King of Pop, now and forever?

Michael Jackson was many things to many people. A great musician, a troubled man, a businessman with the ability to make hoards of money, and a man who could spend money as fast as he made it. All are true, to varying degrees, but one thing may stand out above them all. He is still the King of Pop.

After all only a king could pull off what the Jackson estate is doing. Sony has now inked a deal of no less than $200 million, potentially $250 million, over 7 years with the Jackson estate. While that would not make the top 10 list of LIVING entertainers (actors in particular) it does make the top 20 I believe.

In fact this deal raises Michael Jackson from the top 3 position on the Forbes highest paid dead celebrity list, to almost assuredly 1st. With $90 million already made, plus the proceeds from This Is It, and now the Sony deal I would imagine he tops $350 million. Probably by quite a bit.

Elvis by comparison only had $55 million. Tupac, Biggie, and other notable dead singers that continued to have records published after their deaths don't even make the list.

Hell, this deal for the Jackson estate is so big even living celebrities are taking a back seat. Jay-Z only got $120 million. Maddona had $120 million. This doesn't even touch on the music library rights that the Jackson estate owns, worth roughly $2 billion (which includes rights to songs of Elvis and the Beatles among others).

When you add it all up, it really does become clear that Michael Jackson is (even after death), and for a long time to come will be, the King of Pop.

Responding to Jonathan Landrum Jr of the Associate Press

It's just funny to read what some writers think about rap music. In particular was the article from Jonathan Landrum Jr of the AP. He noticed that rappers seem to go to jail alot. No kidding.

"It's a ritual that seems to play out at least once a year in the rap community: A top star faces a criminal charge, and more often than not, is locked up at the height of their wealth and fame."

Once a year? Let's be honest, I can't recall a year where several rappers weren't arrested, on trial, AND in jail since 1994. I might have missed a year, but the fact is that modern rappers are addicted to jail like a crack addict to the pipe. In this same article Landrum notes T.I., Gucci Mane, Soulja Boy, and Shawty Redd all had their time before the law in 2009 alone.

Landrum asks the question

"After all these years, why are hip-hop's top stars still finding themselves on the path to prison?"

It's not a new question. The situation is not new. Many have tried to address this for well over a decade, and not a stitch of headway has been made.

"Hopefully this isn't a cycle that next year from now we're seeing our top rappers in jail," Elliott Wilson, founder of the hip-hop Web site RapRadar.com, says. "Ultimately, it is a black eye to the culture I'm passionate about. Hopefully, the artists of tomorrow won't make the same mistakes as the ones of today."

Is he kidding? Las Vegas wouldn't take a bet that said at least 1, hell 3 - 5 rappers, will be in jail, arrested, and on trial next year. Or any year. Because that's what the minstrel show is about.

From almost the day that N.W.A. was presented with thier gangsta rap sub-genre, the music industry has seen green. Gangsta rap is a cash cow, an addiction that they have peddled - laughing all the way to the bank. With this one genre they get to promote the very worst stereotypes of African Americans, drug use, violence, violence against women, and illiteracy without a hint of social anger directed at them.

Before there was Gangsta rap, rappers DIDN'T get arrested and put in jail on a regular basis. It was UNCOMMON for rappers to do many of the crimes we see regularly performed by these minstrels now.

But it's the odd coincidence that when rap was promoting parties, fun, and social equality and justice under the law the entire music industry considered it a fad. It was not a recognized, legitamate form of music until AFTER gangsta rap was created and promoted to the full power of the music industry.

But the minstrels get the benefit of the doubt from reviews and news organizations. They are excused for their actions

"While rap is a genre borne of the gritty streets, and drugs and violence have long played a prominent role, many rap stars find themselves facing their greatest - and sometimes their first - legal hurdles after they become successes, like Lil Wayne."

Yes, rap was created in the Bronx. But it wasn't about violence, drugs (ie pro-drug use), or a glorification of living like a criminal hellbent on dying with as many toys as possible. In fact it was about the very opposite of all these things. So that excuse falls flat on it's face if you know anything about the history and origins of rap music.

