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Hip-Hop's Tough-Guy Romance

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Significantly, when I asked him to name a classic hip-hop song about romance, he mentioned a song that's almost 20 years old -- the same song that I happened to be thinking of myself: "I Need Love" by LL Cool J.

"He was able to put himself in a sympathetic position, now rappers can't do that," Warren said. "If you want to express your love for a woman it has to be in some street-tough way. That's kind of silly. Everybody feels weak from love sometimes and the best artists don't hide their weakness."

Cool J's lyrics remind me that hip-hop artists can indeed express the tenderest of emotions when they choose to:

Romance sheer delight how sweet

I gotta find me a girl to make my life complete

You can scratch my back, we'll get cozy and huddle

I'll lay down my jacket so you can walk over a puddle

I'll give you a rose, pull out your chair before we eat

Kiss you on the cheek and say ooh girl you're so sweet

So it's not Shakespeare or Stevie Wonder. But at least it doesn't make our ears itch. It even makes me feel -- you'd guessed it -- kind of comfortable.

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