I recently started reading
Decoded by Jay-Z. At press time, I am about halfway through the book. So far I really like it. As expected, hip hop is thoroughly discussed throughout
Decoded. The following is a great quote from Jay concerning hip hop, lyricism, and the controversial aspect of rap.....
Hip hop has always been controversial, and for good reason. The music is meant to be provocative-which doesn't necessarily mean it's obnoxious, but it is (mostly) confrontational, and more than that, it's dense with multiple meanings. Great rap should have all kinds of unresolved layers that you don't necessarily figure out the first time you listen to it. Instead it plants dissonance in your head. You can enjoy a song that knocks in the club or has witty punch lines the first time you hear it. But great rap retains mystery. It leaves shit rattling around in your head that won't make sense till the fifth or sixth time through. It challenges you.
Which is the other reason hip hop is controversial: People don't bother trying to get it. The problem isn't the rap or the rapper or the culture. The problem is that so many people don't even know how to listen to the music.
