BLUNTED REALITY
So DMX is now getting a reality show that will document his attempt to resolve his recent legal troubles that have been well documented in the media. Lil Kim had a reality show that documented time spent before going to serve a jail sentence. If I am correct, Foxy Brown was to have gotten a reality show as well, after she was convicted of a crime. T.I. has a reality show after being sentenced to jail time. Do we see a pattern here?
I am all for people making their money and earning a living and feeding their families, but why are people convicted of crimes being rewarded for doing so? Why is it that there are people who are either just as talented or even more talented that aren’t getting the necessary shine to earn a good living as well? It seems as if the trend nowadays is to commit a crime and benefit from it.
It used to be that for a rapper, he had to have some dark and grimy past in order to be a legitimized artist in the views of the Hip Hop sector. If you didn’t have a grimy past, you should be able to be as dark and dirty as your fellow artists that do have a shady background. Why is it that an artist like Rick Ross has to fabricate his past life in order to be accepted? Why did he feel like if people knew he was working for the law and not against it, that it would hurt his credibility?
In the microwave/ring tone era of Hip Hop, I do understand that to make money, you have to have your hands in multiple pots. But to engage in criminal activities to earn a living legally doesn’t make sense in any way! So now you have children who are fans of Hip Hop who feel like there has to be something criminal about you in order to be successful. When you look at the artists that are successful financially, it seems as if all of them have had handcuffs on them in some way. Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Puff, T.I., Lil Kim, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, I mean, the list goes on and yet, you wonder why the youth have no care for another human life or have no problem wanting to ‘get paid’ off the backs of other people.
And why is it that this is the only way rappers can get their own reality show? I don’t recall hearing about any rock artists getting their own reality show after they have been convicted of a crime. So, do I have to go out and stab someone multiple times to be considered for a reality show?
What do you think?
BIG CED is the founder/owner and visionary for The Industry Cosign and has been involved in the entertainment field for over two decades. His rants on music and the industry-at-large are exclusive to Urban Thought Collective.
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