Hip Hop and Writing

There is little doubt in my mind that my years of listening to hip hop, or rap if you will, has made me a substantially better writer. Whether anyone finds that hard to believe, I do not know. Most of the people I've mentioned it to, inside the ad biz and out, seem to make sense out of it. I still find myself intrigued by the notion.

Perhaps it is the remnants of growing up amongst so much criticism of the genre as "not music," or "garbage," but part of me sees it as not an entirely intuitive connection. It could also be that the hip hop I grew up listening to was not always rich with artistically lyrical pontifications. At least not in the same way it is today with lyricists like Yasiin Bey, Black Thought of the Roots, Pharaohe Monch, Blu, Murs, Homeboy Sandman, Talib Kweli, and the like. Thinking back to the gangster rhymes of one Andre Young or Calvin Broadus (a.k.a. Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg), I sometimes wonder how the genre enriched my vocabulary.

Maybe I'm oversimplifying, or just looking at it wrong. For it seems what hip hop really did for me was to broaden my understanding of the English language and the flexibility it allows. Throughout the history of hip hop, play-on-word analogies and double entendres have been at the forefront of superb lyricism. And I believe this is where hip hop has aided me the most, especially when it comes to describing things (professionally, products or services), in a unique, often-times humorous, way.

Of late, the line constantly at the forefront of my mind is from a Pharoahe Monch song:

I make headlines like corduroy pillows.

Responsible Citizen

Through one of the online petition websites, I recently sent a letter to representatives in government regarding energy policy. I received the letter pasted below from Senator Kelly Ayotte, Republican from NH.

Thank you for your comments regarding our nation's environmental policy. I appreciate hearing from you.

Common sense environmental protection preserves New Hampshire's quality of life as well as the state's economic competitiveness. I am proud of my strong record of environmental protection from my time as Attorney General, and as your Senator, I will act to preserve New Hampshire's environment while strengthening our economy.

We can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make our environment cleaner without destroying America's global competitiveness. Passing a massive cap-and-trade bill that would increase taxes, raise energy costs, and redistribute wealth - all without impacting the overall level of global greenhouse gases - is the wrong approach. Worse still is the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) unprecedented decision to unilaterally impose greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act without congressional approval. Economy-wide energy regulations should not be enacted by unelected agency officials. Congress should determine our nation's environmental policy. That is why, on April 6, 2011, I supported Senate Amendment (S.A.) 183 to a small business bill that would have prohibited the EPA from implementing a national energy tax through regulations. Unfortunately, due to a required 60-vote threshold, the amendment failed by a vote of 50-50.

To be certain, our nation must reduce our dependence on fossil fuel. This is not just an economic and environmental imperative but also a national security and sovereignty concern. While we transition to renewable and alternative sources of energy, our nation must be able to use our vast natural resources that are available here at home by expanding domestic oil exploration and increasing national gas production in ways that are environmentally responsible.

We must also foster a pro-business environment to develop new, clean energy technologies and conservation initiatives that will help reduce pollution and create jobs. We should encourage the development of all renewable, clean, and sustainable energy sources, such as wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding this issue. As your Senator, it is important for me to hear from you regarding the issues affecting New Hampshire and our nation. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may be of further assistance.

I responded with the following.

Dear Senator Ayotte,

I appreciate you taking the time to respond. However, it is clear that we disagree on this issue. The fact of the matter is that the US has a depleted source of domestic oil, down to about 3% of the world's known reserves. While Middle Eastern countries boast about INCREASING reserves, their claims cannot be proven as access to these reserves is restricted, and the overall supply of fossil fuels is diminishing worldwide. To boot, any increase in drilling domestically would take at least 10-15 years to have any sort of effect on the prices of a barrel of oil. The best domestic energy policy available is a drastic shift toward renewable energy. Therefore, I support the EPAs restriction on CO2 emissions.

It is clear that the partisan political ideologies in Congress are blinding its members to the REAL changes taking place with our climate. While some of these changes can be attributed to the natural ebb and flow of our planet, it is a depressing state of affairs when the short-term interests of businesses whose long-term viability relies on the health and well-being of the earth and its inhabitants, takes precedent over the very real dangers our activities are creating. As is clearly evident by your policy decisions, and those of your cohorts, this is what is going on in Congress today.

I also find your comments regarding the redistribution of wealth in relation to emission restrictions spurious at best. If you were actually concerned about upward wealth redistribution, you would not support the extension of the Bush tax cuts. I believe you are using wealth redistribution claims as a wash to cloud the real issues at stake.

While it is imperative to maintain a pro-business mind set, it is this business-first mentality that has created the dire situations we find ourselves in, especially in regard to available resources, where we get them from, how we get them, and any security issues that stem from these circumstances. While government cannot exist without business, it is increasingly clear that business can exist without government. However, such a situation is extremely dangerous to the well-being to the citizenry. As such, governments now find themselves at the beck and call of the business world. How else could something such as Citizens United end up a reality in America? Corporations do not bleed. They are not birthed from a woman. They do not feel pain when things are going poorly; they do not rejoice when things are going well. They lack morality, and while they are run by human beings, our history as humans proves that as a cohesive unit working toward a goal, we cannot be trusted to always do what is right. However, I digress.

I do sincerely hope that you reconsider your stance on this nation's energy policy, for the sake of your career as a politician and for the sake of those you represent.

Best of luck to you.

Greg Marchilena

Proud, I am.