Slick Rick, Tupac Shakur, Lil' Kim, Foxy Brown, Remy Ma, Beanie Sigel, Shyne, Mystikal, C-Murder, Snopp Dogg, P. Diddy, Jay-Z, DMX, 50 Cent, the list goes on. Every single one of them had major legal troubles. Every one of them promote gangsta rap, and the worst of what rap can provide the masses. Only Jay-Z and P. Diddy have learned form their mistakes and moved (somewhat) in a different direction.

Perhaps Gucci Mane will add himself to the exceedingly short list of those that have learned

"Don't keep bumping your head against the wall," he says. "It's a serious situation. It's so many things that happens behind these walls. Think about how to avoid situations so you won't have to come in here." - Gucci Mane from Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, where he is currently serving a six-month term.

There is no surprise that modern day rappers are going to jail. They are minstrels for the music industry execs that pull their strings and look the other way as rappers violate one of the oldest rules of the street - "Don't get high on your supply".

The answer is not to excuse rappers for breaking the law. Nor is it to ignore the promotion of violence and drugs, or the sex fueled music videos. It's to recognize what modern rap is and what it does. A drug and addiction.

I don't feel proud of a person so stupid as to rise to fame because they are a criminal and can rhyme to a beat like any 6 year old can. Especially when that individual continues to live as if they are still a criminal on the streets, little better than a rabid wild dog. I also don't feel pity for a person to dumb to realize that they don't need to commit crimes when they have a bank account larger than many will earn in their lifetime, security, fame, and enough lawyers that they could avoid jail if they weren't so blatantly stupid and ignorant.

Rap music was, and can be again, a powerful voice of people and life that often is ignored and taken for granted. It is a vehicle that can be more than the sum of it's parts. It is not just one style or 1 image. It is more than just Black, or just the streets.

But rap today has been reduced to a simplistic, repeatative, droning, cacophony of minstrels pitching the whims of music industry execs like drug dealers on a street corner. Which shouldn't be a surprised as more often than not the "stars" of this "entertainment" form tend to be (former) dealers.

It leads me to this thought. Drug dealers are the scum of the earth. They peddle poison and death to anyone, including young kids, who has the money. Why, because we all know the how, have we as a society allowed this type of scum to become elevated to stardom and celebrity? These are by and large the very same kinds of criminal refuse you wouldn't let into your house or talk to your kids as they come home from school; yet people invite them into their homes via radio and music videos every day.

I don't question that modern rappers are prone, perhaps drawn, to go to jail. It's the natural consequence of being a criminal. What I don't understand, and hope to see change, is why anyone wants to support these minstrels any more than they would the crack dealer.

Teddy Pendergrass - an inspiration passes

It's a shame to have to say that Teddy Pendergrass has passed away. The man was an inspirational entertainer. Not only because of his talent, that required no gimmicks or manipulation of his voice in a studio as many today require, but also because of his perserverance after the accident that left him in a wheelchair.

Teddy Pendergrass was one of the few entertainers that has endured the test of time. His music has found countless new fans, while remaining cherished by old fans for decades. He was part of an age of entertainers that didn't need music videos, or blatant sexual imagery, to sell. He was quality before the current age of quantity flooded the markets.



And any discussion of Pendergrass is not complete without mentioning the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance which raised money, awareness, and inspired those that suffered from spinal cord injuries.



Music has lost a great, far too young and far too soon. There is no replacement for his style, voice, and talent in the industry today and likely ever to come. Truly its a sad day.

Susan Boyle proves American Idol is a waste of time

I have been asked in the past why I dislike American Idol so much. I have explained it many times, but I think the recent debut album of Britain's Got Talent winner Susan Boyle makes it crystal clear.

Susan Boyle is not a beauty queen. That reason alone is likely why she has not been scooped up by a record label long before now. Because she wouldn't look sexy in a music video, and she isn't so young she couldn't drink in America. She is an average woman, with incredible talent.



Adam Lambert, and all the other winners of American Idol are virtually all young, good looking, and marketable to teens and young adults. They can be marketed via music videos, dressed in all manner of revealing or seductive clothing, and prance around a stage in mock acts of lacivity that just draws censors and media attention.



The difference between the 2? Talent.

