Urban Thought Collective

As members of Congress were battling over how to keep U.S. financial institutions from “cratering” (to borrow the term John McCain used when he called David Letterman to bail out of that interview at the last minute), the auction house Phillips de Pury & Company was gearing up for a sale of jewelry formerly owned by hip hop stars.

Items up for bid include one of Diddy’s diamond and platinum bracelets, Kanye West’s diamond-studded Jesus pendant, a diamond link bracelet once worn by 50 Cent (the Washington Post says it’s so huge that wearing it would be akin to “hoisting a five-pound barbell all day”) and Lil John’s huge “Crunk Is Not Dead” pendant which has 3,700 diamonds and actually weighs 12 pounds.

Reading about this sale, I had to shake my head. Along with unimaginative lyrics and repetitive themes (money, strip clubs, substance abuse, violence, pornographic sex, etc.), the obsession with over-the-top bling is one of the reasons that a lot of mainstream hip hop seems silly, immature, undisciplined and embarrassing. It’s hard to take a man seriously when he’s draped in gaudy, Mr. T-style jewelry – especially if it’s augmented by a grill and a sneer.

But there’s a bigger issue here than the clownish image projected by certain rappers. The fascination with bling reflects the short-sighted attitude that some of our people have about money and material things. African-Americans are some of the nation’s most active consumers, but many of us are not great when it comes to using our money wisely. Too many of us would rather spend our piece of cash on things – be it jewelry, sneakers, clothes, cars, electronics, rims, etc. – than on saving for a house, college, job training or even a family vacation that could bring parents and kids closer together. This kind of spending may bring immediate gratification and even status among our peers but it also keeps us locked in a cycle of debt – especially since the gratification and status inevitably wear off, forcing you to go out and buy more stuff.

The late, legendary Barry White told me something simple but deep when I interviewed him over 15 years ago: “There’s nothing wrong with having nice things. Especially if you earn them.” It’s cool to splurge from time to time. But buying stuff above your means and not taking care of what’s really important is a recipe for misery.

Thanks for listening. I’m Cameron Turner and that’s my two cents.

THINK! IT AIN’T ILLEGAL…YET!

Cameron Turner is a Los Angeles-area native whose editorials, entertainment news features and audio documentaries have appeared on national radio networks, online and in print for over 20 years.