Iverson's rap just dribbles

by Paul Shugar
Staff Writer

"If you don't like my album, don't buy. The only way you can hurt an artist is not buy his album. That's the only way you can hurt him. Don't buy it," said Philadelphia 76er guard Allen Iverson to the media after the release of his album Misunderstood.

Obviously not too many people did understand Iverson, as was demonstrated by all the work that had to be done to even find a copy of his album. But luckily, the songs on the album flow a little better than that quote up there.

Not by much, though.

Iverson deserves credit for the fact the man actually can rap pretty well, at least on one song. His lyrics flow so well with the beats to "40 Bars" that one almost can picture himself at the Swindlecheese getting jiggy to the song.

The man raps in "40 Bars" like he dribbles a basketball: With perfect precision to the beat, never snubbing a syllable.

When you listen closely to the song, however, the hateful lyrics will make even the most avid listeners of hardcore gangster rap turn away in disgust.

Iverson has taken flack on the content of his lyrics and his hatred of gays. Talk of killing people on the album makes the listener think he is a bad Eminem-wannabe, since they both seem to take the same criticism.

The quality of his songs after "40 Bars" trails off to mediocrity very quickly, putting this album and Iverson on the one-hit wonder list at best.

Iverson said this album is for a small audience of people, though. He warns at the beginning of "40 Bars," "This ain't for kids with action figures, this is for the hardcore n*****," but raps over and over about hate. It gets old quickly, and it's suspected that even some hardcore rap fans would quickly scrap the CD into the trash.

You think he could put in one song about pimping on girls to make Nelly fans happy, but he just stays on that hate romp that makes one wish the album was shorter.

Iverson has said in recent interviews that rap was always his second plan to get out of the ghetto, and he raps with his old friends who used to try to get record deals when they were younger.

After you listen to all the songs, you realize pretty quickly why Iverson ended up a basketball player instead of the next Master P.

Iverson seems to be in a tired market with gay-bashing and people-killing that sadly appears cliché today in gangster rap. Instead he comes off only as another sad copycat.

He deserves credit for trying to keep it real, because it did give us one decent song, but if you can not get over hatred in music this album will definitely not be for you.

Thanks for one song, Allen, but be thankful for the success and the gifts you have been given. Leave rapping to the professionals and maybe Master P will stay out of basketball.