There is no comparison of the American Idol winners and Susan Boyle (or another surprise winner in England Paul Potts who sings opera like a knockout punch). Not even Jennifer Hudson, who is quite good, can match her talent. But then again, American Idol isn't about talent. It's about making money.

American Idol is simply a way for people to prove that they can sell according to a set of preconceived list of attributes that American record companies find important. It's a cookie cutter mold of throw away acts that make a quick buck. They are flash in the pans that are about as important to record companies as last year's ratings are to American Idol - they only count if money is coming in.

Hell, the proof of the pudding had to be William Hung. He wasn't attractive, he couldn't sing, he couldn't even shake rythmically. But he got ratings out the buttocks. So he got a record deal, and made 2 albums before he was discarded like day old fish. His shelf life was longer than his talent, but he was a useful tool to rake in cash on a gimick.

But in Britain's Got Talent we see singers that aren't confined to just pop music. They aren't molded to quick sales and gimmicks. They aren't just a means to the next buck, but are actually able to do something special. Well at least sometimes if we are being honest.

That's the point though. The concept was to find people with talent that were overlooked for whatever reason. To give them a shot at living their hearts dream. Britain's Got Talent does that, American Idol just goes for the superficial.

Why in the world would I, or anyone, want to watch a bunch of people embarrass themselves (in the early portion), and then sell their creative souls to become just another forgettable name on the one hit wonder list? Even if they survive for a while, all they are is mediocre and pop tarts that can be replaced in a year.

If I am going to commit to watching regular people trying to make it big, I'd rather go out with friends to see a live performance. I'd rather see people trying to make it with their creative souls intact and enjoying being what they dreamed instead of the prefab creation of a bunch of accountant and statisticians. I want to see talent, not marketing.

American Idol is literally the worst of programming on television. It takes your brain cells and life and gives you back reguritated mash.

And by the way, I recommend the album of Susan Boyle. I may one day recommend Adam Lambert, if he is around in a year or 2 and has more to offer than gimmicks and the insta-fame of pop television fluff.

Hip Hop and Washington DC – going back to the beginning

Rap and Hip Hop today has taken a huge leap backwards, which is actually a great thing to happen. When I say backwards I mean to the beginning of the entire genre of music. Back before there was the current mainstream of gangsta rap there were the diversified and influential styles of rap music.

From Grand Master Flash introducing the first serious rap song in 1982, The Message, there was a growth in the music that spoke to serious issues. This culminated in perhaps the strongest voice for political involvement and criticism from the rap hip-hop industry ever: Public Enemy.

They might not have been the most loved rap group among White America, or even people of color, but they were vocal. They took the entrenched political status quo and shouted for them to be accountable. They looked at African Americans and demanded we do better. That we become involved rather than be directed. And they had an effect.

In fact Public Enemy, along with serveral other rappers and groups, became such a force for change that the music industry stood up and paid attention. Their reaction has been denied for decades, excused and deflected. They found, pushed, and manipulated gangsta rap.

In the over a decade since 1992, gangsta rap has become the standard rather than a sub-genre it started as. It has almost entirely avoided any serious involvement in politics or political action. It has promoted violence, drug use, abuse of women, and crime. It has distracted the masses with illusions of wealth and giggling of female anatomy. The music executives did their job so well that even when leaders in the rap and hip hop industry tried to get serious about politics (2004) no one listened. And they were undercut from within with actions like that of Kanye West during the Hurricane Katrina Fund Raising efforts.

But then came President Obama. And the rap and hip hop industry rallied. Because President Obama is relatively young, a Democrat, full of promises, and most importantly (if we are honest) he is Black. And they jumped in with both feet, in an election more defined by a national breaking of the ultimate glass ceiling than most anything else.

Now I do not fault rappers or hip hop for this. I in fact am happy to see they have finally gone back to their roots and suddenly realized the power that was thrown away (or bought off) 17 years ago. The latest attempt to regain the past impact on politics is the Hip Hop Caucus.

The Hip Hop Caucus is a lobby group made up of rap artists, guided by the Congressional Black Caucus and supported in some issues by members of Congress. As of this moment they are seeking to have a bill introduced, with the support of Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Ed Markey. Their goals – green reform, education, re-entry legislation for prisoners, lessons on the Constitution in schools and funding for voter registration.

