Fine. Don't listen to it. You'll miss out on a nice use of Jimmy Page's riff from "The Ocean" and a hilarious use of the "Mr. Ed" theme. And it isn't like I'm going to be prone to buy more Chef Boyardee or Rice A Roni.
I could mention a certain book just loaded with murders and mass slaughter, outright misogyny and other crimes against humanity that is blindly accepted as being "good" by those who should know better. And, disturbingly enough, a minority of people follow through upon its darker dictates.
That is far more shocking than anything N.W.A dropped upon wax back in the day. ;-)
BTW, Snoop Dogg added a smooth element through his rapping style. He expanded the idea of a "G" to that of a pimpin' hustler. That, along with Dr. Dre's beats, made "The Chronic" an album that's deemed a classic breakthrough album just as the Beasties' "Licensed To Ill" is seen the same way. And that's very good company.
That's what's wild about music history: You'll be surprised what becomes a part of it. Subject matter aside, it really is all about the music and its place within human history as a whole. Not everything in human history was good: The art reflects those dark times.
Given the origins of gangsta rap that's to be expected. So I understand why that is. I feel gangsta rap peaked at around the mid-'90s in regards to being innovative. The N.W.A crew was what I feel best captured what made gangsta rap both subversive and smooth in how it presented its subject matter within its own flow and funky beats.
You may not agree with the subject matter, but the beats and flow are undeniable. Chuck D. of Public Enemy called the rap genre "CNN for the streets" (I don't have the exact quote, I just woke up). I can see why.
--Bekki
Combating functional illiteracy with latex-clad drama since the '80s, because old video games rule!
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