sgt. sass: i'll take your man.

"SGT. SASS is back and we came to out-rap you. Fags talk trash, back up cause we'll slap you"

If you're a fan of Salt N Pepa's Hot, Cool, & Vicious album, these lines may sound familiar to you. However, if you're assuming that the use of the word "fag" here involves a homophobic slant to the 1986 jam, you got things all wrong. The end of the chorus remains the same-- the claim that "If you mess with me I'll take your man." The boys of Sgt. Sass like men. And if you mess with them, they will take yours.

Got a problem with them using that oh-so-debated "f-word"? Well, they think you got it wrong. "A lot of people have an issue with us using the word 'faggot,'" says Sgt. Sass member DT when interviewed by Philadelphia Weekly. "But I hear that word every day and I probably will for the rest of my life. So you have to own it." The article goes on to explain that they're reclaiming "faggot" in the same fashion that female rappers such as Lil Kim and Missy Elliott reclaimed the word "bitch". Even if you don't agree with their usage of "faggot", you've got to admit--- that shit takes balls.*

This usage is most apparent on "Faggot Snappin'", a snap music track that begins with the statement "If hip-hop is dead, then we givin' it life, two down ass faggots done picked up the mic." This song will be accompanied by a dance, a common criteria for recent songs by southern rappers. The lyrics reiterate the point mentioned above, "Some don't like the term I use to label this brand new dance, I hear the word every day they call me it at every chance." I'm still not sure what this dance involves. First you limp your wrist with attitude and snap it back. Flip your hair and roll your back? The 75% of whiteness within me is confused by this. Can't I just throw in a soda on the side? I'm really good at that.

Get your ears ready. These boys will soon be releasing an EP with the help of their producer Johnny Woods, and these "two down ass faggots" are ready to bring some new life into the hip-hop world. Do yourself a favor hip-hop fans. Have a listen to some male rappers who don't submit to the machismo-homophobe bullshit and actually admit that they like men. Yeah, I said it.**

dl: SGT. SASS - I'll Take Your Man (YSI)
(Philly homo-hop)
- space it -

* Okay, so Missy Elliott and Lil Kim don't have balls and they reclaimed "bitch". I suppose I could have just said "that shit takes guts" but I really just like saying "balls". I remember one time in high school, I was talking to a male friend about his crush and said "You totally want her BALLS." She was standing directly behind me, and did not take kindly to the fact that I implied she has testicles.