I know, it's not like the album is new or anything, but whenever one of his songs comes on the radio, I can't help but admire the man. He truly has a gift for writing, besides being a great performer. When he first came out I think I was a little ashamed to say I admired him (for tendencies toward misogyny, homophobia, etc), but even then I was blown away by the way he twisted words, rhyming them internally, externally, slant-ways, you name it. From 2000's "The Way I Am":
And since birth I've been cursed with this curse to just curse
And just blurt this berserk and bizarre sh-t that works
And it sells and it helps in itself to relieve
All this tension dispensin' these sentences
Gettin' this stress that's been eatin' me recently off of this chest
And I rest again peacefully . . .
But at least have the decency in you
To leave me alone, when you freaks see me out
In the streets when I'm eatin' or feedin' my daughter
To not come and speak to me . . .
I don't know you and no,
I don't owe you a mo-therf--k-in' thing
I'm not Mr. N'Sync, I'm not what your friends think
I'm not Mr. Friendly, I can be a prick
If you tempt me my tank is on empty . . .
No patience is in me and if you offend me
I'm liftin' you 10 feet . . . in the air
I don't care who is there and who saw me destroy you
Go call you a lawyer, file you a lawsuit
I'll smile in the courtroom and buy you a wardrobe
I'm tired of arguin' . . .
I don't mean to be mean but that's all I can be is just me
Now if you listen to him when he's featured on another artist's song--Drake's "Forever," for example--his verse blows everyone else out of the water. I don't know if he's just angrier than Kanye or Lil Wayne, but his rhymes have so much power behind them, you can't help but really feel them. Look at the difference between "The Way I Am" and these lyrics from "Not Afraid" and you can tell how he's changed and matured more with the imagery--it's not as literal:
It was my decision to get clean, I did it for me
Admittedly I probably did it subliminally for you
So I could come back a brand new me, you helped see me through
And don’t even realize what you did, 'cause believe me you
I been through the ringer, but they can do little to the middle finger
I think I got a tear in my eye, I feel like the king of
My world, haters can make like bees with no stingers and drop dead
No more beef flingers, no more drama from now on, I promise
To focus solely on handling my responsibilities as a father
So I solemnly swear to always treat this roof like my daughters and raise it
You couldn’t lift a single shingle on it
Cause the way I feel, I’m strong enough to go to the club
Or the corner pub and lift the whole liquor counter up
Cause I’m raising the bar, I shoot for the moon
But I’m too busy gazing at stars, I feel amazing . . .
Of course this is not the first time someone has used rap as an example of poetry, but I love seeing it evolve. I have a special admiration for rappers because they actually get up there, having memorized numerous rhymes, and perform.
Tomorrow's topic: Nicki Manaj (kidding . . . or am I?)
