I can be a sucker for nostalgia sometimes. Either than or I'm getting old(er). There's not much new rap music I care to listen to or allow myself to listen to for that matter. That may be somewhat of a shock to you being that I write for a few rap and urban music/lifestyle magazine, but please, don't be surprised. Most writers and editors at magazines that shape and determine what's hot and not don't listen to the shit they write about either. The crazier thing is, from what I've noticed, it seems like the less you know about the music you write about, the more money you make.
I guess subconsciously not knowing what the fuck you're talking about comes across as being intuitive. I know you all have read interviews thinking "why did they ask that dumb shit?" I used to think it was because they might have been asking on behalf of readers who didn't know, being that most journalism courses teach you that you are supposed to write for readers as if they don't have an education that goes past 7th grade. But nah, alot of times it was because the writer or interviewer themselves didn't know either, or they just dumb and lame like that.
But yeah, like I was saying, I don't listen to alot of the "new, hot" shit that the media promotes. I go to shows and actually talk to folks. That's how I stay up on most of the shit thats going on out here. I listen to old shit for the most part. And its not always because it reminds me of what I was doing when I first heard it. Most of the time its because its still relevant and applicable to what's going on years and even decades later. Plus, I grew up in a household where older music got played just as much as the new shit, typically because there was a time when the classics and contemporaries were both dope for the most part.
Sorry for rambling, you know how I get.
Anyways. I rediscovered some of Ice-T's music recently. One thing I always respected about Ice was that all of his songs were reality based. This drug tales and crime sprees always ended with death or jail. Scared white folks like the president, politicians, news journalists and others labeled music like his "gangsta." When really really, it was political. Record labels, and even some of the artists themselves gravitated to the term because it sold. I can't be too mad at them for that. I mean, would you buy music from the "political" section at the record store?
Anyways, I just wanted to share some my favorite Ice-T songs/videos. I've also threw in some interviews just to remind us of a time when rappers actually stood for something and represented a community of people, and above that spoke intelligently because they knew the power of having a microphone. Not just niggas in their crew who dress like them or people at their record label. Enjoy.
Ice-T on Arsenio Hall Addresses "Cop Killer" controversy
Two Part Ice-T Interview From Germany
Ice-T-"New Jack Hustler"
Ice-T-"Mind Over Matter"