I often wonder just what goes through the minds of today’s mainstream rappers as they turn out plate after plate of “music” for the microwave era. Is it possible that they are as desensitized to the language they use as the listeners. Is there ever a point where these people, many of whom are parents themselves, stop and wonder what effect their words may be having on their audience? Words. Just how powerful are the words within the bars of your favorite song? StonesThrow recording artist Homeboy Sandman recently wrote an article for the Huffington post (how many of your favorite MC’s do that hmmm?) and decided to tackle the topic of words. Take some time to check the excerpt below and hop over to the full piece in it’s entirety.
I had the opportunity to do two shows in Europe with Saigon over the summer and found him to be a very talented and compelling individual. On his latest release “The Greatest Story Never Told Chapter 2: Bread And Circuses” he is open about being in a transition between a life asleep and a life awake. I took advantage of the opportunity to ask him how this transition began when we were in Copenhagen. His answer remains with me to this day.
“My daughter came up to me after listening to Nicki Minaj and asked me what a menage was. She’s three years old.”
Wow.
Words are powerful, aren’t they?
In How to Build A Universe That Doesn’t Fall Apart Two Days Later, sci-fi novelist Philip K. Dickstates, “the basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words.” Later speaking on the power of media, specifically television, he adds, “the possibility of total control of the viewer exists, especially the young viewer.”
Read the Full Article Here