870) Rappers de Chicago homenageiam a The Economist

Teen rappers drop some verse about The Economist
The Economist, Tue, June 6/2008

Maybe we don't have to worry that Americans are too dumb to read the Economist after all.
A teenage rap duo in Chicago has recorded a track, aptly called "The Economist," that extols the British publication's breadth and brevity and samples podcast commentary by correspondents Edward Lucas and Anthony Gottlieb.
"The style in which they write is simple and concise, how do they get their sentences so precise?" the rappers wonder.
[UPDATE: Matt Yglesias quips, "The answer, of course, is 'heavy-handed editing' facilitated by lack of bylines."]
And the chorus is a gem, too: "He reads the Economist so he can get the gist, its solid competence gives him confidence that his intelligence is correct."
The rappers also weigh in on accusations that the Economist pushes a particular line: "Yes, they have a bias; it's pro-democratic. And pro-free trade; they are very emphatic."
Jay-Z it is not. But it is funny stuff.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/audio/2008/may/06/economist.rap

Of the Economist he is now an avid reader
Hopes to grow up to be a world leader
The magazine that tells the world how it should be
Cream of the crop since 1843

He reads the Economist so he can get the gist
Its solid competence gives him confidence that his intelligence is correct.

He reads Economist so he can understand
It does a brain scan tryin' to do Iran
So he knows what to expect.

The style in which they write is simple and concise
How do they get their sentences so precise?

It's reasonable like sensible shoes
Not in a bad way, take long-range views
In a land of wackos, they're detached and amused
Those who deserve it, verbally abused
Look, hey, whoa, they even quote The Onion
Smash status quo like old Paul Bunyan
Better than a crystal ball and psychic
When they predict, you go that's more like it

Yes, they have a bias; it's pro-democratic.
And pro-free trade; they are very emphatic.

I guess reading it makes me kind of boring
Well if that's the price I pay for being well informed - too fucking bad.