Read a book, read a book, read a m######f####g book

(tags video, rap, music, education)

Whenever I listen to American rap (which very rare), I lose control of my mouth and I start to say "n###g#r" and other very vulgar phrases because it just sounds so cool. So it was with trepidation that I watched this video: Read A Book by BET (Black Entertainment Television channel). It is too funny, because I can't tell if it's trying to be educational, entertainment, edutainment or parody. The message in simple terms:

• Read a book, not a sports page or a magazine
• Buy land, not fancy toys.
• Drink water when thirsty.
• Raise your kids.
• Brush your teeth.
• Wear deoderant.

But the presentation is typical foul-mouthed rap. And the animation is truly funny, with gyrating hips, guns with books for bullets, spinning (car) rims.

So if we're supposed to read books, what should we read? There was another video that used the same song that showed all kinds of books called "Read A Book - Get Crunk about Reading". The list of the books:

• Up From Slavery: An Autobiography by Booker T. Washington
• Breaking The Chains of Psychological Slavery by Na'im AkBar Ph.D
• The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter Godwin Woodson
• The Spook Who Sat by The Door by Sam Greenlee
• The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales told by Virginia Hamilton
• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• A Day Late and a Dollar Short by Terry McMillan
• The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• Breaking The Curse of Willie Lynch: The Science of Slave Psychology by Alvin Morrow
• Countering the Conspiracy To Destroy Black Boys Vol III by Jawanza Kunjufu
• World's Great Men of Color Volume II by J.A. Rogers
• The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley
• Sun Zi's The Art of War translated by Dr. Han Hiong Tan
• Nervous by Zane
• Addicted by Zane
• Afterburn by Zane
• Know Thy Self by Na'im Akbar
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• The African Origin of Christianity
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• The African Origin of Civilization by Cheikh Anta Diop
• Back To Our Roots: Food For The Gods by Chef Dawui R. Ujamaa C.W.C.
• The African Origins: African Origins of African Civilization, Religion, Yoga Mysticism and Ethics Philosophy by Dr. Muata Ashby

I don't understand why The DaVinci Code is in there, but maybe its the stick it to the man theme.