Lastings’ bad rap
Lastings Milledge is a renaissance man. It seems Milledge, in addition to being a talented ballplayer, is an entrepeneur. He’s the CEO Soul-ja Boi records, a Florida-based label.
Not too shabby for a 22 year-old, eh? But wait! Milledge doesn’t just make business decisions and steal bases. He raps too! And that seems to be what’s gotten him in trouble this time.
Some of the language that Milledge uses on one of his songs, “Bend Ya Knees,” has been deemed innapropriate.
From the New York Daily News:
The rappin’ right fielder uses the N-word and bitch and also says “ho” in a song featured on his new record label’s Web site.
Milledge, performing on souljaboirecords.com, raps about “rich (N word),” “wealthy (N word),” a “top-notch ho” and having “a different bitch for every night” on the sexually explicit song “Bend Ya Knees.”
Quite a few people have taken offense to Milledge’s lyrics.
“He’s lost his mind,” said City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-Queens), who sponsored the Council’s resolution that condemned use of the N word. “I don’t understand how he could, in the spirit of Jackie Robinson, put out music that’s so vile, using . . . some of the worst words in music.”
The Mets are distancing themselves from Milledge’s rap, saying, “We disapprove of the content, language and message of this recording, which does not represent the views of the New York Mets.”
But I for one don’t think it’s a very big deal. Milledge isn’t using language that’s any different from what other mainstream hip-hop artists use. In fact, it’s far tamer than language used by other rappers.
Eminem, for example, raps about killing and raping his mother in his song, “Kill You.”
Then there’s 50 Cent, who reminds us in his song “How to Rob” that, should his music career not work out, he can always go back to his day job as a criminal. These are my favorite lines, from that song, though they are certainly not the most profane:
I’m about to stick Bobby for some of that Whitney money / Brian McKnight, I can get that nigga anytime / Have Keith sweatin starin down the barrel from my nine
Priceless.
The fact is, our society celebrates rappers who write songs with violent, sexist and derogatory lyrics. So why shouldn’t Milledge?
In Atlanta, where I live, there is a Tupac Shakur Center for the Arts, which includes a Peace Garden. In the garden, you’ll see a large, bronze memorial to the “peace loving” rapper.
Of course, Tupac’s lyrics did little to promote peace. In his song, “A Crooked Nigga Too” he raps:
Now first they had me trapped and now I’m p*ssed
A loaded AK47 layin on my hips so don’t trip
One motherf**ker from the underground
And Big Stretch buckin’ niggaz if they f**k around
Tupac was gunned down by members of a rival gang. But now he’s got a peace garden. 50 Cent, Eminem — they’ve got millions of dollars and international stardom.
Telling Milledge his songs can’t contain the same words that propelled those artists to stardom just seems random.
May 15th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Andruw Jones has been terrible…it’s mind-boggling that he actually has decent power numbers. The way he’s swinging from his heels, it’s a miracle he has 6 homeruns.
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May 15th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, Joe Crede (actually, the entire White Sox offense)Robinson Cano, Pudge Rodriguez, the over-hyped Josh Barfield, Ryan Zimmerman, Bobby Abreu, Scott Rolen, Raul Ibanez, Garrett Atkins, Rocco Baldelli.
Unfortunately, I own most of these guys in one of my fantasy baseball teams. Dead last.
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May 15th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
A Japanese reporter recently asked one of the Globe reporters if Matsuzaka was a disappointment and should be sent to the minors. The Globe reporter tried hard to answer the question with a straight face.
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May 15th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Maybe the reporter confused Daisuke with Igawa.
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May 16th, 2007 at 2:08 am
Wait, it what way has Ichiro been disappointing? His numbers of .312/.375/.435 are very much in line with his ML career norms.
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May 16th, 2007 at 2:11 am
I mean sure, maybe you were writing before he went 5-5 today, but even his numbers from yesterday of .354 OBP and .414 SLG were pretty close to his major leage averages.
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May 16th, 2007 at 9:00 am
Nick, I actually started this post a week ago, back when Ichiro was still just barely above the Mendoza line. Apparently he’s been hot.
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May 16th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Weaver sucks so bad because he made a stupid move: leaving Dave Duncan. I am confident it was Boras who pushed him into it. If Weaver had stayed with StL for 1 year and worked on fundamentals with Duncan He would havve been in a better position at the end of the season to get a better contract witha team *not* in the AL West. He would have won 12-16 games with the redbirds and really upped his stock.
Dumbass.
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May 16th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Figures that a baseball player records a song called “Bend Ya Knees”…
I think my favorite aspect of this is that on the Soul-ja Boi website, it describes the rapper, Manny D, as someone whose “greatest goal is to create positive music” and “has goals of forming his own foundation for kids that aren’t fortunate enough to have a role model in their lives.” You know, role models like Manny D, who remind us that women receive far too much respect and need to be objectified at least 87% more. Thank you, Manny D.
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May 16th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
I completely agree with it. Its a double standard, and I would love for greater restrain in using the language in our society. But you can’t single out one person, let alone a guy who’s music isn’t popular. It might have potential, but I’ve been hearing that about his baseball career too, with little results
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May 16th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
How bout Mike Cameron? Last time I checked he was in Mendoza territory. And he’s only got one homer.
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May 16th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
We need to come up with a rap name for Lastings. As a nod to the great deal of attention that he has received prior to making a real impact in the bigs, I propose O-Hyped.
Anybody else want to chime in?
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May 16th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Tupac wasn’t in a gang, so it’s kind of hard for him to get shot by a “rival gang.”
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May 16th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
MR. big time…
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May 16th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
Hey Diallo the douchebag, all Tupac rapped about was being in a gang. He was crip and was proud of it. I’m white and even I know that.
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May 16th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
I think Alex Gordon of the KC Royals could probably be added to this list, considering that he was the consensus best hitting prospect in all of baseball coming in to the season.
In the words of Baseball Prospectus, “Scott Rolen on the low end, Mike Schmidt on the high.”
But he’s presently batting .167 with 40 Ks.
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May 17th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Another shocking YouTube video from MannyD and Lastings “LMillz” Milledge.
Site by Braves fan.
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May 20th, 2007 at 2:44 am
Maybe add Tony Armas, not because of his exceedingly high expectations, but because of his poor performance. 0-3 with an 8.46 ERA, 2.17 whip, .358 BAA. He’s already been bumped to the bullpen. He’s no Jeff Weaver, but he’s close.
And ever since I wrote that about Kouz, he’s been on a tear. 8-11 since, raising his average to .183.
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June 24th, 2007 at 4:00 am
hey im tryin to find the name of a song where this guy wants to join this gang, but they tell him hes not hard enough and he has to rape somone, turns out they kidnap and rape his mom, when he finds out he then kills himself. sound familiar to anyone plz let me know i heard it a few times and never found out who it was by. shoot me an email at jimboisyourdaddy@yahoo.com
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March 19th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Why does the media always have to put people down for what they do? While behind closed doors they do the same shit. You never here them talking about Lasting Milledge being a good baseball prospect. . .instead you hear about a rap song that isnt even on the charts. I hope Lastings keeps on pissing everyone off.
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March 19th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
BHarrold, you are totally right. Behind closed doors, I also rap about having a different bitch for every night of the week. I am a total hypocrite. You called it. And I. Am. Guilty.
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