These are all good ideas (to varying degrees). The big question though is if Hip Hop is capable of making the transition back to where it started. Especially as the music genre continues on its path of glorification of violence, drugs, and abuse of women. Can it make money for music executives focused squarely on distraction of the masses, while encouraging the youth to become involved in the politics that shapes their lives?

I think not. To me only one master can be served at a time. Which means either Rap cleans up, potentially causing another backlash from the music industry, or the Hip Hop Caucus and other such groups fail.

“The decisions that we make now politically will affect the next generation and the generation after that. So we have to be involved. By speaking out, I end up speaking for poor people and a larger group all over the country.” – David Banner, rapper

The quote is a true statement. But as long as we affect the next generations with thoughts and images of exclusion from the mainstream of America, of living in a manner that is counterproductive to society in this nation, then all of the speaking out will be little more than static in the air.

The truth of the war between Eminem and Nick Cannon

Sometimes it's just nice to hear someone in the major media tell the truth about the music industry. It doesn't happen often, but when it does you just can't miss it.

Case in point is the bruhaha involving Nick Cannon, his wife Mariah Carey, and Eminem. By this point I'm sure many have heard about what is going on, but for those that havent it boils down to this. Eminem once dated Carey for a brief time. His next albulm will contain a song that disses her and husband Cannon. Cannon heard a leaked version, was inflamed, and jumped all over the internet to protest.

Does this matter at all? Not really. I mean it's nice to see Nick Cannon standing up for his wife. But the manner and degree that he is doing so has only one outcome. More sales for Eminem's albulm. Not that most in the music industry will admit it. Except

"By getting irate, threatening Eminem, and digging up his old dramas, Nick has done exactly what Marshall Mathers hoped he would do. Eminem is the bad guy people love to hate. Nick has spent too much time on the subject.

Nick should have simply said that he did not appreciate the song and would discuss it would Eminem." - Billy Johnson Jr.

This effectively is turning out to be the same battle as the one between 50 cent and Kanye West. [By the way wasn't one of them supposed to quit music forever?] It doesn't improve the music, it just makes the sales jump. It's hype pure and simple.

At least this time someone is admitting it. Not that this won't bump sales, for no good reason. Which is a shame since I always thought music, no matter the genre, was supposed to be about quality and the listener. Chalk up another change to rap.

Kings of Rap hosted by DMC of Run-DMC

The world of rap music originally had a diversity that matched the diversity of African Americans across the nation. That diversity contained in almost equal parts positive messages of empowerment and self-responsibility, fun, sex appeal, and the gritty reality of life some experience. That diversity lasted from 1978 until 1992.

In 1992 the thought of gangsta rap was created, and the music industry jumped on it like a crackhead on a rock. Within 2 years of its start gangsta rap had become the rap industry instead of just a part of the many genres within it. Along with this infection of rap came an acceptance of rap that had been denied since its inception. With that acceptance came large contracts, music videos, Grammy Awards, and inclusion by the media.

In effect the rap industry was commoditized, selling a corporate image of what was and was not Black culture. This image was plastered onto movies, television, music videos, and entertainment news. I will note that the number of African Americans dropping out of high school, and becoming single parents, skyrocketed at the same time that gangsta rappers (now just called rappers) were being lauded for arrests based on violence, drugs, and misogynistic acts.

But not everyone has agreed with the corporate view of rap, or African Americans.

It's taken some time, but now the potential return to the roots of rap music is in the works. DMC (Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC) is to be the host of The Kings Of Rap. This is a new reality television program. Unlike most reality shows featuring a rapper, this program is not to create more fortune for the rapper, or laud their questionable skills, or even reinforce their bloated self-image. Nor is it an attempt to find a way to scour the nation for moldable individuals that can easily be disgraced and discarded.

DMC states the idea as this

"There are so many talented kids out there who don't get heard or don't get signed because they're not controversial enough, or they're too positive. That amazes me. The spirit of hip-hop was always about changing the world or yourself, not with a gun or with denigrating or offensive words, but by being effective with your mind. This is a time when everyone is talking about change, and we as a country have the opportunity to make a difference."

