Our friend Phil's racist rant about Jay-Z's Nets raising eyebrows

This thread reminded me of this moment in history

 

This is what prompted the thought:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4mu_ip2maw

 

I find him just plain sexy. His brainpower/lyrical ability/skill to write entire songs without ever "writing" them? Amazing.

 

Well, just go up to one of them and call them a Hodor, and see if you stay in one piece.

 

Is use of the word optional for Derek Jeter?

 

Who, you might have noticed, is hitting .400 with five homers a month into the season. Just sayin'. [/mankyjimmy]

 

I'm with Luggie on this (except I don't find Jay-Z the least bit sexy).

Jay-Z is smart and talented and not a gangster or "thug" in the least.

Mushnick comes across as some out-of-touch cranky, racist coot.

But I am not a reader and am willing to concede that there is some context and history that people seeing this alone won't get.

 

Damn it! Who is editing Mushnick?

Two columns in a row included this blurb:

 

He also got wrong how long Mark Macon was at Binghamton before being fired. It was three years, not one.

If you're going to make your career out of critiquing the errors of other media members, such mistakes by are especially inexcusable.

 

Does not excuse it but at least Phil will hone up to his mistakes in follow up columns.

Based on this thread alone, it seems like Jay Z's lyrics are beyond reproach and bullet proof from criticism.

I've never really looked but I wonder if any music critics have taken him to task for his lyrics. Seems unlikely as they would risk get drummed out of the business for not appreciating an art form.

 

And for being racist.

 

The audience. Springsteen audience is now mostly made up of aging white suburbanites reliving their youth and Jay Z audience is their kids.