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rappers have long trafficked behind an illusion of effortlessness. They follow their own orbit where nobody sweats or feels blue, very few of them cry, and the only judgments feared are those from God or Mom. Scared? Never. Ethics? Situational, son. There is no vulnerability—just done deals and assertive strides. And the only ones shook are the halfway-crooks. Or so it was. Today, self-conflict is in: Mos Def preens in a Jay-Z video, Jay does cameos for Dead Prez, Talib Kweli pines for a tougher pose, and 50 Cent wonders why he's not considered "conscious." Nobody matches the desperate aplomb of Tupac, but enough rappers are trying to do the right thing that one wonders: Is hip-hop—captor of hearts, minds, and the attention of presidential candidates—finally facing up to the awesome responsibility of its power? Deep within this thicket is Kanye West, a gifted producer and rapper who doesn't have the answers either. In fact, he's built his career on complicating the question.
Approximate Word count = 613
Approximate Pages = 2.5
(250 words per page double spaced)
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