G(od)-Unit

FROM November 22, 2003

RECENT OBSERVATIONS to be included in my forthcoming book on spirituality and rap/r&b liner notes:

G-Unit's BEG FOR MERCY: Young Buck thanks God, 50 Cent, and his mother, in that order. Three thank you's later, he thanks his mother again, perhaps because he feels bad for ranking 50 Cent before her, assuming she isn't one of the people who believe 50 is the second coming of Christ (and who are those people, anyway--Eminem's CPA?). In the first acknowledgement, Monsieur Buck thanks her for "breedin' a soulja." The second time, he addresses her by her first name, Audrey, denotes that she's "my mother" in parenthesis.

Timbaland & Magoo's UNDER CONSTRUCTION PART II: Tim thanks "GOD, ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN GOD, AND GOD'S CHILDREN. TO ALL THE CHURCHES OF GOD IN CHRIST, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS." (Caps Tim's.) Magoo thanks God, despite that he "may not approve of my music." Also, Magoo does one of my favorite things --communicates a message to someone via liner notes, that would be more efficiently/expediently accomplished by simply using a telephone or the internet. In this case, he tells Ginuwine aka Santiago, "I need your 2way." So Ginuwine, if you happen to pick up this album and read the extensive liner notes (your thank you is halfway through a long paragraph), please, give Magoo a call. Dude needs your 2way.

Jay-Z's THE BLACK ALBUM: Appropriately, Monsieur Carter thanks a higher power first. Not so predictable is that he's non-denominational, parenthetically noting that God could also be called Allah or Jehovah. (That's right, acknowledge yr namesake, Young.) He then goes on to speculate upon said higher power's gender: "(male, female, or simply energy.") This ambiguity is perhaps due to the fact that Jay may indeed BE God, the "nigga blasphemy," as he calls himself in "What More Can I Say?" He might front like he's not--in "Moment of Clarity" he credits God for giving him everything--but all over the record, he belies/blabs his own truth, since the entire thesis of the thing is that Shawn Carter is a self-made man, and must retire to give all the lessers a fighting chance to come up (in the style of Jesus and Tupac). Witness: Jay-Hova is his own damn Jay-Hova. Simply Energy!!

Can't wait for new Missy, out this Tuesday. Was it Missy who asked someone out via liner notes? Maybe that was Jaguar Wright, or Mya--and also, "Wake Up" is totally thrilling. Chorus: "If you don't got a gun, it's all right.. if you're makin legal money.. it's all right... If you gotta keep your clothes on... it's all right... if you don't got a cellular phone.. it's all right," etc., effectively making Missy a kind of mom of mainstream rap: loving, encouraging, and contradictory.