IMO, Mr. Munro's blog post does not reflect a credible understanding of American hip hop.
First, "my Uzi" is clearly a reference to a track by Public Enemy, "Miuzi Weighs a Ton," from that group's debut release
Yo! Bum Rush the Show (1987). In that song, PE's front man, Chuck D, uses a metaphor to describe his skills as a lyricist and as a rapper.
By using that reference, Common is not only using the metaphor of gun play, he is also aligning himself with a trajectory of discourse within hip hop in which militant
rhetoric is but one thread in a broader tapestry of political, social, and cultural criticism that is decades' old and global in scope. Within this tapestry, the visceral appeal of violent action (almost) always give way to a rational call for increased political activity within the scope of established boundaries.** (MOO, the artist who currently best captures this sensibility is Mathangi Arulpragasam.)
Second, Mr. Munro's implicit attempt to place Common in the same ranks as those hip hop singers who tend towards nihilistic lyrics only works if one knows nothing about Common's long standing rivalry with bands such as Westside Connection.
It is equally unfortunate that Mr. Munro's attempt to differentiate between "high" and "low" culture and to argue that the White House should not provide a forum for the latter is absent of any mention of Eric Wright's visit to the White House during Bush the Elder's administration.
MOO, the real "story" here is that we have yet another example of the current administration's cronyism. Common is a successful rap singer who got invited because he's also from Chicago. As a lyricist, he's derivative. As a singer he's rather quite ordinary. And as an actor, don't get me started.
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* Source is
here.
** While some have traced this aspect of hip hop to the pioneering work of the South Bronx's Boogie Down Productions, I think credit (or blame, depending upon your POV) should go to the Last Poets--if not Amiri Baraka.