Happy Thanksgiving

More than half of our staff is out on holiday tonight (well, the sun is already out, but you know what i mean) for thanksgiving. Since we work on U.S hours, we rest when the yanks do. So here I am, with the headphones cranked up all the way to drown out the hip-hop music my co-workers are playing nearby. What is it about modern rap and hip-hop that gets people so hooked? Poke me for my musical prejudice, but any genre that has nothing better to sing/rap about than bitches, money, bling-bling, cars and other mundane shallowness is SHIT in my book.

This hatred of mine has deep roots stemming all the way back to high school. I was the sullen, black Sabbath-head kid in the back who was subject to occasional, not-so-subtle ridicule for one reason or another. Most of the popular guys were of the ghetto wannabe sort. You know who I'm talking about: the loud, boisterous blabbermouths who own souped-up, tricked out honda civics (and other asian economy car types) made to look like sports cars, which play fat-bass beats meant to attract maximum attention. Those guys that have this illusion that their rides are some sort of phallic enhancement. Anyway, I hated them for being shallow assholes that think that they're some sorta demigod or something. Jealous? Honestly, maybe partially because they were popular and all. But most of the bile that rose in my throat could be attributed to the attitude that they put out, and I linked that to their fucking music.

College did nothing to cool down the flames of hatred I had for rap/hip-hop. My girlfriend then (now my wife) has an ex who fit the aforementioned thug wannabe profile. Needless to say, it only fueled my rage against their shallow music. I hated that culture of fucking testosterone. Yes, you could call me an uptight bastard - it's not as if rock isn't capable of the same debauchery you might say. BUT at least rock can be that OR something better...like sticking-it-to-the-man as Jack Black put it in "School Of Rock". Prepackaged corporate angst? Maybe. But not all of it, I'd like to think. I have this high-minded ideal that rock can be a vehicle of change, of passive resistance, that you can play heavy music but be cerebral at the same time. But we all know that is not the case for some. (read: Creed, Kid Rock, etc) These days, the hate I feel has calmed down somewhat, but it flares up once in a while. Which brings me back to today. I don't hold it against my co-workers that they listen to that kind of music...I guess they just want to have a good time and enjoy themselves right? It should be no biggie at all. So, there is no point to this jigsaw of a rant. Feel free to share your thoughts, be it in concurrence (is that a word?) or violent disagreement.