Beating Carrie to the Punch

When I heard that there was going to be a rapper on the new Bruce album I cringed.

As you may have guessed, I am not much of a fan of the hip-hop. In fact, if the young-ins are playing it during one of my construction audits I will give my best imitation of my father:

"That isn't music, it's noise!"

So I was scared.

I knew the song was Rocky Ground.

It may be my favorite song on the album. The rapper can really sing. The words that she sings were placed in her mouth by the Boss.

Here they are:

You use your muscle and your mind and you pray your best
that your best is good enough, the Lord will do the rest.

You raise your children and you teach them to walk straight and true
You pray that hard times, hard times come no more.

You try to sleep, you toss and turn, the bottom's dropping out
Where you once had faith now there's only doubt

You pray for guidance, only silence now meets your prayers.

The morning breaks, you awake, but there's no one there.

There's a new day coming.

That's a long way from using your glock to bash your ho, but I decided to put the song to the test. I played it for Sam.

"Bruce doesn't have rap," he said with a laugh, "Can you imagine him rapping?"

I played the song and Sam nodded along with the Bruce vocals.

"That's okay," he said.

Then the perfectly placed rap.

"I actually like it," he said. "But it ain't real rap. Real rap is about being tough."

I tried to get him to read the words, but he begged out of the room.

"I heard them," he said. "I get it."

And I say that I have to beat Carrie to the punch because we had the conversation about the rap a couple of hours into the release of the record.

I can't wait until Bruce starts singing about his real rap life.

"I'm the boss man, yes I am. I'm stronger than my ho or Yosemite Sam."

You know, real rap.