"Eewww, yuck. How can you listen to that stuff?" was the reaction of a female friend to my Tupac Shakur CDs back in the '90s. She echoed the view of many -- that the controversial rapper's lyrics represented violence and misogyny. Tupac was an artist full of contradictions. Like Bob Dylan and John Lennon before him (yes, John could be cruel), the rapper walked a thin line between love and hate. On one hand, he degraded and objectified women in his songs, calling them bitches, hoes and sluts. On the other hand he praised them - in songs like "Dear Mama and "Black Women" - and denounced rape and domestic violence. Yes, his lyrics could be ugly. I'm not condoning his behavior. But allow me to point out a few of the offensive songs written by some of our most beloved white artists.