As you may know, I am at once both fond and jealous of rappers because of how collectively they apparently have a monopoly on all the cool nicknames. I mean, just look at the former members of N.W.A. Where else except for the world of gangsta rap can you get five guys whose handles are so mind-blowingly hip as Eazy E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, DJ Yella and MC Ren? Jay-Z sure sounds better than the guy’s real name, Shawn Carter. And my all-time fave is none other than the Notorious B.I.G.
Having said that, rappers henceforth are going to have to take a backseat in my Nickname Hall of Fame to the infamous Idi Amin, deceased despot and former ruler of Uganda. Forest Whittaker won the Oscar for Best Actor last night for his portrayal of Amin in “The Last King of Scotland.” I recognized the name Idi Amin, but my mind was foggy on the details. So I looked up Idi on Wikipedia, and among other things I learned that he gave himself tripped-out titles such as the King of Scotland (hence the movie’s name). The best, though, was his decision to self-anoint himself “His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea, and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular.” Yowsers!
Having said that, rappers henceforth are going to have to take a backseat in my Nickname Hall of Fame to the infamous Idi Amin, deceased despot and former ruler of Uganda. Forest Whittaker won the Oscar for Best Actor last night for his portrayal of Amin in “The Last King of Scotland.” I recognized the name Idi Amin, but my mind was foggy on the details. So I looked up Idi on Wikipedia, and among other things I learned that he gave himself tripped-out titles such as the King of Scotland (hence the movie’s name). The best, though, was his decision to self-anoint himself “His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea, and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular.” Yowsers!
No comments:
Post a Comment