That's powerful, because it's honest. This is one of the few rappers I've ever heard address the sell-out mentality that has become rap. What else can anyone call gangsta rap, when the industry refuses to allow non-controversial (ie. entertainers that are not ex-convicts, and are not being arrested for violence, drugs and so on) positive (ie. individuals that are educated, finished high school, and/or religious maybe even politically aware) influences in the music?

Do I like reality television programs? No. I find them to be insipid at the very best. But the prospect of a program that will help return the rap music genre to the diversity and richness that is the Black community intrigues me.

Do I find rap music worth listening to? Not since maybe 1994, likely earlier. Because not everyone enjoyed KRS-1, Public Enemy, Heavy D, LL Cool J, Will Smith, Kurtis Blow, Doug E. Fresh, The Beastie Boys, De La Soul, Erik B & Rahkim, Ice-T, Sir Mix A Lot, and the multitude of other rappers but they did have a choice. And there were more than enough styles to match the people out there.

The Kings of Rap may be more important for what it re-introduces than what it's ratings might be. Likely there will be little media coverage, and corporate promotion will be minor compared to that of Sean Combs, 50 cent, Snoop Dogg and other malcontents. Yet if it achieves what it proposes, reawakening the spirit that created rap and hip hop, then none of that matters.

I may not be a big fan, I may hate reality television, but I think I will check out Kings Of Rap on occasion just because I believe in its ultimate goal. How about you?

Snoop Dogg claims to be a member of the Nation of Islam

Perhaps it’s just me, but were I the Nation of Islam I’m not sure I would want to have Calvin Broadus as my spokesman. Broadus, known best as rapper Snoop Dogg, stated on Sunday that

“I'm already in the Nation, that's why I'm here," he said. "I'm an advocate for peace. I've been in the peace movement ever since I've been making music. My whole thing is not about really trying to push my thing on you. It's just about the way I live, and I live how I'm supposed to live as far as doing what's right and representing what's right. That's why I was here today.”

Really?

Now I don’t care if Snoop Dogg is a Muslim. Nor do I care about who the Nation of Islam has as its members. But I do dislike hypocrites.

If the statement of Broadus is to be taken at face value, then he is claiming to be a Muslim, as far back as when he entered the music industry. At that time we know that he was also an advocate of gang life, drug use, and violence. None of which are ideals that Muslims believe in.



We know that he was alleged to have been implicated in a murder in 1993. All of the music videos of Broadus contain misogynistic images, which is not a Muslim belief. Songs such as Gin and Juice advocate drinking of alcohol, a vice that is forbidden to Muslims. He had represented himself as a pimp and drug dealer in multiple media formats.

In the 1990’s he was arrested for cocaine and marijuana possession. Since 2000 he has had several drug arrests, and again found with unregistered firearms, as well as other illegal weapons. He has been banned from flying on British Airways and from performing in England due to violent fights in a British airport (and his history), he also was banned from entering Australia until December 2008.

All of these things are hardly the image any religious group would hold as positive. And from what I know, virtually every aspect of Snoop Dogg’s life is opposed by the Nation of Islam as well as Islam in general. So why Broadus would make such a statement bewilders me.

Broadus may be the worst Muslim ever, or he was seeking more publicity. Maybe he thought this would help the Nation of Islam, or help maintain his image of a thug. Or he could honestly believe what he has said.

Personally I find Snoop Dogg to be the worst kind of entertainer. A sell-out, an advocate of poison in the Black community, of disrespect to women. He is little more than a minstrel, performing under guidance of the strings of corporate controllers; an undereducated tool paid handsomely to distract from the real issues at hand. Considering that Broadus claims he is the

“leader of the hip-hop community”

it says a lot about what hip hop has become since 1992.

I am not a Muslim. I am not a member of the Nation of Islam. Yet I don’t need to be to believe in the values of a life not bound by ignorance, violence, or drugs. The desire to own my own business, help those in my community, support of education, and protection of the innocent are not just Black community concerns, but American ideals. And my anger to those that refute such things, as Calvin Broadus has and continues to do, is justified I believe.

So maybe the Nation of Islam is ok with Snoop Dogg violating the principles they hold as their core. Perhaps they too can accept his song and dance influence above their beliefs. But I feel that any organization that can gloss over the wrongs he commits in his quest for fame and fortune must also be questioned.

