Saturday, July 7, 2007

good apology

so i was listening to B96 today in the car (that's chicago radio, for those of you unfortunate enough to live somewhere other than chicago) and of course that "sorry" song by akon came on about 5 million times during my 2 minute drive. actually i'm not gonna lie, the song is kind of catchy. but anyways it got me thinking. because i mean it's a rude-ass song, and its kind of a bitch move by akon, but also does he have a point?

now let's get one thing straight first: i think akon is completely out of his mind. my point here is not to defend akon, but just to wonder this: if you applied the message of his song to a sane person, would it be deep?

this seems like a good place to put in some important youtube clips for those who haven't been following the wonderful world of akon. the first is "sorry" playing over a slideshow and then later over the video of akon um...doing something...to that girl who turned out to be like 14, and the second is a clip of akon throwing a kid. the second one is really just for fun. it doesn't relate to this post.





anyways, so i was listening to the lyrics of the song and it got me thinking: the basic message is "i'm not sorry," which is, ironically, the most subtle part of the song. the actual lyrics are in no way subtle. particularly the last few verses:

---------------
I'm sorry for the hand that she was dealt
And for the embarrassment that she felt
She's just a little young girl trying to have fun
But daddy should of never let her out that young

I'm sorry for Club Zen getting shut down
I hope they manage better next time around
How was I to know she was underage
In a 21 and older club they say

Why doesn't anybody want to take blame
Verizon backed out, disgracing my name
I'm just a singer trying to entertain
Because I love my fans, I'll take that blame

Even though the blame's on you
Even though the blame's on you
Even though the blame's on you
I'll take that blame from you
---------------

so here's the thing: yeah, akon is crazy, and yeah this song is sulky as hell, but he kind of has a point, doesn't he? its his fault he acted a fool, but its also verizon's fault for having a contract with a crazy person, its the club's fault for letting in underage people, and again, for hiring a crazy person, etc etc. except its not really that girl's fault or her dad's fault. i'm pretty sure you're allowed to go to a club without expecting to get stage-humped by akon. but that's a sidenote. point is, our society definitely does have a "blame" problem. and usually the person taking the blame for whatever it is that's happened this week is A person, and is only one small part of the problem. i'll give akon the benefit of the doubt and assume that's what he meant with this song. i think that despite himself, akon has come up with a fairly interesting criticism of our society. think about it.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

can i just point out that there are like 2098 songs out there with that same tune, first of all? that's why it's catchy, i mean it's already in our heads. also, i gotta say, he made it look like he was condoning rape, and also - i think he should be responsible for not treating a 14 year old kid or a 40 year old adult like that. yes, it is our society that produces the conditions for someone to make money off of that type of shit - but once someone is an adult they need to be responsible for their actions. that said, the fact that this is our culture is clearly the bigger problem.

p.s. i've had a fever for 5 days straight now.

xo

BluzBrotha said...

Hi

My name is Jim.
I go by the handle BluzBrotha.

I am not a racist. I am white.
I've never had many friends that were afro but I've had some.
I do not know a whole helluva lot about hip hop and stuff.
I love any music that moves me and has a good message.
Sometimes the message is not so good but it grooves for me anyway.
I am 49 yrs old.
I am going through a bit of bad time with memories of my youth in Detroit.
Mainly issues with Mental hospitals.

Would you mind if I were to get involved in any way with this site.

I would like to link to you for starters.

Thanks,
Jim

BluzBrotha said...

Forgot to mention.

I am using MySpace and just recently started to expand my boundaries and connect with people.

You can find me here.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=112850604