Note: This is the third article of a series on education and entertainment.  In the first article, I examined three core elements of effective edutainment: it's gotta be real, it's gotta be relevant, and it's gotta rock.  Here, I explore Bomani Armah's "The New Classic Mixtape," in light of these criteria.  It can be downloaded for free here.

#1 - It's real.

In his song entitled "Ghetto", Bomani Armah tackles a topic that is often referenced in rap.  But the depth of his insight gives his discussion an added sense of reality.  His opening description of the ghetto as "the place to find the worst in drugs and crime" does not stop there; he further notes that it's "where justice went to go blind."  Here, he connects the high crime rates of low-income areas with the flaws of our judicial system.  Instead of focusing on the superficially exciting characteristics of these neighborhoods, like gang violence or the flashy lifestyle afforded by drug sales, he emphasizes the factors that promote such destructive excitement.  So, while he mentions that "young gunners cause disorder" and "young stunners livin shorter," he rhymes these images with the "slaughter" that defines the ghetto's "clear borders" just as much as "crumbling brick and mortar."  With this emphasis on real context, celebrating the drug trade (as many rap songs do nowadays) makes as much sense as praising other features of impoverished populations like "brown water" that "costs a quarter" or "mothers raising children of their daughters."  Like the other artists I've written about in this series, Armah uses his art to help his audience better understand the world around them.

#2 - It's relevant.

"Talkin bout change" is Armah's examination of the USA's current political climate.  While giving President Obama "credit for changing how brothers see themselves," Armah asks "If you drown, does it matter who is driving the Hearst?"  Again, Armah pushes past the surface of his topic to not just describe but analyze.  He acknowledges that, as a symbol of universal opportunity, President Obama "speaks to the poor and vulnerable."  But Armah couples that acknowledgment with the practical reality that Obama is under more pressure to "shoot wherever big corporations aim" than he is to deliver true change to the poor and vulnerable minorities he symbolically represents.  In this disturbing reality lies the pun of Armah's chorus; though "the President's talkin bout change," the tangible benefits he delivers to the most needy is spare change compared to the large bills he has thrown at the auto or banking industries.  Armah interprets this type of "trickle down economics" as a thinly-veiled admission that "e pluribus unum doesn't translate to Ebonics."  In other words, even though the motto printed on our money defines the USA in terms of its diversity, some people's livelihoods are simply not as important as other people's profits.

Whether or not you agree with his political leanings, Armah's core message touches upon a fundamentally American principle by focusing on the true source of democratic change: the American people.  The pessimistic vein of his perspective is not focused on President Obama's treatment of the people, but on the people's idealized treatment of Obama.  Like rappers "talkin bread, cheese, and dough when they can barely feed themselves," the public's indulgent adoration of Obama fosters an unrealistic expectation of what one man deliver by himself.  Instead of blaming Obama for somehow deceiving the public, Armah reminds us that "the worst kind of liars are those who deceive themselves."  This cynicism is constructive.  By labeling the people's perspective as the core problem, he is identifying the path towards substantial change.  The recurring weather imagery, specifically rain, illustrates both the flood of irresponsible spending that led to the financial recession and the storm of problems that the recession has created.  In this situation, "nothing's gonna change til the money doesn't rain".  And Armah does not expect that type of change to trickle down from the top.  "In this system of checks and balances," it's up to the people to "check our balances" and make sure that we are cashing in on the change that we endorse.

#3 - It rocks.

The beats on this album are actually constructed from popular 'break beats', or samples of old songs that are looped to form the basis of new ones.  The goal here isn't to rock the club as much as it is to pay homage to the roots of hip hop.  Although these old songs are usually only recycled for their percussive or rhythmic components, DJ RBI mixes their lyrics as well.  The NEW CLASSIC title is a reference to Armah's crafting new rhymes from the lyrical content of these classic funk songs.

In "God Made Me Funky," Armah explores his practical definition of funk. Though it "makes you nod your head...while scruntching up your face like an awful taste," funk's most distinct feature is that it "takes you to another place." Reminescent of KRS-One's conception of hip-hop as intelligent or relevant movement, this aspect of funk is productive in that it creates an obvious effect in the listener.  As the basis for Armah's uplifting poetry, funk is "the prescription...to change your disposition."  Funk is both medicine for a negative attitude and a vehicle for leaving that attitude behind.

Armah reveres funk as something divine, with a mysterious connection to our bodies that our mind cannot fathom.  That "tickle in your hips... is God talkin," just like "[Armah's] words are the songs God whispers."  This connection to God is significant.  According to the song, funk was created on the 8th day only after God had created everything else.  Once He had created the physical world, there was only one thing missing: a way to transcend it.  In this context, God does not have to be strictly Biblical, or even overtly religious.  Armah references this higher power to cite funk's ability to remove us from our immediate situation.  As it runs "loop de loop throughout time and space," funk takes us along for the ride.  The beats here are not elaborate or hard-hitting, but they provide enough rhythm and bass to bob your head while Bomani goes to work on your mind.  This simplicity of production allows the music to work its magic without drowning out the lyrics; every word is intelligble and every rhyme contributes meaning to the song.  And, like NEW CLASSIC makes clear, that's that "deep funk".