50 Cent on Tavis: “I Just Wanted A Better Life”
Rapper 50 Cent went on Tavis Smiley’s show the other day and I must say that it was quite an interesting discussion. It may sound strange, but I’m gaining a whole new respect for rappers in general.
I don’t agree with many of the things that these super rap stars are projecting through their music when it comes to their influence on the Generation Y kids of today, but I do believe that rappers are positive influences to a certain degree.
There’s got to be some kids out there who are so influenced by the ambitions that these rappers had to become “rappers” so much so that they’re applying themselves to achieve whatever they want in life…and I don’t mean them setting out to be just rappers or basketball players.
First off, a lot of the rappers that you see in music videos are not actually really that “hard” at all. Yes, many come from the streets and yes, many probably have experienced the hardcore life of hustlin’ drugs, but believe it or not, a lot of these guys just wanted to be successful in life and the rap game was their only way out–at least from their perception.
Nowadays, successful rap artists are keen and shrewd businessmen with an understanding of sales and marketing. It’s probably not a new characteristic for most.
Clearly 50 cent is a person who reads and understands the business he’s in. I think the true question is, do the people who buy these rap artists’ albums really take them all that seriously? Sure, some do, and some fans will go to that fatal extreme of proving themselves as “hard,” and perhaps rap music could have some influence but the truth is, there just aren’t a whole lot of black Eric Harrises and Dylan Klebolds out there. In actuality, music doesn’t MAKE anyone do anything no matter what the influence.
If you saw 50 Cent on the cover of an album holding a gun, would that make you want to go and kill someone? After a James Bond flick, does that make you want to go out and shoot someone? Probably not.
As of late, the rap game can be perceived like the WWF. Great athletes but the fighting isn’t totally 100% real. Learning from the experiences of Tupac and Biggie, rappers are starting to know where to “draw the line” when it comes to goin’ at each other through their words in a song. On the other side of the spectrum, rap battles makes great marketing “attention-getters” for boosting each artists’ record sales.
In regards to 50 Cent, he was simply a product of his environment who wanted out. For him it was rap. But in many ways, his “out” is also found in his other business ventures that do not necessarily have anything to do with rap music. And that’s just smart business.
