50 cent... oh dear!

[dolgoruky]

Don't really watch a lot of television, and I have to admit I'm hopelessly out of date on "modern" music. But I have just seen a bloke who goes by the name of "50 cent" on a satellite channel (I'm in Moscow)... Oh dear, is this guy in the pay of the KKK or what? He was truly obnoxious. Couldn't find any redeeming quality in either his persona or music at all. It was actually quite disturbing. Couldn't understand what he was saying most of the time, but he seemed unbelievably materialistic, and was followed around by a group of "heavy" types who seemed intent on violence.

Perhaps I'm missing something, but I fervently pray that this bloke's lifestyle is not what black kids aspire to.

Or am I being paranoid?

[bridgit]

1. no you're not, i understand what you're saying...

:hi:

[djeseru]

2. I say the some of the same things about 50 Cent...

...so, nothing paranoid at all to me. :hi:

[dolgoruky]

4. Is this guy representative of black music in USA?

Or is he just funded by the right wing to generate race hate?

[djeseru]

5. I try to stay out of it.

(See post #3...)

I don't care for his "style" of rap/hip-hop, so I've never seen him honestly. I just remember reading one time that he supported this current right-wing president.

[ghostsofgiants]

8. Some peole will tell you he is representative of rap music...

But they're full of shit. There's a lot of good hip-hop out there, but you probably won't find it on MTV or the radio.

[ariesgem]

11. I don't know how to ask this without sounding snarky but

what do you mean by "black music"? There are musicians that play & sing rock, jazz, soul, r & b, classical etc.. that happen to be black. Have you not seen or heard any of these musicians? Why do you equate 50 cent as being the representative of "black music"?

[Ron Green]

12. I think I know what he's saying...

"Black music," as delivered through the corporate media, is also known as "urban" music and encompasses hip-hop, "gangsta" forms and heavily-synthesized pop ballads. The other styles that you mentioned (rock, jazz & classical especially), aren't marketed in the same way to the same consumers of "urban" music.

Someone who went into a time capsule during the glory days of swing or even jump blues would awaken today to a confusing and dismaying world of racial stereotyping and divisiveness created by the big record labels. The beauty of racial musical borrowing that created jazz and the best of American pop music has been eliminated by careful marketing.

[ariesgem]

13. I appreciate and agree with what your saying but

maybe the poster should have said "is he representative of "Hip Hop" or "Urban music". Eminem also falls in that category.

As a black woman, it's unnerving to hear black culture and contributions to american music being minimized down to the music and lifestyle of 50 cent.

[ContraBass Black]

21. He makes rap for idiots.

Because stupidity sells like hotcakes.


I think you can afford to write off most people that take him seriously.

[GOPisEvil]

3. I'm not his biggest fan myself.

So, my mom said that if I can't say anything nice, not to say anything at all. :)

[ghostsofgiants]

6. Ugh, I hate that guy

Misogynistic, homophobic, glorifier of gang life. Not to mention a really fucking awful rapper.

[dolgoruky]

7. Do I take it you don't like him?

.

[ghostsofgiants]

9. Whatever gave you that idea?

:P

[dolgoruky]

10. Don't know...

Just a hunch.

[name not needed]

15. You'd think 9 bullets would be able to do the job right.

[MrSlayer]

14. Besides the horrible music he's also a Bush fan.

And I don't mean the lame ass pop band.

[jobycom]

18. Well that sucks. I take back the nice things I said about him! nt.

[DS1]

16. Defective Bulletproof vest pox on Fiddy

[jobycom]

17. He's alright, though he's a bit self-destructive lately

Typical raunchy entertainer. He tries to shock people with his dress, lyrics, attitude, etc. He was better at first, but he got too happy with himself, and his music became more self-absorbed. He also started going to Tupac route, bullying his rivals too much. He was involved in a shooting at a studio, and a few fights, and wound up with some idiotic dispute with his touring partners. Haven't heard anything about him lately, so maybe he's calming down some.

