I tend to leave the rap-blogging to Mr. Charette; that's his scene. But I cannot abide the latest silliness from the American Enterprise Institute's Stan Veuger, who has included Warren G's "Regulate" in his list of "The 21 greatest conservative rap songs of all time." His misreading of the events depicted in that ditty are so egregious—so monumental—that they must be disputed.
Veuger writes:
Upholding the rule of law, enforcing property rights, and effectively exercising a monopoly on violence are among [the government's] core functions. Warren Griffin III, or Warren G, and Nathaniel Dwayne Hall, or Nate Dogg, describe what society looks like when those functions fall victim to rampant government expansion in this song from the soundtrack to the movie Above The Rim. More specifically, Mr. Griffin falls victim to a carjacking in his own community. ...
Mr. Griffin sees no obvious way out of this — law enforcement is nowhere to be seen — until Mr. Hall appears ("If I had wings I could fly / let me contemplate / I glanced in the cut and I see my homey Nate"). In the absence of a government capable of enforcing the rule of law, a spontaneous order emerges:
Sixteen in the clip and one in the hole
Nate Dogg is about to make some bodies turn cold
Now they droppin’ and yellin’
It’s a tad bit late
Nate Dogg and Warren G had to regulate
Veuger's argument is based on a misreading of the song. Warren G was not simply driving around his ’hood when he got carjacked; he was attempting to partake in an illegal dice game. Here is the relevant passage:
So I hooks a left on the 21 and Lewis
Some brothas shootin' dice so I said "Let's do this"
I jumped out the ride,
And said "What's up?"
Some brothas pulled some gats so I said "I'm stuck."
Veuger seems to be misinterpreting the word "jacked." It is not necessarily short for "carjacked." Here's Urban Dictionary's first definition:
Origin from 'hijacked': as the past-progressive meaning stolen in a violent fashion.
Commonly refers to robbery, theft, misuse, seizure, possesion [sic].
The fourth definition is "stolen"; the fifth, "To get robbed, mugged, rolled or beaten up by someone." You get the idea.
I will be honest: I'm not an expert on the American Enterprise Institute's stance on illegal gambling. But I have a feeling that it has not yet come out in favor of gangbangers waging warfare on our streets in order to defend their property from being stolen during illegal craps games. This does not strike me as a particularly "conservative" message.
Regardless of whether or not the message is "conservative," Warren G's "Regulate" is an amazing song. And, in the end, isn't that what matters? Why must we go searching for the "conservative message" hidden within random pieces of entertainment? Can't we just enjoy something even if it's, gasp, liberal? (Or, as is the case with "Regulate," entirely apolitical?)
For your listening pleasure: