Throwback Thursdays

With all the tough talk and at times misogynistic lyrics that have laced Hip-Hop, it's easy to forget that rappers have feelings too. Most of the time- if there is any mention of a woman it's usually for the sake of props. Very rarely did MC's expose a vulnerable side- and when they did it was usually fleeting before moving on to how well they bounced back. But every now then comes a heartfelt account of a love gone wrong. And that brings me to today's Throwback. Slick Rick was never too cool to break down matters of the heart. He did it with A Teenage Love on his first album and then did double duty on The Ruler's Back with not one, but two tracks about being done dirty. While Mistakes of a Woman in Love With Other Men gave blow for blow details of MC Ricky D's cheating lady, it was Runaway that really communicated his emotional state. His narrative is one of resignation- and it's so melancholy that you tend to forget that he Shouldn't Have Done It. Even when I listen to it now, I feel sorry for him. It's not easy to make out his every word and that is part of the song's haunting allure. I always got the feeling that I stumbled across a very personal tape recording of Slick Rick lamenting his heartbreak that no one was ever supposed to hear. He half mumbles and decides that he would forget her if he could- but no such luck. Haven't we all been there at some point? He admits to himself- more than anyone else that there is nothing he can do about her being with another man. "Although a brother lettin' that...Lost and don't know where I'm headin' at." Some of the best love songs ever penned makes no mention of the actual word Love; and Rick delivers his contribution with finesse. You never hear him say it, but I'm willing to bet six dookie gold rings and a bejeweled eye patch that he loved the woman who inspired Runaway. I'm almost glad that there is no actual video for this one- since it forces you to listen with undivided attention to his lyrics.



Sidebar: Shout out to OC for rekindling this one to all those who forgot about it.