The "materialism" is a factor of his style of hip-hop. Some rappers have a societal or political message, some just have a party message, some are all about sex, some glorify wealth, taunting about how much jewelry they have, or the car they drive. It's all done with an "in your face" style. Sort of a "Celebrate life" mentality.

I don't know that it's particularly "black" music. White kids listen to it, too, and there are some white performers. I imagine some people of every ethnic group idolize his style, but most just pick and choose who they like and what they like and leave the rest alone. No different than any other era of pop music. No one wanted their kids to dress like Elvis, Robert Plant or A Flock of Seagulls, and that same age interaction goes on now.

I really don't understand the KKK comment.

[bigwillq]

19. He's so cute though

Great body! :evilgrin: Too bad he's a loser. :(

[CanuckAmok]

22. "Great body", just like most female pop stars.

He seems so manufactured. Not just physically, but every aspect of his "Male Model Gone Bad" persona.

I forger who said this, but they basically imitated a white record executive:

"We need a powerful negro male singer the kids will buy into. Go down to the Mail Room and pick the guy with the biggest biceps."

[SouthoftheBorderPaul]

20. I still like "In Da Club"

but I understand why people would think he's an idiot. He is.

[datasuspect]

27. he's an idiot with a house in the hamptons

who used to sell crack.

gotta get over before you go under i guess.

[k_jerome]

23. any rapper that makes white people complain

is ok in my book.

like boogie down productions and NWA before him.

[ET Awful]

25. You can't seriously be comparing a talentless hack shithead like

50 Cent to someone like KRS-One can you?

KRS-One is an educated, intelligent and talented humanb being. 50-Cent is a no-talent prick whose every song sounds like every other song and none of which have any kind of worthwhile message. At least BDP had something of value to say.

[k_jerome]

30. well that depends.

are you refering to the "put my 9 mm up against his face" and "scott la rock had em all, he is the super ho" BDP, or the post, my best friend got shot, i have suddenly seen the light BDP? criminal minded was a major gangster rap influence. maybe 50 was inspired by some of its masterpieces.

rap and rappers evolve. like i said, he makes white people complain, like many rappers before him. not a bad thing to me. we all have our opinions.

[DS1]

31. dumbest thing I've heard all week

:hi:

[k_jerome]

32. stick around. more to come. nt.

[ulysses]

34. I'd look at which white folks are complaining.

Someone who got his knickers in a knot over "Fuck tha police" and the militant, political material before could just as easily be shaking his thang to "In da club".

50 Cent != NWA.

[leftofthedial]

24. I work with many underprivileged and at-risk kids of color

and sadly, this is exactly what many of them aspire to

[ulysses]

33. yup.

Being among the melanin-challenged, I generally don't weigh in on issues of rap, but I can and do make a distinction between, say, NWA and "Fitty".

So does Cornel West. DUers who haven't need to read Democracy Matters.

[jmm]

26. It took me a while to figure out why his last album

was called The Massacre. Then I realized he is massacring any talent he once had and respect I use to have for him. Also when he gets up on stage drunk singing, "Go shorty it's your Bat Mitzvah," he's massacred the "street cred" he so desperately cares about.



There use to be a day when he actually had talent but once he got famous he became a publicity whore who only cares about gimmicks and his image but not about actually making music.

[jobycom]

29. It was actually supposed to be the "Valentine's Day Massacre"

and was supposed to be released on Valentine's Day. THe title was meant to evoke a connection between modern drug gangs and the old, romanticized alcohol gangs during prohibition.

I agree with your assessment of him, though. He has talent, but he's lazy and takes the easy road, aiming his lyrics at the hormones and materialist fantasies of musically unsophisticated young males, and his work has gone way down from his debut. Maybe he'll get serious one day, if he lives long enough.

[REDKING]

28. 50 Cent.

He's an arse....enough said.