Meth: 1, Al: 0

"Nas knows what he's doing. He's a smart brother. He keeps his name in the game," Tical offered. "Last year, when he put out Hip Hop Is Dead, I was being interviewed, everybody was asking me what I thought about his album. ... I think it's too much emphasis on just the word. I know a word worse than 'nigger': Darfur. Real talk. I'd like to see Reverend Al take a walk out there. Let's stop focusing on the wrong sh--."

That may be one of the best quotes all year. I don't agree totally, given the full history of the word, but I think Tical makes a good point that Al Sharpton is really just looking for attention from the media and not worrying about problems that are affecting people in very tangible ways. Also, Rev. Sharpton saying that Nas is helping out the racists is something I don't understand. At all. And for the record, other groups of people (namely, some in the gay community) do reinterpret slurs and use them as tools of empowerment. Does anyone say they're helping out homophobic people? Sure, but it doesn't stop them. I also love this quote:

People [who use the term in their music] wouldn't put out a record against whites or cops or Jews because they ain't got the guts to do that. They only got the guts to beat up on their own.

Hey Al, ever heard of "Cop Killer," "The Rape Over" or every rap song that speaks out against white people? Shut up, you sound like an uninformed moron who wants to hear their own voice. And why was he at the premiere of American Gangster, does that not also go against his morals? It's about a black drug kingpin. His opinion has rarely mattered to me, but his hypocrisy is too much. Between this and "Read a Book," Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson/Stanley Crouch's generation refuses to understand. Engage and be critical of the music, don't just degrade it. No one will listen, and rightfully so.