We Invested In That, It's Like We Got Merrill Lynched

One of my favorite songs from Kanye West's Late Registration is Crack Music. Even Michael Eric Dyson agrees that Kanye makes reference to some important, although controversial, statements in this song.

For those of you who may not be familiar with this song, Kanye is suggesting that rap music is the byproduct of instituional racism and initiatives that have disenfranchised many of the listeners and performers of hip-hop music.

"Crack raised the murder rate in DC and Maryland
We invested in that, it's like we got Merrill Lynched"

The fact that Kanye believes, like many others, that hip-hop/rap music serves as a tool for expression (as well as) sharing one's conditions and environment is not necessarily a new thing. I just think that line I quoted above is kinda hot.