Snap Crap

For too long I have shunned "mainstream" music. Somewhere along the way I soured on the likes of Britney Spears and Nelly being played on great networks such as MTV and BET. Over the weekend I was exposed to some "music" on the radio and I finally got it.


I've heard it said that young people these days don't have any direction but I've discovered that they get directions from their music. Now don't get me wrong, I like an electric slide as much as the next man. I of course wouldn't know the electric slide from the electric car without the directions.

There are also several other small wonders of the same mold. There is a song that tells you that you "lean wit' it", you are then instructed to "walk wit' it", perhaps you have been told to ""1-2 step" or maybe to lean back.

The clearest one of them all is Lil Jon's "Snap your Fingers." An excerpt just for you:

Snap ya fingers! Do ya step!
You can do it all by yo self!
Let me see you do it! Ay!( 4-ize) do it! do it!
Let me see you do it! Ay!( 4-ize) do it! do it!

[lil jon:]
snap ya fingers!

[4-ize:]
ya monkey see monkey do im in tha derrty im dancin n im real country too

Or perhaps...

[Lil Jon:]
Snap ya fingers and then rock wit it
Do it, do it, do it, do it, gon drop wit it
Do a step wit it, put ya hips wit it
All my ladies let me see ya put a twist wit it
You can't do like me, I'm by myself
I do it so good, I don't need nobody else
What's happenin', what's up
Got da purk fired up

Since I dabble in poetry every once in a while I figured this is as good a time as any to try to flex
those muscles. I failed. I just couldn't out silly the actual songs. Jean Grae did a real good one at the concert two weekends ago. Too bad I can't actually remember any words to the chicken soup song or was it clam chowder? It had me cracking up.

To be fair to these modern-day musical moguls this is actually a tradition from back in the days.
From the "Bedrock Twitch", to negro spirituals like "Swing low, Sweet Chariot" and pop hits like "The Twist" all gave instructions. Who am I to judge the validity of "Snap your fingers," perhaps it has hidden meaning leading all people to the promise land.

Nah, it still blows.

Enough about weak nursery rhymes of Lil Jon. Check out some Big Boi of the last album. This song is on permanent spin in my mind.

Enjoy

Outkast - War Lyrics

Now get the fuck up off me nigga..



[Big Boi]

As I, struggle to keep my balance and composure

I'm 'posed ta, propose a toast to players on every coast-a

The lyrical roller coaster, mind-bender

'Stead of watchin these sucker MC's

I'm seein just how they lyin to the general population

Don't be patient, get up and stand up for your life

Don't you agree or understand we lost some rights at 1-1-9?

Come dumb, come young, come blind unwind confined

to the situation, we facin, cause in time, tick tick boom



[singers]

Tick, boom.. tick, tick-boom

Tick, boom.. tick, tick-boom

Tick, boom.. tick, tick-boom

Tick, boom.. tick, tick-boom



[explosion forward and reversed]

[scratched: "You're gonna die here" - 2X]



[Big Boi]

When will we all, awake up out this dream

Come here and smell the Folgers, the soldiers are human
beings

Man actin as if he was the supreme bein

Clockin the souls of men out like he was G-O-D and

W-A-Rrah, there'll be no tomorrow but sorrow

and horror will follow the hollow hearts battle for dollars

Politicians, modern day magicians

Physicians of death, more health care for poor health

Who makin us ill, they makin us kill

That's makin me spill my guts (chill Big, lay in the cut)

For what?  I refuse to sit in the backseat and get handled

Like I do nuttin all day but sit around watch the Cartoon
Channel

I rap about, the Presidential election and the scandal

that followed, and we all watched the nation, as it swallowed

and chalked it up, basically America you got FUCKED

The media shucked and jived now we stuck - damn!



[singing - "can't be heard clearly"]

[scratched: "You're gonna die here" - 2X]



[Big Boi]

Operation Anaconda - ask yourself

was it full of bleeps and blunders, did they ever find Osama?

And why in the fuck did Daniel Pearl have to pay the price

for his life and his wife plead twice?

See Al-Amin got life and Fred got dead, Hampton

To dampen the dream of all the Panthers

They got they answer for ransom

As we read together, as we dream together

Count your blessings whenever you feel that things won't be no
better

But it got to, you gave me this microphone so I must rock you

Your brainwaves, airwaves, energized and SHOCKED you

Y'all got me, well I got y'all, long as I know y'all listenin

I'ma always bring food for thought to the table in the
kitchen

Now eat nigga!