Inner city? Hop hop might have come out of the Bronx, but hip-hop is a commercial industry, in case you hadn't noticed. Ethic, Common (Sense), Anquette, Algorithm, DMX, Grandmaster Flash, Eminem, Black Eyed Peas, Gemini, The Fugees, The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy (especially from the album Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury, the song Language of Violence) are all artists that, while their songs aren't *always* prim and proper, also have songs that deal with various social and political issues from welfare, to class struggles, to the war in Iraq, to violence in schools, to racism, to wife and child abuse, to depression, religion, to saying "no" to drugs, to songs about missing their grandmothers for christssake (that's a DMX song called "I miss you" off an album called The Great Depression). So really, I have no idea what you're talking about. Clearly the History Channel must have put a bad spin on hip-hop, because you're out of your mind. Erin Toronto Artist: Algorithm Album: War at 120/80 12" Vinyl Song: War at 120/80 (Floodgates) [VERSE I] A poet of the streets who struggles with his own derangement The meek are skeletal remains under the pavement Made my peace with god we've made an arrangement He won't interfere in my affairs provided I make truthful statements That translates into people's feelings dead by the wayside Bruised egos remain when I slay pride No faith in the masses y'all won't see me stage dive This type of solitude plagued Van Gogh to hear in mono Multiple personalities second guess themselves and squabble A heart encased in cold metal A stubborn demeanor that makes the bold settle Bare feet scented with the fragrance of rose petals Russian roulette with five shots Soon I'll be at peace with the stress I've got This revolver's mine This revolver shines Irrational logic of the faltered kind This bum right here's the prince and the pauper combined This peasant rich spirited This prince inconsiderate Divine disenchanted genius illiterate This so-called life must get rid of it STOP BOTHERING ME! [VERSE II] While the sun's in a coma the moon envies Happy ball of fire never sees the bowels of hell empty into the streets/ The glowing orb jealous of the warmth and the heat The witness from above never feels peace he sees In the dead of night alter boys molested by priests Pious men behind closed doors cuddle close with the beast Battered wives raped on bloody sheets Innocent men of color slaughtered by police Neglected children starving and thirsty drink tears as they weep Corrupt lawyers on the edge overdose in they sleep Addicts so far gone rehab clinic gave 'em release Neighbors gossip 'bout each other when the fake smiles cease Grave robbers seek wealth when they steal from deceased Possessive pimp creeps/ smack their prostitute freaks Evil industry dispose of toxic waste with leaks Betray public trust politician lies through his teeth when he speaks The sanity of citizens fully decreased/ Superstition dictates the mind of the weak And they all/ got the gaul/ to blame it all/ on the full moon Darkness consumes But the sun awakens soon [VERSE III] I find myself drowning in shallow cup is half empty symbolism Yoko Ono stank puss growth stunted by simple jism Shame held them captive Lack of love full of lust kept them active Fleetwood Mac(k)-ing these phrases Goin' my own way emotional laxative Releases rages Relations go through phases Nothing new to pseudo bible banger Jezebel Magdalene Her shoulders pinned up against stone wall outside the club handlin' Strange private parts she just met over a couple of drinks babblin' Then she got the balls to show up to her Sunday cult church gatherin' Hypocrites to the highest power Slice of lime in her drink to remind her about her bitter life going sour Where's the redeeming quality Living life in the fast lane losing control of velocity A bratty little girl sees you as role model-what an atrocity Two women with bad self images do what they know best to raise a child One lives the life of a lifeless doll while The other roams comatose in a carcass used as a mobile/ Sperm bank For any Tom, Dick and Hank The little girl ain't got a chance ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html