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Monday, November 9, 2009 | 8:42am
Dr. Dyson’s book “Born To Use Mics” Schools Readers On Nas’ Illmatic Lyrics
Is hip hop that dumb or is Nas that deep that we need cliff notes for a rap album?
We’ve documented Dr. Micheal Eric Dyson‘s fascination with Hip Hop and more specifically Nas almost to the point of obsession. His new book, Born To Use Mics: Reading Nas’ Illmatic does nothing to buck that trend. The professor and self proclaimed fan of the rapper’s “intellectual genius,” dissect the album in effort to exalt the project for its educational value.
“Every song on Illmatic will be analyzed, interpreted and then re-articulated in a kind of intellectual sense from his own base in Hip-Hop and we’re trying to deal with that seriously,” Dyson stated last year when asked about the book.
I’ve long since believed that Nas often get too much credit for being some great philosophical, political genius. His lyrics while deep at times aren’t revolutionary. Dyson has always proclaimed them as if his “teachings” are like those of the great Socrates. At times he kind of reminds me of that “Oswald Bates” skit that Damon Wayne’s used to do on In Living Color. Let’s not get carried away here. Do we really need an entire book to “understand” the lyrics of one rap album, even if it is among the best of all times?
Via: RealTalkNY
FILED IN Editorials, Music, News
Nas has hot lyrics but i would not call him a philosopher. It is time to move on.
it’s an interesting idea, but he’s an entertainer, while his ideas are good and his lyrics are arguably the best he’s not a philosopher. but what makes a philosopher anyways?
There is no doubt about it Nas is a talented artist period. That being said, I do not believe his work should be looked at as a philosophical Opus. Amazing lyricist, creative word play and solid delivery, yes, the man encompasses all these traits. However, at the end of the day Nas used his words as a paint brush, as a result painting a raw, surreal and gritty truth of his environment and experiences. Dr. Dyson should appreciate the rappers work for what it is, street poetry. “To re-articulate Nas’s lyrics in an intellectual sense”…sounds like Dr. Dyson to me.
nas…philosopher…NO…poet…YES
interesting concept, but I’m sure most nas fans can dissect his lyrics and interpret the meanings behind his words.
I agree with Jungle! But, let me say that this is kind of crazy. I caught the Lyrics from Illmatic just fine. Now there’s a book about it??? Isn’t that like dropping the same album twice?? Who is this book targeted for? The youth? I doubt they would be interested with the way they bump Gucci Man and others. Bottom line, Nas is a poet. Everybody gets something different out of it anyway, so who’s to say that Dr. Dyson’s interpretation is correct???
Salutes SAUL WILLIAMS…Dissect his words for me & the youth.