Enjoyable essay, Jonah. One note of clarification: When Cam'ron says "she was up in the range, man," I believe he's referring to the slang "range ball," which is derived from the phrase golfers use for used balls that, once found, may be smacked back into the woods -- i.e., a one-night stand girl (or as an Urban Dictionary entry puts it, A woman that just like a used range ball she may be hot or not but you'll hit it and if you lose her, you don't mind it because you will find another).

Cam'ron is responding to his hookup's having called his bluff on being a "changed man," and no longer a playa; she tells him it's "nothing but game," and he tells us "she was right, she was up in the range, man."

now I ask you white fellows: if rappers can be inclusive enough in their songs to make golfing methaphors, why not more respect from the khaki shorts wearing crowd?

I think he's talking about his damn Range Rover. Earlier in the verse, right after "changed man" he says "look at the Range, man. I got a whole new game plan."

I don't think golf is viewed strictly as the white man's game anymore now that black people turn out to be better at it.

you're right. Like with the presidency, all it took was one...

I don't know that "range" makes sense as Range Rover in either reference. For one thing, they left the movies on a Suzuki bike. For another, how would having a Range Rover help make his case for being newly commitment-friendly and not just "sinnin'" with her? For that kind of fronting he'd need a minivan. But if he does mean "Range Rover" in the initial reference, I think he's just setting up wordplay here with the subsequent use of the word. Saying she's "up in the range" can't be a vehicular reference, given that by this point they're in the crib.

I have to laugh at how well hip-hop fans know the words to songs, and then try to tell me how terrible and inept the lyrics are. Compare to rock fans, will you? How many rock fans know words to songs? This is one reason that Eminem always uses his 'dumb guy' voice when he mentions rockers: it's for morons, innit?

To be fair, I had to refer back to a Google search for some of the lyrics. And I think rock fans know their lyrics too (or at least the choruses). If hip-hop fans know 'em better, it may speak more to the fact that the genre is more verbal-centric genre than rock, since rap uses the human voice as its lead guitar.

no, I was right, rock and roll is dumber.

Are you serious? Cuz as a fan of both rap and rock music I have to say that as pedestrian as some rock lyrics are, you should never underestimate the ability of a rapper to use very clever rhyme construction to say something incredibly stupid.

Oh, and I know A LOT of rock lyrics by heart.

As a fan of both rap and rock, saying one is "stupider" is well, stupid. They are both great, and there are rappers who suck and there are rappers that are great (some of the ones that are the most offensive I like the most). Because I am a punk at heart, I tend to like rap that is more grimey and offensive (rap is just black "punk" if you think about it), but i also love old Young MC (Pick up the Pace or Gont more Rhymes anyone!???).

Rap is driven by vocals (which is why it is so popular, most casual listeners of music care most about vocals and never really listen to the actual music, if you listen to mainstream rock or pop or hip hop you will notice that the vocals are juiced up and that the actual music is pretty bland) but lots of rock movements use vocals as background instumentation, sometimes barely audible and muddled. Shoe-gaze is one of the best examples of this, Listen to My Bloody Valentine and you will not understand a single lyric, but you know exactly what they are trying to say... good stuff.

Rock isn't always about the vocals, Rap is.

I hope Neil Young will remember,

Southern man don't need him around.

Anyhow.

Now, isn't that just so beautiful it makes you wanna cry?

Poor Asians, get no credit at all.

you're very funny, Arlington. Props for humor.