Still I am not a Muslim, nor a member of the Nation of Islam. Nor do I advocate the commoditization of Black culture that hip hop represents today. Maybe I don’t get it. And if so, I’m glad.

Viewer comment about 50 Cent

Some of my long-time readers may recall that I recently commented on the MTV program featuring 50 Cent. I'm sure they would also recall my thoughts about this particular gangsta rapper.

"So Curtis Jackson will be getting a television show on MTV. Viacom must be drooling. The executives there must salivate inbetween laughter at the thought that a ex-convict, crack drug dealer, making them money legally. It’s such a dumb idea that it probably will work."

Well in that post I also had a Youtube video commentary.



Now that commentary received more than just a few vulgar comments. Few were in english and contained a full thought. But one did. And I present that well thought out, interesting comment.

"Dear VassMike:

In your youtube rant, you have brought up many good points, and others that are not so good, witch I intend to address in this letter.

First, you are right, the whole 50 cent show is laughable if not a bad idea. It probably promotes various bad influences, however, no more so then any other shows aiming for the same adolescent audience group. The same group that 50 targets to make his money. And it works, he is filthy rich.

As for your proposal that he does not know any business other then crack and rap, is mislead. He had many other business movements. Such as a clothing line, bottled vitamin water (which he sold to Coca-Cola for millions), and probably more. He is very skilled and knowledgeable in what he does.

The rap is an easy skill comment shows ignorance in the subject. Rap is not an easy skill, in-fact it is very hard. To create flow with rhyme, syncing with a beat, and remaining comprehendible is no easy feat. Hence, most rappers do not know how to do this.

50 Cent (not 50 Cents) chose his name because 50 Cent was urban talk for something, which I can not recall at this time. It is not based on dollar value. This is why its 50 Cent (singular).

Now, I am hesitant to mention this because I am not 100% sure on this, however, I will write it anyway. 50 Cent, I am pretty sure, had put lots of money into urban areas in an attempt to make "hood" life better, but kept it hush hush so that it would not tarnish his name. And by tarnish, I only mean in the sense to make him look soft and lose record sells.

As for the crack "poisoning" people comment, I would like to say, no more than Players or Demoria cigarettes. Tobacco and alcohol poison people. I seen parents buy cigarettes over food for there children. The very same thing you are smoking in your video. I understand it is a lesser evil, but an evil none the less.

Please do not take this letter as an attack. You seem to be a clean cut, self respecting, and political kind of guy. This I like about you. However, I just feel that your attacks should not be so much on 50 Cent, and more on the whole video game/movie/music industry that allows this "its cool to be a gangster" concept come into play.

I myself do enjoy such music/movie/video game violent concepts because it acts as an outlet for my aggression, its entertaining. But I do not act in such a manner in the real world. It is a shame though, for those who are influenced and act out as they do on TV. There just needs to be better parents.

Sincerely,
ShadowsAndGhosts "

My reply will appear as a comment below.

Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp - really playing with rock stars

So you want to be a rock star. Rock Band and Guitar Hero are just not doing it for you. Because you know you can play with the best. This Christmas, or at any time really, you can get your chance, if you can afford it.

Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp is the opportunity that can put you and the select other few that can afford the $16,000 price, in a band playing and recording with the likes of Slash, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, and Pink Floyd. Seriously, you get to play with a rock star, and you get to record at Abbey Road studios in London.

Now when I say London, I do mean Britain. The cost of crossing the pond and staying somewhere when you aren’t writing your own song or performing it is an added cost you will have to figure out yourself. But for a true fan, or someone living out a dream, what’s a few ten thousand?

Without having to go to American Idol, without having to spend inordinate hours being mocked by Simon Cowell, without having stellar talent you too could be one step away from greatness. Literally. Now tell me you aren’t looking at your bank account – whether you have the money or not.

And I will add that this experience is not age limited. While many who do indulge in this expensive pleasure are moderately older, in the 50’s, there are those who have parents with the means that are far younger – like 15. So don’t let the sag in the middle, or lack of legal drinking age hold you back.

