Packin a .38 snub and a razor blade.

Why would I stand for disappointed looks
Fully grown but I'm all on tender hooks
Camera Obscura


This, from the most recent issue of Esquire, is as true as the sun coming up in the morning. Things between us shouldn't be any other way. Also, have you heard my thoughts about feminism and Guilty Simpson?


Might I add that you can do whatever you want to her soft physical frame, and probably get her to do your laundry and make you a grilled cheese, if “Baby” is playing. And if it's the summer of '06. And if you play it from start to finish on the hi-fi and don't cut out the beginning, since it's the Stylistics that make the ladies feel all warm and trusting, like it's OK to take our pants off when we're around you. I am still struggling with how to reconcile my need to be treated with care and respect and to hear tender musical hooks while enjoying that She got a mouth like a vacuum part* and not apologizing for it. WHY DO I DO THE THINGS I DO, WHYY am I the way that I am, etc.

Feminism hasn't kept up with advancements and complexities in hip hop lyrical content. Such is the dilemma of a grownup lady rap fan.

“Girls stop when they see the clique ridin by, on jock

They ain't invited unless they gon' drop.”
OH GUILTAYY. I will not be dropping, but the thick, white, fluffy towels you keep at your place sure make a girl think about it for a minute.

Dilla feat. Madlib & Guilty Simpson - “Baby.” I know we all have it, we've all memorized it, we all live it and breathe it. But let's revisit it, because the days are getting shorter right now. People's (ahem) checking accounts are dwindling. USC lost. And everyone's right about Drake. He's corny. So I'm putting my head under my pillow and not coming out until it's August '06.

mp3.




*Honorable mention: Dilla's sing-song part (“Baby, take me home tonight/Baby, lay me downnnn”) and the pretty and evocative “every 5 minutes we untanglin em” couplet. Nicely done, James. Just like with the ladies, the key to song construction is in the grip -

encompassing but not fierce.

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