Grillz

Breaking news! Breaking news! As I was flipping around a newspaper today I saw that Nelly's song, "Grillz," had taken over the No. 1 spot in the Billboard 100. More evidence that perhaps:


A) I've definitely moved into another phase of my development where I'm just not in touch with what's considered mainstream cool -- nor can I consider myself an arbiter of such.

B) Memphis and to a lesser extent, Louisville, Ky., could well become the next great cultural centers of America.

C) Pop music is really... really... bad.

D) The fact that I'm railing against popular youth culture proves that I am indeed just like generations before me who fought every new (or borrowed) form of music that came along, from Elvis to the Beatles to hip hop.

But it wasn't the song that struck me as ironic. Mainstream hip hop lost it's ability to shock and bore me a long time ago.

It just so happened that I downloaded a short documentary called "Bling: Consequences and Repercussions," by Kareem Edouard, and watched it on my iPod on my way in to work this week. The documentary focuses on what are referred to as "conflict diamonds" -- the diamonds obtained in African mines under the control of revolutionary regimes. It's the same subject Kanye West addresses in his song "Diamonds of Sierra Leone," and this documentary takes rappers to task for their worship of the tainted jewels. I've never been able to understand that dynamic in Kanye, who brags about his bling as much as any rapper, but at the same time, seems to have a conscious, and certainly, a lot of substance to his lyrics.

At the end of the day, perhaps I just need to get with the program. I'll make my dentist appointment tomorrow.