N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton

ALBUM OF THE DAY: NWA's "Straight Outta Compton" ---> (radio, clean version)

Alright, soooo, amidst a bit of jeering from my already-indoctrinated friends, I decided to listen to the clean version of this blockbuster album. As much as cursing irks me, it was important to not discount what I was hearing simply because I would've blocked out so much of it via internal judgement. I felt this album was too important to do that to. And yes, I KNOW it's coming. I'm fully aware that  I'm not going to be able to traverse this particular path without encountering the boulders of profanity. I just want to get to a point wherein I'm so invested in the music first that it's not as much of a 'thing' later. 

To accomplish this, I've made a bit of an adjustment to my schedule. Instead of following my Greatest 30 Hip Hop Albums order that cover three decades, I'm going to go in order. This will help me focus on the 80's and melding into this genre. 

Now, one of the problems I'm encountering is, indeed, gathering this list. With a few walks and scavenger hunts through Google, I struggle to find an all encompassing list for greatest hip hop albums beyond the one above. Indeed, there are multiple lists of Best Rap Albums, but even a quick Wiki search or Quora forum reveals what I already knew to be true: Hip Hop and Rap are not synonymous. This was even evident given that Lauryn Hill's album made the Top 30 list I mentioned. The article I just linked to includes an interview with Afrikka Bammbaataa sharing that

 "One common understanding is that hip-hop is a culture and rapping is one of four elements contained therein—the others being breakdancing, DJing and graffiti."

Then Flava Flav confers this same sentiment with "I think the element of hip-hop left when rap music started being created on a slow tempo... There’s not too many great hip-hop records out there, but there are some great rap records." However, the writer of this Ebony Magazine article, Shaka Shaw posits that if Flav's devotion to that early rap style, then hip hop never would've migrated out of New York's boroughs and received it's additional funk seasonings from the West Coast's stamp on the genre as we groove to it today. 

The attempt to make my list according to the Nominees for Hip Hop Album of the Year for the Grammy's, BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, or what have you, have all proven futile. There IS no category for Hip Hop. Some albums are in the Rap category others are in with Soul/R&B. So how is a Newb supposed to decipher??? 

On the fitness end of things, I have had a pretty fiercely unproductive week. The first week and last week in a new Term are always Hell Week for us. And when that parallels a long break, such as Winter or Spring, then we also have to contend with the kids being on next level crazy mode and, of course, tons of meetings. Tons. 

Couple that reality with my ankle injury that has absolutely flared up as a result of this cold weather and this additional impact on her, and I was done for motivationally-speaking. It just wasn't happening. And did I mention getting caught in the cold downpouring rain a mile into this walk? I figured I would've been just as wet turning around and power-walking home that same mile as I would be speed-walking the rest of the four miles I had already begun. Sure enough, thank you kooky Florida weather, the rain stopped by the conclusion of the second mile. 

Now, what this did for my cold, I can not pretend that was any added benefit. So, I drank echinacea tea into my veins for the next 48 hours to counteract the damage I'd just inflicted on self. That and my new morning regime of drinking apple cider vinegar has truly been a wonderful complement. My toilet and I are more frequent friends, sure, but there are enough books in my home to offset that little lifestyle change. (grin)