I love Urban Dictionary and I love looking up definitions, however the definitions for rap were a little bit ridiculous.   The second definition reminded me of my father and immediately flashed me back to my early teens.  It defines rap as “75% of the word crap.”

A little background… I grew up in St. Paul in a middle class neighborhood and while I started out my life in a public school, my parents had a Fresh Prince moment and instead of sending me to a rich aunt and uncle, they sent me to a Catholic school.  
My dad is into all kinds of music, so I was lucky enough to grow up listening to Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Pearl Jam, The Allman Brothers Band and the Beatles.  My dad’s proudest moments are the ones where we are in his car and a song comes on and I’m able to name the song and the band of pretty much any alternative rock or classic rock song from 1995 and earlier.  Music is a huge part of my dad’s life and I’m glad I have a little bit of that appreciation in me.  Thanks for that dad.  
So, back to my pre-teens… I looked like this:
Glasses, bad hair, bad outfits.  I needed a little bad ass edge.  I know most normal people can relate.  I was trying to discover myself.  My best friend, Mandy, had an older brother and everything he thought was cool, we thought was cool.  Insert rap music here.  
The 2 CD’s I somehow got my hands on to were not the usual Dr. Dre or Snoop D-O-double G.  Instead, I went for Master P – Ghetto D (best song is Bourbons & Lacs) and Mase – Harlem World.
My household wasn’t super strict, but there were some rules.  Owning these CD’s was against the rules, so I had to keep them hidden in my bedroom and listen to them with my walkman and headphones each night.  My father found them numerous times (Ghetto D is NEON ORANGE) and took them away.  I wish I remembered how I got them back, because I’m sure it was extremely sneaky and awesome.  
I do remember conversations about this “rap crap” with my dad.  He would tell me something like “the music you listen to helps define you… is this what you want to define you?”  Yes, dad, the answer is yes.  Plus, it had great messages.  Knowing that gangstas need love and that my first car should be a ‘lac if I want to be somebody.
This lyric right here is what I kept trying to play for my dad.  Mase was trying to give him a message (my dad being one of the “cats on the block”).
Stop listen’ to all them cats on the blockThat tellin’ you that Mase don’t rock’Cuz Mase is hot and Mase got a drop and a yacht and a big knotTo move you and your moms off the block
These songs bring back amazing memories for me.  It was the little bit of rebel I had in me.  And no matter how many U2 and Tom Petty songs my dad rocks out to, I will never let him forget that I busted him on numerous occasions jamming out to this song:
Thanks Dad for being a secret bad ass that enjoys some good old fashioned “rap crap” every once a while.  And seriously, you look like Keith Richards (especially when you dress up like him on Halloween).
In the meantime, I’m going to create a Pandora station using Flo Rida, Missy Elliott and Mase for the remainder of my Friday.  Thanks to one of my favorite bloggers, Whitney, for finishing my week with an extremely good playlist.  Holler.