Growing up as a "white boy in a black neighborhood"...Stop. I'm not here to rip off of Everclear, nor did I grow up in a "black" neighborhood so much as a "multi-cultural" neighborhood. I was nevertheless exposed to every kind of music under the sun. I preferred Nirvana and rock music, but just as I listened to and played Latin beats, I had an appreciation for rap's ability to "stop, drop," and, of course, "open up shop," as the great DMX sang before every football or lacrosse game I played in (and stunk at).
One such rap song, if it could be called that, was Afroman's tribute to marijuana, "Because I Got High." I didn't smoke, myself, but it was such a joyful song that it stuck out in my memories. Mainly, it was an excuse for teenage boys to rant and rave about getting high, and that's all it really takes. Imagine my surprise when Afroman returned to national fame in 2014,remixing his classic to put forth a positive vibe on pot legalization. I was thrilled; as an anti-Drug Warrior, it was great to see a public figure who wasn't Bill Maher making widely-played art about drug legalization.
I'm disappointed to therefore reiterate a new TMZ report that, at a concert Tuesday night, Afroman - AKA Joseph Edgar Foreman - flat-out decked a girl who had snuck up on to stage and started dancing with him. But why does this matter to national politics?
The quick version? Everything he tried to accomplish with his return could crumble if the usual media tropes are allowed to take over, with talking points and bad jokes. The long version?
Join me after the jump!
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