It was while listening to Jay-Z's deathless "Big Pimpin'" that I came across what I suddenly realized was the most incredible insult in the history of rap music. Bun B is in the middle of his guest verse, when he whips out the following line:
"Read a book you illiterate son of a bitch. Step up your vocab."
Consider this for a moment. In a world where rappers - and pop culture icons in general - are understood to be pretty IQ-deficient, Bun B comes out and insults your ability to read. I can just picture him in an NYC rap battle in the centre of downtown Harlem and screaming, "Bitch, I am more literate than you are!" Or, "Bitch, I finished grade four English at the top of my class!" The pure lunacy of it is now forever engrained in my mind. Take that, Soulja Boy; Bun B exerts his superiority by pointing out that you have spelt "soldier" incorrectly. Step up your vocab.
And thus Step Up Your Vocab (SUYV?) is born. I have another blog where I write exclusively about music (SHAMELESS PLUG http://yourexloverisdeadblog.blogspot.com/), and while SUYV will have its share of music commentary, it will mostly be sticking to the Top 40 world. I plan on using this as my outlet to discuss all those other things I love that YE-LID doesn't give me a chance to write about (reality television, pop culture, etc.). I've also kind of come up with this summer resolution to start vlogging, and if I ever get around to that (with me you can never truly be sure) then those will appear on here also.
So I hope you enjoy. And remember, kids: reading is important. Nine out of ten scary rappers agree.
