Profound Hip Hop Quote #16: Homage to Philly Edition

23 Apr

“Oh Ohhhhhh
You got it!
The glamorous life!”

—Cool C, “The Glamorous Life”

Cool C Glamourous LifeClick here to watch the original video!!

The homage to Philly rappers continues.  There truly are so many talented Philly rappers, past and present, who have made an impact on this culture and on me.  Last week, I discussed Three Times Dope, so of course I must acknowledge EST’s rival at the time, who came out with a song “dissing” EST’s philosophy on “Funky Dividends,”  Cool C (Christopher Roney) with his song “Glamorous Life.”

“Glamorous Life” is definitely a classic party song with a chorus that beckoned all listeners to sing along.  The “oh ohhhhh” is even still utilized by some party goers today, some twenty years later.  Are these specific lyrics actually profound?  Not quite.  But they speak to a deeper societal issue that apparently plagued Cool C later on in his faltering rap career.   Also, so many of us are willing to compromise our ethics and will stop at nothing to attain this appealing “glamorous lifestyle.”

In 1996, Cool C was involved in a botched bank robbery in Philadelphia where he brutally shot a female police officer, Lauretha Vaird, resulting in her death.  Cool C proclaims to be innocent  though the evidence against him proves otherwise.  He was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection in 2006 but was granted a stay of execution.  “How glamorous is it to take another person’s life for riches?”

What is the “glamorous life” anyway?  Is it wearing only designer clothing, living in a luxurious home, driving a fancy car  and attaining all of the materialistic items you desire?  Of course, I admire those people who have worked hard, paid their dues, and are now reaping the benefits of a fabulous lifestyle where they want for nothing, but what about those who are willing to rob and kill to attain them?

Perhaps you haven’t robbed or killed anybody , but you have been perpetuating the image of this so-called “glamorous life.” Has it caught up with you as a result of the recession?  Naturally, people want to feel good about themselves or simply want to attain the “dream” of having it all: who doesn’t?  But how glamorous is it to have designer clothes but still live with your parents at 40?   How glamorous is it to receive an eviction or foreclosure notice on a place that is well beyond your means or to to have this wonderful place but only have enough money to pay the mortgage and can’t keep the lights or heat on regularly?  How glamorous is it to see your fancy car being towed away by a repo truck or to not be able to drive it because you can only afford the car payments, not the insurance or gas to fill the tank?

The term glamorous is relative to whom you ask.  Nevertheless, something to consider is once “you got it,” whatever that “it” might be, will you truly be happy?

Please feel free to share your thoughts

~Anonomz aka Tanya Harris

Bonus English Lesson:
Cool C employs an excellent technique to engage listeners and party goers in the chorus of the song “Glamorous Life.”  Chants are common in many African cultures and are usually quite rhythmic.  “Oh ohhh….You got it!  The glamorous life!” is by far one of the most memorable examples of a chant from the late 80s early 90s Philly rap vault.

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