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Rappers
should not dabble in political spectrum
There
is nothing I love more than hearing celebrities,
musicians, and other entertainment elite
commit career suicide by making ludicrous
political statements at the pinnacles of
their lives' work. One would think that
by now they would realize it is probably
better for them to keep their mouths shut,
but apparently they never received that
memo.
It
isn't that they shouldn't be allowed to
express their opinions, it is actually quite
the contrary: you see, they are in the business
of making money and selling their product,
and that is their sole business. When one
charters into unknown territory and makes
a foolish and ill-advised observation on
a news story of the day, they are, in effect,
alienating themselves from a big portion
of the public, which is something that doesn't
translate into rising sales of whatever
their product may be. That being said, why
would any person of celebrity status jeopardize
their own success?
Jadakiss,
an up-and-coming hip-hop artist heard on
many urban music stations whose album "Kiss
Of Death," according to MTV, sold more
than 250,000 copies its first week out,
has experienced immense controversy over
his song "Why," which features
Anthony Hamilton, another hip-hop artist
who has collaborated with many huge acts
in the scene over the course of his career.
Jadakiss, or Jason Phillips as he is known
to friends and family, clearly does not
have any clue when it comes to commenting
on politics in a sensible manner.
In
"Why," we hear Mr. Phillips asking,
"Why did Bush knock down the towers,"
an obvious reference to the terrorist attacks
of Sept. 11, 2001, and his perceived belief
that President Bush was somehow responsible.
I have absolutely no tolerance for ignorance
of this nature, and most people, both liberals
and conservatives, would agree that President
Bush had nothing to do with what happened
on that day. Later in the song, Jadakiss,
in his infinite lack of knowledge, incredulously
asks, "And why do ni**az lie in eighty-five
percent of they rhymes?" Maybe this
is a question Jadakiss himself is better
suited to answer, since he seems to be doing
a fair share of lying himself. I wonder
if he includes himself in that "eighty-five
percent" of liars he mentions? Doubtful.
This
is not the only place Jadakiss demonstrates
his profound ignorance though, as the song
is filled to the brim with ridiculous and
illogical non-sequitors. In another section,
Jadakiss, completely devoid of all wisdom,
asks, "Why is the industry designed
to keep the artist in debt?"
Now
wait just a second here! When was the last
time that anybody saw a popular rapper who
wasn't flaunting the latest "bling-bling"
and who doesn't ride around in a tricked-out
car with twenty-inch chrome rims? Is this
guy serious? Rappers are the one type of
musical artist who love to publicly display
their wealth in the form of jewels, medallions,
and expensive cars, but they don't have
an unlimited source of funds. It is not
the industry's fault that some rappers are
in debt; it is the rappers' faults themselves!
Jadakiss is a prime example of someone who
continually blames the system, while taking
absolutely no personal responsibility of
his own.
In
"Why," Jadakiss exhibits a full
range of ignorance: his own bigotry ("Why
Halle have to let a white man pop her to
get a Oscar?"), his misunderstanding
of science ("Why they ain't give us
a cure for aids?"), and his confusion
with regard to California's political system
("Why they let The Terminator win the
election?").
From
this song alone, it is clear that Jadakiss
has absolutely no business at all exercising
a political opinion on these issues because
he has no idea of what he's talking about.
These are all little sound-bytes that he
no doubt heard somewhere and found some
profundity in, and decided to write into
this stupid and uneducated song. We can
only hope that fans of his music do not
simply take what they hear him say as the
truth, as both Jadakiss and his fans are
in for a rude awakening.
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