This Week's "What I'm Listening To"

If you've read enough of my posts, I'm sure you could surmise that my upbringing is one of a white middle class, privileged, semi-charmed kind of life. (doot doot dooooot!)

And given that fact, you likely could make the logical leap that as a white middle class kid, I love teh hip hops.

And although I do fall quite readily in to that stereotype, I can confidently say that I'm not the kind of white guy that:
1. Turns down his hip hops while driving in an "urban" area.
2. Overly acts like Seth Green in "Can't Hardly Wait," although I have been considering incorporating more goggles in to my wardrobe. (Sorry, LLK!)

So with the above in mind, I am happy to announce and defend the album that I am currently obsessed with:

De La Soul's 4th full album, first debuted in 1996, "Stakes is High." (Repping Strong Island, LLK!)

And again, understand that I love a lot of hip hop, and it ranges across the board. So when I say that this album has recently become one of my top 5 in the genre, I'd like to think it means something.

The reasons:
- It's complete and diverse, featuring a lot of different guest emcees, and although there's a definite stylistic cohesion, its songs play around within their parameters without losing the listener.

- It has genuine lyricism, avoiding cliche rap things. And it's not preachy, either. It's well-written, simple as that.

- It's one of the few albums that features 17 tracks that doesn't get old or feel phoned in at all.

My preferred tracks:
-Dinninit
-Supa Emcees
-Sunshine (arguably my favorite track)
-Dog Eat Dog
-Brakes
-Stakes is High

Bottomline: If you don't like this kind of music, I think this album is worth a listen to try and change your mind. If you do, I think it would be much appreciated.

Enjoy your ides of February, everyone!