Let's Rap about That

    I liked the most recent Halftime Show at the recent championship football game, the one whose name I won't mention.  Many people I know hated it.  They said it was too much rap, and that they had a hard time understanding the words. Yes, Kendrick Lamar does have that style, but it works for him. I found the show way more interesting than other previous shows. There was a message going on beyond just the usual antics of performing. The nods to both prison and video games gave a depth to what was being performed, as well as the asides by "Uncle" Same Jackson, especially in the lead up to the smash hit "Not Like Us." The show capped off a great week for Lamar after he won the "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year" Grammies. Some people may have been surprised at the former, but I would have bet that he was the favorite for that award, with the closest competition being "Espresso" and "Good Luck, Babe!" The latter award was a surprise, as I felt that other songs had a bit of an edge. Maybe Drake does have some ground to stand on in his lawsuit, considering who else won that night.  I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist here, but someone could find evidence about something. Anyway, I liked "Not Like Us" ever since I heard the 'radio edit' on the only local channel that would play it. Only satellite radio would play the original, and I never seemed to have the rap channels whenever I got a trial when the song was popular. (Side note:  I currently have the Chris Stapleton channel for free on SiriusXM until the start of March. Why just the one channel, and why this one? Same thing happened last year with Kenny Chesney.) It might surprise some that I actually like some rap music. While it is not my most favorite genre, up until a few years ago, I liked rap better than most country songs. Frankly, I'm surprised about how much my tastes have changed lately. I am from the generation when rap music finally started to crossover into pop music. Well before the stereotypical "Baby Got Back," but not by too much. (Another side note:  Why is "Baby Got Back" such a cliché for men of my age as the go-to early rap song? It wasn't the first song with a rap in it to go to number one ["Rapture" Blondie]. Or even the first full rap song ["Ice Ice Baby" Vanilla Ice]. Or even the first rap song to go to number one that year ["Jump" Kriss Kross, who stayed at number one for two months in 1992]. It was just a song about a guy into backsides of women.) I even bought a few cassette/CD singles back then of rap songs, as I rarely liked rap enough to get a whole album. (Again: I miss physical song singles.  I didn't have any sort of device when digital music started taking off, so I have yet to get any song of music that way.  I haven't even used any of the free trials of iTunes after getting any of my MacBooks or iPhones. [Or any other Apple service, but that is beside the point.] I just don't feel like listening/purchasing music that way. {The last single I remember buying was "Get Together" by Madonna.  It featured multiple remix of the song.  My favorite off of her Confessions on the Dance Floor, which is getting a sequel later this year.}) So, I enjoy the occasional rap song. I don't get to hear them too often, as my main radio station doesn't really play rap any more, a second has unfortunately gone all country, and the other two have been staticky the last few months and I rarely get a clear signal unless I'm really close to the tower. Still, I am open to hearing more rap, even if it is just the 'clean radio edit.' Even I am not a big enough fan to enjoy too much of the unedited versions. A few of those go too far even for me. Especially if I try to sing along. Then I would have to self edit. A few times, I have accidentally listened to the original version of rap songs in the car while my mother is in the front seat. At least she usually turns her hearing aides down, but I still feel a little self-conscious whenever it happens.