Recently at the Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp were Slash in an unexpected visit, Mark Hudson guiding a group in writing a song, and drummer Nick Mason of Pink Floyd. When Mason was asked why he does this – since it is logical that he like many of the rock legends and stars that go to the camp don’t need whatever fee they receive – he said

“I think there a number of things that appeal about it. It's partly working with the non-professionals and working with the professionals. Both sections bring something.”

So I suppose that if you have the cash, the dream, and the time there is only one question. Can you rock?

Featured Artists’ Coalition means more music for fans

As credit markets tumble, while people and corporations scramble to find solid footing (you can see my interview discussing real estate), artists in the U.K. are taking steps to secure their fortunes as well. And the moves seem to be reasonable if not fair.

The newly formed Featured Artists’ Coalition is a venture of musicians and performers that are looking to keep control of their work. Some might presume that they would already control their music and have the full rights to it, but that has never been true in the U.K. and in America for most artists. Far too often the real controlling power has been the music companies, which doles out a pittance to performers and musicians while reaping hordes.

Unlike other such organizations in the past, this one has a huge and solid support of artists from every genre and time period. Already there have been over 60 artists involved as charter members. Some involved include:

Radiohead
The Verve
Kaiser Chiefs
Kate Nash
David Gilmour
Billy Bragg
Klaxons

This is a venture that is determined to achieve a level of fairness that has not existed in the industry ever before. One of the biggest motivations for artists today is the fact that the internet has changed the industry forever.

MP3 players and the ability to digitally download music on a single or album basis has changed the way the music industry makes music. This is even more expansive and environment changing than music videos and cable proved to be. And many artists have been excluded from the income that has been generated from these new formats.

So Featured Artists’ Coalition has sought changes, and I have no doubt that artists in America are watching closely on the result of these efforts. They want to be fairly compensated whenever the music companies make money off of their efforts, which seems reasonable. They want to keep the rights to their music, not being forced to automatically lose their rights to the music company. Again a fair request.

Perhaps the biggest thing they want is one that makes the most sense to me; they want music companies to either ‘use or lose’ the copyrights they have on an artists work. Effectively this means that all the work of an artist must be made available for purchase to the public in some format or the music company loses the rights to those songs. I for one would love to be able to get some of the less known or hard to find songs of several artists that music companies feel are not cost-effective enough to make available in a mass format.

If this Coalition takes flight and forces change in the U.K. then I expect sweeping reforms across the globe. This of course would be a win for the artists and performers, but they are not the ultimate winners. We the fans would gain the most from these changes. Ultimately it means that artists would have more reasons to perform, and more of their recordings would be available to the public either through the music company or the artist themselves.

So music fans should keep an eye to the U.K. and the music companies there. Change is coming and for the public it will be good.

VH1’s Top 100 of rap music celebrates the positives of the genre

I just noticed something that really caught my attention. VH1 has compiled a list of the top 100 rap music songs. Now that is something that I am sure will create huge debate.

The main question is the importance of groups at the start of rap, the empowerment movement in rap (which was sadly short lived), and the gangsta rap genre that has now become the redundant and endless form that dominates music videos and radio. I for one have no love of gangsta rap, nor the performers that populate the genre.

In it’s birth rap was a celebration of joy. The earliest songs, which I recall from my youth, were not that long ago, just about 29 years now. They were about enjoying friends and good times. The groove was infectious and lead to the growth of the fledgling music format.

But like all things rap grew up. In fact it did so with a speed and determination. By the mid 1980’s until 1992 rap had a meaning. Not all rap, but a good portion of it. There was a pride in the Black community and it was reflected in the music. The music was an oral declaration of unity and progress. This too was reflected in the music videos of the art form, if you were lucky enough to spot one on television.

The first 13 years that rap music existed it was called a fad by mainstream music. It was viewed as a joke. It was diminished and tossed aside by the entire music industry, even though music executives would not dare to stop making the highly lucrative music. But throughout this time rap music was also something that the White masses of the nation neither understood nor craved.

Then there was N.W.A. and the music industry executives found what they had been waiting for. A guttural base expression of African Americans as impoverished, uneducated, violent criminals waiting to be unleashed upon the nation.

