a Bitch Ain't One" by Jay-Z:

"99 Problems"

If your having girl problems I feel bad for you son
I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one

[Verse One]
I got the rap patrol on the gat patrol
Foes that wanna make sure my casket's closed
Rap critics that say he's "Money Cash Hoes"
I'm from the hood stupid what type of facts are those
If you grew up with holes in your zapitos
You'd celebrate the minute you was having doe
I'm like fuck critics you can kiss my whole asshole
If you don't like my lyrics you can press fast forward
Got beef with radio if I don't play they show
They don't play my hits well I don't give a shit SO
Rap mags try and use my black ass
So advertisers can give em more cash for ads...fuckers
I don't know what you take me as
or understand the intelligence that Jay-Z has
I'm from rags to ritches nigga I ain't dumb
I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one
Hit me

[Chorus]
99 Problems but a bitch ain't one
If you having girl problems I feel bad for you son
I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one
Hit me

[Verse Two]
The year is '94 and in my trunk is raw
In my rear view mirror is the mother fucking law
I got two choices yall pull over the car or
bounce on the double put the pedal to the floor
Now I ain't trying to see no highway chase with jake
Plus I got a few dollars I can fight the case
So I...pull over to the side of the road
And I heard "Son do you know why I'm stopping you for?"
Cause I'm young and I'm black and my hats real low
Do I look like a mind reader sir, I don't know
Am I under arrest or should I guess some mo?
"Well you was doing fifty five in a fifty four"
"License and registration and step out of the car"
"Are you carrying a weapon on you I know alot of you are"
I ain't stepping out of shit all my papers legit
"Do you mind if I look round the car a little bit?"
Well my glove compartment is locked so is the trunk and the back
And I know my rights so you gon' need a warrent for that
"Aren't you sharp as a tack are some type of lawyer or something?"
"Or somebody important or something?"
Nah I ain't pass the bar but I know a little bit
Enough that you won't illegally search my shit
"Well see how smart you are when the K-9's come"
I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one
Hit me

[Chorus X2]

[Verse Three]
Now once upon a time not too long ago
A nigga like myself had to strong arm a hoe
This is not a hoe in the sense of having a pussy
But a pussy having no God Damn sense, try and push me
I tried to ignore him and talk to the Lord
Pray for him, cause some fools just love to perform
You know the type loud as a motor bike
But wouldn't bust a grape in a fruit fight
The only thing that's gonna happen is i'mma get to clapping
He and his boys gon' be yapping to the captain
And there I go trapped in the kit kat again
Back through the system with the riff raff again
Fiends on the floor scratching again
Paparazzi's with they cameras snapping them
D.A. tred to give the nigga the shaft again
Half-a-mil for bail cause I'm African
All because this fool was horrasin them
Trying to play the boy like hes saccarin
But ain't nothing sweet 'bout how I hold my gun
I got 99 problems but being a bitch ain't one
Hit me

[Chorus X3]

You're crazy for this one Rick
It's your boy


[Thanks to MrFisk731@webtv.net for these lyrics]
[Thanks to raiders_playa@hotmail.com, one_lpfreak22@yahoo.combwaldorf@constancebillard.com, one_lpfreak22@yahoo.com, codyjones1212@hotmail.com for correcting these lyrics]