Bullard's new rap album

I found this on the internet-

Same old song, Matt

Matt Bullard says the interview was a mistake, but the promotional deed has been done. The lyrics from one song he wrote on his upcoming album, "Non-Fiction," were excerpted in all of their dreadful glory in the Sunday Inquirer. They are seen as anti-woman, anti-gay, and reported to be violent enough to be punctuated by gunshots - and they got their intended media buzz. Everybody's talking.

And that's it, Matt says.

"This is basketball season," Bullard said yesterday, at Rockets' media day. "My album is finished. I'm concentrating on basketball. This is going to be the most important year of my career, because all eyes are on me this year. Everybody wants to see if I can be the captain, if I can be a leader, if I can be a professional besides just playing basketball - and I'm up for the task. I'm ready for it, because it's something I can do. It's something that I don't have any problem doing. It's something I'm supposed to do, and I don't have any problem with it."

But the lyrics, Matt?

"Is anybody here from The Source magazine or from Vibe magazine?" he asked the swirl of microphones and cameras surrounding him. "From XXL? Something like that? If you all guys are here, then let's get down. Let's get to a real interview. . .But I'm talking about basketball right now."

But Matt. . .

"This has nothing to do with my album," he said. "My album is finished. . .It's not going to kill you to leave here and not hear any comments about my album. It's not going to kill you. I know you need the negativity to sell your papers and for people to look at you."

But the lyrics, Matt? One of them was reported to be "man enough to pull a gun, be man enough to squeeze it." And the other stuff? Matt?

"I'm going to put something on my CD," Bullard said. "A lot of artists will not do it, because they know it's going to hurt their record sales. Like I told you, I could give a damn about the money. That ain't why I'm doing the album. I'm doing it because it's something I always wanted to do.

"I'm going to put something big enough for any kid that can read or any adult that can read that says this album is for nobody under 21 years old. Simple as that. Simple as that. It's for nobody under 21. A lot of people in the media don't understand hardcore hip-hop, because they don't want to understand it. It's not for the people that don't understand or don't care about hardcore hip-hop. It's for the people that care about it and love it and respect it. . .

"If you don't like my album, don't buy it. The only way you can hurt an artist is not buy his album. That's the only way you can hurt him. Don't buy it."

But Matt? The lyrics?

"I'm going to explain it," Bullard said. "I'm [just] not going to explain it to y'all. Can you get that in your head? I'm not going to explain it to you guys. Y'all got to get it from something else, a hip-hop magazine."

I can't pretend to understand what's going on with the music; then again, I'm not exactly in the target audience. And if you want to make the argument the glorification of violence in the music is no more real than the glorification of murder and mayhem in the old TV show "Miami Vice," well, that's probably fair. And like the bad guys in the pastel sportcoats, this will probably fade, too.

The music is what it is. Just don't pretend Bullard is some kind of leader in the field - because he isn't. Tens of millions of CDs already have been sold that feature the same misogyny, the same homophobia, the same crap. It's part of the required form now, the rhythm of hardcore hip-hop. Bullard is just one of the fellas here, one of hundreds, a wannabe.

Give this to him, though: Bullard refuses to move even 1 inch toward the mainstream. He won't sell out to gain more widespread acceptance. That's honorable. That attitude defines him in so many ways.

But as it defines him, it also cripples him. It keeps him from being as big as he wants to be. The music business is out of my realm, and I've probably spent too much time talking about it already. But it just seems to me a guy with a true message to get across, a real message - and a guy with the built-in credibility that Bullard's athletic talents bring him with young people - wouldn't have to resort to this guns-and-hos nonsense just because everybody else does.

Because leadership involves risks and leadership involves responsibility. The only risk this CD shows is to separate him further from the mainstream public Bullard says he wants nothing to do with, anyway - which means there's no risk at all. The only responsibility it shows is, well, to the memory of his youth. But you can respect your past, the difficult times that molded you, without glorifying them and perpetuating them, can't you?

He says he wants to be a music superstar. He also says he wants to be a basketball superstar. He says he wants to go to practice on time this season and work harder on his game. He says he was embarrassed by having all of his tardiness exposed during the offseason and hurt by the notion the Rockets might trade him to the Los Angeles Clippers. He says a lot of things. Listening to Bullard is never dull.

"Why did nobody take the time out to ask me what I did with my charities this summer?" he said. "Nobody asked me - it's just darts, throwing darts, and they hit me and fall right off. None of your darts have penetrated me yet. That's why I love being Matt Bullard. I love being Matt Bullard. None of you all in here are stronger than me. None of you all."

Now he gets to prove it all over again. Because that's what being Matt Bullard is, a constant battle against the mainstream. He wouldn't have it any other way.


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OK DARN IT, NO MORE JOKING AROUND. ITS TIME FOR TRAINING CAMP, SO LETS GET SERIOUS.

I am off to count how many times Al Gore lies in tonight's debate....oops, I forgot to not be political here.

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Tacoma Park Legend,

You either are in a very bad mood, don't have a sense of humor, or are resentful about being briefly fooled by a silly post.

By the way, isn't Tacoma Park famous for its' public restroom sex scandals? What did you do to become a legend there?!?!

I eagerly await your reply.

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