Watching Cribs, for me at least, is like eating fast food. Good at the time but altogether somewhat regrettable. Seeing 50 Cent take us on a tour of his 19 bedroom Connecticut mansion with the help of his G-Unit buddies may be visually stimulating but I also find it somewhat sickening. A Gucci pool table? A strip club?? In your house??? It's things like that which aggravate me. I don't think anyone deserves that much materialistic shit. The level of indulgence and ostentation fills me with a deep sense of injustice (and I'm not going to deny it, but perhaps a little envy to - I've learned to accept my humanity - but I still don't want a Gucci pool table!).
All this bling culture is eroding our society from the inside out. Mainstream (and probably only mainstream) Rap/R'n'B/Hip-Hop and to some extent Pop all serve as a conduit to brainwash our youth into the mindset that success lies in excess. It is also always the poor who are most susceptible to this way of thinking. You combine this bling culture and a pro-violent ghetto one and I think we have a lot to answer for as a society. I don't want to get started on the violent stuff too much, that's just going to lead into a debate about computer games like GTA IV and Manhunt and that's worthy of a whole other post.
I'm talking about two different things here, the first is actual wealth and the second is the perception of wealth. There are the wealthy that do good - look at Bill Gates' humanitarian efforts and others like Angelina Jolie (who although they may rub their efforts in our faces a little for publicity) potentially give more than they take.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a long way from donning a shirt made from burlap and attending pro-communist rallies but think, if we could find a system whereby the distribution of wealth benefited those who helped other people then the world would surely be a better place. If every one of us operated in a world like that I think we would all be the richer for it. I'm going to call it Altruistic Capitalism, a capitalist mentality directed towards the helping of those less fortunate.
And who says all MBAs are cutthroat money hungry bastards?!
Monday, 26 May 2008
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11 comments:
IF YOU DON'T KNOW ME BY NOW..
YOU WILL NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER KNOW ME.......
Let Hucknall sooth you.
Dunno mate, if the guy's made the money to be able to blow it on a Gucci pool table then I say more power to him
The bling bling lifestyle is basically just one of financial abundance and people only begin to care about the needs of others once their own needs have been met
Another way of looking at it is a motivation to other people who came from the same place; "you can have all this too"
I've listened to a LOT of gangsta rap and the one thing a lot of rappers have in common is that they give that same positive message of you can do anything you put your mind to;
"
Nigga the mission's to get what you don't got
The struggle it don't stop, until we drop
The best thing in life in life is life
Get your mind right, and get your grind right
Look into my eyes if you wanna know me
Before you hypnotized, homey what do you see?
A figure that's just a little bigger than dealers
A hustler countin figures ain't pulled no triggers
" - Till We Rich - Ice Cube
Ice Cube, one of the founding fathers of gangsta rap said that
Mr Fuck the Police himself
Also at least rap's got some teeth, you'll never hear a real G whining about his broken heart cos some girl left him
"
Getting blowed
on the draw
taking smoke up my nose
I'll give the world to a woman
But I don't love hos
" The Player Way - MJG, 8-Ball et al
Anyhoo that's my two cents
I see what you're saying, but how can you take the lyrics seriously when the actions we see on a daily basis display nothing more than preservation of self?
I suppose the whole thing about a Gucci pool table isn't isolated amongst gangsta rappers but it does display a growing trend towards importance on materialism, it is that which I don't agree with. Or maybe I just have something about 50 Cent's style choices, did you see the pool table I'm talking about? It was HIDEOUS! :P
Most of the world places a lot of importance on materialism, I wouldn't say this is isolated to hip-hop, some rappers are more vocal about it
Didn't see that particular episode of cribs but have seen enough to know what they're like
Gangsta rap is a pretty funny thing anyway, it's like wrestling, everyone knows it fake but we go along with the persona put across because it's an entertaining fantasy
I've never rated 50 cent as a particularly good rapper anyway
His tunes are good, his lyrics are usually pretty bland/weak and his flow is nothing special either
If you want some better and more meaningful rap, check these out
Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight - Like a cigarette and Hands Held High
Fort Minor - Rising Tied
Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
There's a bit more depth there
P.S. Rappers aren't usually known for having particularly good taste, probably comes from being high/drunk a lot of the time
Exactly, materialism most definately isn't isolated to hip-hop or rap but I think understatement is something that escapes most of these artists. It conveys the idea that money is the answer to everything. It just seems so fickle to me...
Mmm.... well in a way it does represent freedom so perhaps it's not such a bad thing to aim for
Artists are just as much a victim of consumer culture and branding as the rest of us, so the fact that they use that freedom to purchase what they've been socially conditioned to want isn't surprising
Bear in mind that rap is the only type of music (that I know of anyway) where artists openly say their goal is to sell out, so it's always been more or less acceptable
Speaking of 50 Cent's home ...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ny-bzcent-gall,0,1704095.photogallery
Whoops!
Holy shit dude! You didn't have to burn his house down!
Where are all the strippers gonna go now?!
Was just reading this and a monologue by Chris Rock... interesting part starts at 00:55
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=CDkCE7WqxOE
Haha, yeah seen that, very true...
Shame about 50 pence's house, i wonder whats left? His diamond encrusted toilet paper? Polar bear dressing gown? WHo knows.
Altrusitc Capitalism - im going to see if that is original or not, and if it is then fair play to you Chris because you're writing a great blog. V interesting. I like the comparison between MTV Cribs and junk/processed food - its got no nutritional info cos you'll never be able to copy their style, its full of glitz and sheen for that carb high and crash, and when you've finished you know that you have not benefited yourself in any way.
IMHO 50 can enjoy it though - someone will probably shoot him before too long, to get that 65 Impala of his.
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