He Say She Say
Hip hop culture/music is notorious for touting a high-rolling life filled with women and money, but once in a while there comes along a musician who goes back to the roots of hip hop by making a thoughtful commentary on culture.
Once in a while, someone like Lupe Fiasco appears on the music scene.
Mr. Fiasco is not without his shortcomings; some of his lyrics play into the very culture he purports to hate.
But, his cultural relevance shines through with a very poignant song, "He Say, She Say" which gives two views of father absence: that of the mom, and that of the child left behind.
It starts out with the mom's perspective:
She said to him, "I want you to be a father / He's your little boy and you don't even bother / You see what his problem is /
He don't know where his poppa is /
No positive male role model / To play football and build railroad models"
And then switches to the kid's perspective:
Now I'm fighting in class /
Got a note last week that say I might not pass /
Kids ask me if my daddy is sick of us /
'Cause you ain't never pick me up / 'Cause you ain't been kicking it since I was old enough to hold bottles / Wasn't supposed to get introduced to that / I don't deserve to get used to that
None of America's kids deserve to get used to that. If only more musicians used their status to say something so relevant and thoughtful...