50 on 50

All right y'all, this is my 50th post as a blogger. To commemorate the 50th instance of bored ramblings from an unremarkable mind, I tried to come up with something special. First, you'll notice that I updated the blog's design and placed a way feng shui picture of a tree at the top of the blog. I've given considerable thought as to what my 50th post should be. I thought about blogging about the apostasy filled church meeting last week, or my mechanics inability to fix my air conditioner regardless of the significant monetary sums paid to him, but those didn't seem right. I then considered doing a rundown of some new tunes that are playing in my mp3 player lately, but that seemed to standard and I haven't really had any good tip offs about up and coming indie artists lately. I was going to do a running diary of the VMA's but decided that mere words were insufficient to convey just how bad that whole freak show was. I then briefly considered doing an update on the presidential election in the form of another "If they were bands" post, but decided I would save it for later in the week. Instead of all of these, I've decided to blog about the most historic 9-11 commemoration that will ever happen. An event so monumental that your children's children will be talking about it. I'm talking, of course, about the rap battle between Kanye West and 50 Cent that airs tomorrow, September 11, on the BET program 106 & Park (check local listings for times).

Some of you might be thinking, "I don't like rap, how could this possibly affect me?" Well, I don't like terrorists, but somehow, they keep affecting my life. More to the point, it's important that we be aware of our surroundings and the important events that occur in our world, and this is the most important rap beef since Biggie and Tupac.

That fight did impact your life whether you know it or not. Tupac died, basically eliminating the most socially conscious voice in the mainstream rap/hip-hop community at the time. Then Biggie died, and Puff Daddy was able to prostitute the memory of his friend to make millions of dollars degrading classic rock tunes by sampling the music and replacing the lyrics with the tripe that had the musical nutritional value of a twinkie. His success perpetuated itself on selling an image, through flashy music videos and eye-catching public appearances. The music industry realized that it didn't need people with talent to create music sensations and rushed to put out pre-fabricated stars who valued image over substance. Subsequently, kids quit spending money on musically talented alternative acts or worthwhile hip-hop artists and started spending their money on Britney Spears, AFI, Ja Rule, and other "artists" whose image was strictly manipulated by the record companies. Since the music was no longer important, there was no need to to sell CD's. Why listen to a music act whose whole appeal is derived from being seen? Since the Music was no longer important, MTV quit playing music video, preferring instead to show reality shows of Abercrombie models and rich spoiled brats being as promiscuous and titillating as possible to drive up ratings. When music videos were shown, they were constantly interrupted by annoying visuals and distractions so no one would notice the sub-par music. To compensate for lost CD revenue, record companies drove the price up (which they'd been doing for years anyway). Prices topped out at a ridiculous $20 or more for a CD which might only have one good song. Music lovers tried to fight back by downloading the music they wanted and avoid paying obscene fees for music. Most real musicians were secretly delighted as they only cared about having their music heard. They only made an average of 50 cents off a CD anyway. However, a few control hungry bands (I'm talking to you Lars Ulrich) and greedy record producers combined to shut Napster down. Technology found a way and music downloading continued to flourish on limewire and Kazaa, a company designed and conceived with one express purpose, avoid litigation. Music downloading made consumers the boss, and allowed them to find the artists they liked. Artists focused on putting their music out there for people to hear, on the net or on myspace, and contented themselves with making money off concerts and licensing fees (Is there a flaming lips song that hasn't been used in a car commercial?). The indie scene flourished and is in the middle of a dramatic renaissance. Subpop, an indie label famous for signing Nirvana and other acts I guarantee you know and love, is now one of the hottest labels out there. The indie band, The Shins released an album this year that debuted at #2 on the charts. Now, I'm not saying that the Biggie Tupac fight caused all of this, but the current state of music has its roots in a rap beef that has directly and indirectly influenced music in the years subsequent.

So, why is the Kanye v. 50 battle important? Neither of them can hold a candle to NWA or Tupac. Neither of them are especially intelligent (50 Cent is a barely literate felon and Kanye, well, just go watch the clip of him an Mike Myers on the Hurricane Katrina fundraiser). The importance in this rap battle comes from a fundamental difference in style and background. Kanye is the son of an English professor and was raised in an upper middle class home. 50 cent is the child of a drug dealer. He grew up on the streets and went to jail. This fight is about two different outlooks and two different styles. Which view will win out? The results might tell you something about our society. I know I'll be watching.