The Boondocks by Aaron McGruder for June 16, 2010

Ain’t dat de trooth!

Da troof hurtz.

Duh, it could be the tone of Vachel Lindsay as well adapted to the Dozens and the feel of the drums in the ‘hood.

I’d say “bad diction” and “bad grammar” more than “bad spelling” – some of that stuff never even gets written down.

I prefer “honky rap” – Blondie, The Nails, Adam & the Ants, Murray Head…

I’m thinking of the band Slade (Scottish, I suppose, but definitely thoroughly pale in color) in which every song on every record was spelled dumb throughout. Like the hit “Mama Weer All Crazee Now” or whatever.

Plus, they sounded bad.

I fell in love with rap when I first heard someone doing it besides Barry White (who was really more disco than rap, even when he muttered his sweet nothings in prose). Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” was the kind of catchy, heartfelt and wise thing one could listen to over and over. Spelling and diction may have been there or not, but who cared! Compared to that first golden era, it’s hard for rap to sound good.

If stuff sounds good, we won’t care anymore about the rest.

Mmmm. what about all the misogyny? I can forgive the bad spelling, but not the disrespect. Just axe Aretha about that.