"I found religion the day I discovered gangster rap."

I once saw a commercial on television... I don't remember what it was for... but I remember at one point an innocent looking, young, clean cut, caucasian woman says, directly into the camera, "I found religion the day I discovered gangster rap."

I feel this way some times too.

I wouldn't say that gangster rap is my favorite kind of music, indeed it may well be far from it. But, it does serve a valuable purpose. Similar to a vindicated middle-aged woman putting on the Carly Simon Greatest Hits album, or an underpaid highschool Latin teacher rocking out to Social Distortion's "Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell," listening to Dr. Dre or ODB lamenting about their own problems and how they deal with them tends to make me feel good.

Some people claim that rap is senseless, desensitized, crude, and talentless. I disagree. When I listen to Snoop lay down a rhyme, that often he comes up with on the spot, I see art. Rappers are quite talented. My favorite rapper/producer would have to be Dr. Dre. And I'll tell you why, via a quote from his own mouth. 

It goes as follows: "You've never been on a ride like this before. With a producer who can rap and control the maestro, at the same time with the dope rhyme that I kick, you know, and I know, I flow some old funky sh..."

Basically what Dre is saying is that he can rap, and he can lay down hot beats. And that my friends... that is talent. Way more talent than the Jonas Brothers. Combined.

"Fallin' back on that ass with a hellified gangsta lean. Gettin funky on the mic like a old batch a collard greens. It's the capital S, oh yes I'm fresh, N, double-O, P, D, O, double- G, Y, D, O, double-G you see." -Snoop. 

Both of those glorious quotes were taken from the song Nuthin But A G Thang.