I realize, now and then, that N.W.A. was expressing yet another face of what many African Americans experience everyday in America. I understand that they were crying out about the less than American Dream life that was being shoveled into their lives. And there is no doubt in my mind that the intention was never to glorify violence and drugs, or women as sexual gratification objects. But I am equally sure that the music industry sought only that aspect of the sub-genre.

So in looking at the top songs in this sect of music, what should take prominience. The songs that have made the most money, the artists that were promoted most by greedy executives, the songs that hoped to unify and empower African Americans, or those that just celebrated life?

It seems that VH1 considered all these things in making their list.

The number 1 songs was found to be Public Enemy’s Fight The Power.



This song was the pinnacle of the empowerment genre of rap. It was the rally cry for involvement in voting, being active in the community, and making Government accountable to the people. It was just after this song came out that music executive ran to find a distraction, and flooded the airwaves with anything but another rap song of this nature and message.

Second on the list was the Sugar Hill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight



This is the song and group that started the entire music genre. It was the first rap song to burst forth from the nightclubs and basements of the Bronx out to the mainstream of the national airwaves.

Third on the list was the crossover hit by Run DMC Walk This Way.

[The video is blocked from being embedded on a site. Aerosmith has great lawyers it seems.]

So in the first 3 songs we see that the expressions of fun, respect, pride, and ability are the foremost examples of what all rap music really is. And I can agree with these choices.

The top 20 is rounded out by a mix of predominately these themes, with a sprinkle of the more modern, repulsive, generic, pedantic, and demeaning gangsta rap songs that have infected the airwaves since 1992. In fact going through the list you will see that the entire list is filled with mostly artists that ceased being played on the air the day that gangsta rap was born. That’s a statement indeed.

Now I’m sure some will argue this. They will note that Tupac, or Eminem, or Snoop Dogg, and others had meaningful and powerful songs. Some of them are on the list too. But like the law of averages, or probability, even the worst entertainers will eventually get it right once or twice. I mean even William Hung got to make 2 albums and stardom.

The list will be shown on VH1. I’m sure many will have different opinions. But I say that Public Enemy was the greatest rap group ever – both for what they said and what they tried to do. But Heavy D, Sugar Hill Gang, Erik B. and Rahkim, Digital Underground and a few others still make my favorites list too.

Black Americans - commodity, criminals, or something much more

“Have you lost your mind? I mean, how is it that you can disrespect a man’s ethnicity when you know we've influenced nearly every facet of white America... from our music to our style of dress. Not to mention your basic imitation of our sense of cool; walk, talk, dress, mannerisms. We enrich your very existence, all the while contributing to the gross national product through our achievements in corporate America. It's these conceits that comfort me when I am faced with the ignorant, cowardly, bitter and bigoted, who *have* no talent, no guts. People like you who desecrate things they don't understand when the truth is - you should say thank you, and go on about your way. But apparently you are incapable of doing that!"
Cedric the Entertainer as Sin LaSalle in Be Cool

I just was bored earlier and ran across this scene while flipping channels. And I just had to think about that.

Now the movie Be Cool was bad. No question. But this line is perhaps the best and most important of the whole movie. It’s honest and true. It hits home, and likely was overlooked by the millions that have seen the film since its release. When most watch a comedy, bits of social commentary are obscured or disregarded.

This one quote is so visceral to me. It is such a direct statement and applies to so many things. This could be said to politicians (Democrat and Republican), Hollywood executives, major news media editors, and music industry executives, corporations of all kinds of sizes, and probably Spain and Argentina.

This quote is a statement. Being Black is not a commodity that can be bought, though more than a few retailers are making BILLIONS trying to convince people they can. Respect of our past and present is not a burden for America, and should be embraced in the same manner that I was taught European history. Police need to remember this the next time they get the urge to “get their gun on” because an African American crosses the street.

But I wonder something. I know how people of color might take this statement. Latino/Hispanics can say many of the same things. So can Asians. But how do White Americans look at this? What did this quote make you think?

This isn’t about a right or wrong answer. Obviously a blatant racist comment will be responded to in kind. But any answer made with respect and intelligence is more than welcome. Because I really would like to know if you have ever considered this when you watch the news, see a kid walking down the street, celebrate Columbus Day, or just generally go through your life?