My 50 cents worth.

Two of my cousins have been staying with us for a while on the way to Wellington. One of them can’t stop talking about 50 Cent. I’m not really a fan and it’s starting to get annoying.
He asked if I wanted to go to watch the movie and I politely turned him down.
I don’t mind rap music some rappers are incredibly talented. What I don’t like is the “gangsta” culture the goes with it – the soft porn music videos, the lyrics about getting love drunk on lady humps (Black Eyed Peas) or the album art of musicians going on killing sprees (Eminem).

It’s not just the music look at the game Grand Theft Auto not only are you encouraged to steal cars but also to shoot prostitutes. They get away with it because they suggest you don’t have to shoot the prostitutes and steal the cars to win the game. But they do give you points for doing it thus they encourage it.

The thing is that they (rappers) are using their talents to sell the “gangsta” culture not sell their music.
What I mean by this is that 50 cent has not only put out music CD’s but also a computer game, a movie and a clothing label. I’m waiting for the lunch boxes and school bags. When you look at it there aren’t many differences between 50’s merchandising campaign and Sponge Bob’s.

But isn’t the rock music I listen to also selling the “rock ‘n’ roll” culture? Yes of course it is. But I’m not buying the culture I’m buying the music.

But then isn’t my cousin buying the music as well? Not the way I see it.

When you start idolising the musician and looking up to them as somebody to aspire to this is different from appreciating their music.

I don’t attempt to emulate the musicians I listen to – except the occasional air guitar session. I would like to sing like Thome Yorke or play the guitar like Jimi Hendrix but I don’t want to be like Thome or Jimi.
I’m quite happy being myself, I don’t want to be drug addict like Jimi or clinically depressed like Thome.

My cousin on the other hand doesn’t want to just be a rapper like 50 but wants to be a “gangsta” like 50 who was a former drug-dealer and convicted felon. That is not something I think people should aspire to at all.