Mos Def on Bill Maher

"Fiddy" vs. Mr. West

“Hip-hop is the only sport of music. Rock artists aren’t thinking about each other to that extent. And these are like the championship moments.”- Kanye West

Selling 957,000 albums in the opening week alone has made Graduation, Kanye West’s junior album, the highest-selling album in 2007. While 50 Cent only sold 691,000 albums in his first week, I guess it is clear to say that Kanye is clearly the “champion.”

Having two idolized hip-hop artists battle head-to-head for the best opening week is the most effective marketing scheme yet. This generation has become so accustomed to burning and downloading music that albums have not been receiving their full recognition. Personally, I had no intentions of buying Kanye’s album, but when I found out that he would be competing with 50 Cent for the best-sold album on its opening week, I was compelled to buy it. Lyrically, I think Kanye is a better rapper and a producer. This marketing idea was most likely conjured up by the record companies soley for sales, and it worked. It even brought individuals such as myself (a broke college student), into stores to support the better artist.

50 Cent was quoted saying that, “If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I’ll no longer write music.” If only that were true, but 50 Cent is known for starting beef with other rappers for publicity. Some rappers sell because of lyrics and talent, others use publicity to boost their image because they lack in the lyrical department. 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Trying album will remain a cd that I continue to listen to, but since making that album his style has not changed. He is all about making “club bangers” in order to get money. He saw how much money he received from Get Rich or Die Trying, and stopped trying. He stuck with what he knew, which is why every album after that album sounds the same.

Kanye West was quoted saying, “My biggest inspiration and biggest competition is Justin Timberlake…50 Cent isn’t even on my level. So why should I worry about him?”

I feel that you cannot compare Kanye and 50 Cent, because Kanye makes ‘good’ music, but I cannot say the same for 50 Cent. Mr. West continues to appeal to his audience by exceeding their expectations on every album he drops. Graduation is his best album to date, he features artists such as Mos Def and Chris Martin (Coldplay) showing the variety he has to offer on this album. If you are able to listen to an album from beginning to end without skipping a track, then as an artist you have achieved your goal in being a great MC. The only argument 50 Cent fans make against Kanye is that he is “so cocky.” However he has every right to be! Everyone is already thinking it, so why can’t he say it? To me the scrutiny he receives makes his music that much interesting because in reality he is amazing and that is why I will continue to support him and his music.

In conclusion, I think this was well put together marketing plan, a set up. I feel as though 50 cent and Kanye West, have nothing against each other in reality. These rappers both make it appear as though only one artist could be left standing. The tactics were well thought out and I admire them both for being shrewd businessmen.

It's what's around us

“What influenced my raps? Stick ups and killings
Kidnappings, project buildings, drug dealings
Criticize that, why is that?
Cuz Nas rap is compared to legitimized crap
Cuz we love to talk on ass we gettin'
Most intellectuals will only half listen”

These are the words of a man who is being criticized for his lyrics

And the critics don’t wanna hear it

They cherry pick his lyrics

And claim he’s sadistic

This past Thursday Virginia Tech had a Free Concert to honor those who died from the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech. One of the entertainers who had been chosen to be in the line up was Nas, a conscientious MC who raps on reality and can relate to the unpleasant incident this school went through. Recently he has been getting a lot of criticism for rapping about guns and killing and still being aloud to perform at a school where 32 students where shot dead. A huge critic who voiced his opinion was Bill O’Reilly calling Nas a “gangster rapper” who’s’ lyrics are “as violent as they come,” then points the finger at the President of Virginia Tech and calling him a “villain” for letting him perform. On the O’Reilly show Bill only picked songs that of course were the worst of the worst and out dated by about 10 years. He failed to mention his up lifting songs such as “I can,” “Heaven” or other inspirational songs that are far from the image he painted. If he is going to tell a story he needs to speak the whole story. Nas should not be criticized for being raised in a community that endured such violent acts, shuch as the one VT went through. He can relay the message better than anyone else, he comes from that side of the tracks.

It is stories such as these that make me shake my head on how judgmental and critical this society is. It hurts to see conscientious rappers such as Nas generalized with the rest of the rappers who are out there rapping about killing, but the difference with Nas is he wants to help pull away from that image and the other rappers accept it. There is a “social stigma attached to the hip-hop culture” and it seems as though any one who raps is considered to be apart of it. Society blames the culture of hip-hop for a lot of things that blacks do wrong, but they fail to realize that it was society who put them there; it was society that accepted guns, and let drugs roam free in areas they call the projects where predominately black minorities live.

Rappers/MCs rap about the reality they come from they do not dramatize, they paint “the real” for virgin eyes that are not exposed to this part of the world; they represent the struggle. As a fan of music I respect all elements of the lyrics and try to understand them instead of criticize them. Like they say the truth hurts, and some times “it aint for everybody.”

“Hip-hop has become the most visible voice for black culture, and it’s definitely changing the broader social culture,” says a sociology professor from UT. I find this quote to be true, society is scared that “hip-hop” has affected its societal image. They are scared, because they cannot control it. So in order to have people see what they want they “just blame hip-hop and act like that’s the big problem” (Chamillionaire).