Message to my readers: Just added a new poem to "Havoc In Heaven"! This one is called "Patriotic Act." I think it's a natural progression from the first two pieces, yet also has a very distinct feel all its own. It was first written as a rap, and while I've tweaked it a ton to make it more like a regular poem, (So much work that I'm sick of the Godforsaken thing and hope my next poems aren't so labor-intensive...), I think you'll still recognize that flavor to it.

The funny thing is, I don't listen to most of the hip-hop/rap these days. But I do LOVE conscious rappers, and even individual quality songs from more mainstream musicians. That's what I enjoy, and it's the kind of thing I write myself.

Rap can be really magnificent...when it's talking about things more intelligent, important, and dignified than bragging about things like promiscuity, gangbanging, drug abuse, and the size of your private parts or some chick's butt. And it's especially frustrating for me when there's good music or a talented lyricist, but they're wasted on a mound of ear-bleed-inducing garbage. Eminem is an example of that for me. I enjoy watching people cover "Rap God"—it's a lot of fun to watch their attempts, especially during the ultra-fast section, and I've even taken a shot at learning that particular part myself. And like I said, I do think he has talent when it comes to the lyrics. He can be really clever when he wants to.

However, he has to mix in a bunch of obscenity and stupidity in, rather than letting a higher version of his talent shine through. (I actually started rewriting the crude parts of that song, but haven't completed the project, as I've been too busy with all the other things on my to-do list. It was fun, though, and I look forward to getting back to that eventually...)

Of course, that's a complaint I have about a lot of music these days. There'll be songs that have good melodies and vocals, and maybe some good lyrics, especially early on in the song. But then they slam you in the face with a heaping helping of disappointment.

"Whistle" by Flo Rida was another song like that for me. Melody is catchy as heck, and I really enjoyed the vocals of the main chorus, especially in the line "let me know." But the whole topic of the song and the various things talked about in the lyrics...just yuck. And did I mention that I once saw a cute little boy cover that on YouTube? Yep. Cute child plus wholly inappropriate song equals a very uneasy Ahsoka with a pained look on her face.

I did manage to find a somewhat cleaned-up version of the song, though, much to my happiness. Unfortunately, many of the lyrics have stayed the same and not been fixed, but I do appreciate that the chorus and what is means have been changed. It's now "Kiss My Whistle," with "whistle" being slang for lips. So, just a song about kissing. And that's kissing on the LIPS, people!

[By the way, you will notice some difference between the video and the vocals—the performer's lips don't always match the words. The poster explained this in the note below the YouTube video, and since you can't see that, I'll tell you myself. He said that AFTER the song itself had been recorded, they decided to go ahead a do a studio video so that it would be a little more interesting than simply releasing an audio-only track with no visuals. So yes, the singer is lip-syncing, but to her own (lovely!) vocals. And since this is just an in-studio clip rather than a live performance, I'm perfectly fine with the lip-syncing in this context.]

In any case, this is why I love rappers like like Jasiri X, Lecrae, and Andy Mineo. The stuff they talk about is truly meaningful and truthful, and will heighten your mental state rather than throwing you into the mud. Heck, I don't even mind profanity so much if the content of the song itself is at least good. There was a freestyle I saw recently by Brother Ali. Plenty of cussing, but I still appreciated the message in the music. (Though of course I much prefer clean stuff that I can play freely without worrying about what I'm subjecting everyone's ears to...)

Hm, maybe I'll share some of my favorite hip-hop songs in a post here sometimes...

And before ya say anything, yes, there may well be some that aren't very conscious or don't match what I'm usually looking for. But most of them probably will (and the exceptions will probably still be a partial match.)