A coffee table book about coffee tables

If you read my last post you may have seen that I was going to begin writing a book. Well a one of my dear friends suggested that I write a book in the form of a letter to my unborn son. I love that idea. So I have decided to take it a step further and write several letters to several people and just share some of my thoughts with the world. So tonight I will preview my book with a letter that I will put in the book, which coincidentally, isn't about coffee tables.

Dear Ludacris,
Hey my man, I just wanted to drop you a line to see how you were doing? Myself? I'm good, although, to be honest my mind is a little troubled. I was sitting back thinking about your rift with Oprah Winfrey and I just wanted to add my two cents. First let me reiterate that I am a big fan of your work. I feel that you are witty and funny in a world full of tough, grimy "thugs." I actually cried when I listened to "Freedom of Preach" with Bishop Eddie Long on your latest album Release Therapy. I'm serious I was crying because the message hit me hard. I felt like the person that Bishop Long was talking about. I felt that it was time for me to change. As a matter of fact, I believe that your song played a major role in me wanting to write a book. Anyway, I was thinking about hip-hop and me. Common has a song titled "I Used to Love Her" that details his relationship with hip-hop. It is a wonderful song to this day and I believe that it is around 10 years old. Well as a child of hip-hop and one of the first generations that grew up exclusively in the hip-hop age I have always been a huge fan. As Chuck D. once said hip-hop is the ghetto CNN. As a teen, I listened to Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, N.W.A. & 2 Live Crew. So I listened to the political & the vile and I loved them both. Oprah had commented on how she didn't appreciate the misogynistic and explicit rap lyrics commonly heard today. As someone who now works with young students as a high school teacher have to concur with her opinion. Now in Freedom of Preach, you said that those who didn't understand the youth might just be getting too old. Well I am thirty now and I don't claim to understand the youth, but I still listen to the same vile music as my students and to be honest with you I enjoy it. I gravitate towards rap, although my music interests have broadened over the years. I see "hardcore" rap as a form of entertainment. I know that Jeezy isn't "trapping" or that T.I. is a "dope boy." I know better than that. Now I am not trying to attack Jeezy or T.I., but I know that common sense says the reason that you become a dope boy is to make money and if you make money rapping, then illegal business isn't smart business. The problem lies in the younger generation. When I was young I understood that "Freaky Tales" by Too Short was akin to someone bragging about having sex with all the girls at school. It sounded great, but it was probably untrue. I never though Eazy-E killed all the guys he rapped about killing because if he did and then bragged about it, he deserved to be caught. Well, my students are amazing in that when their idols say something they don't even question it. Do you remember when Charles Barkley had a commercial that said he wasn't a role model? His argument was that just because he could dunk a basketball, doesn't mean that he should raise your kids. I definitely agree. Parents should be the one that raise their kids. The problem is that a lot of these kids don't have parents to raise them. Or at the most only a mother. And some of those mother's have to work to support their families and unfortunately they don't have the time to be both mom and dad. That no way excuses the parent, but it does make it more understandable. I believe in the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child. And Luda that makes us both villagers. Now far be it from me to try to stop someone from making money, but my pops would say, while playing dominoes, that all money isn't good money. He meant that just because you could score 5, 10 or 15 doesn't mean that it will be good for you in the long run. I always believed that. Just because you can make millions, is it worth helping destroy those that look like you for a few bucks?

This is just the first part of my letter to Ludacris. My book will contain a longer letter. Let me know if this sort of thing interest you.