There has been much comment about Barack Obama’s remark about hand-to hand combat in the House following the mid-term elections, some of it in a feisty, bring-it-on-dude vein like this, but much more of it deploring the divisive classlessness of this supposed post-racial and post-partisan president. Frankly, there should be no surprise that a man with the music tastes this one purports to have should be edgy and combative. As recently as a few days ago, Obama’s IPod musical selections were the topic of a Wall Street Journal article and it was not to praise them, as indicated by the title, Obama’s Rap Palate, but even more so by the subhead, “Why praise violent, misogynistic hip-hop stars?” Why indeed?   I don’t listen to hip-hop or rap and am no authority on the subject. However, having always been an avid follower of current events, I’ve been aware of this music genre since its advent back in the 70’s and the little bit of it...(Read Full Post)