many major artists sign contracts where they give away too much control about their art -
they do this for money (needed or greeded ?), for bigger possibilities in production and for fame ... - but - they give away the control for money - many simulate they didn´t - (the big art of entertainment :)) most video´s, promotionstuff etc.. and even much art is not made or controlled by the artists, no matter how nice they are - many ideas of presentation are some media-constructions regulated by some heads in the background - you talk about Nelly and major artists, as if they would be the heads of the media-construction and music we hear but most are just very very talented muppet-entertainers - tuning their mind into what they are supposed to do for selling - and even many "conscious messages" and the "conscious clischees" are getting used in this system as strategies for credibility for making bucks - - and at the same time: yes, not every major-contract is a robot-contract and some indie´s are just about the same as majors - but all in all - indie´s don´t make those amounts of money and they don´t have such a media-control for mass-manipulation - ... but I did like "hot in HER" 2 :) > I actually see where you're coming from and I have debates like this with > friends often. I believe most people are contradictory, I know I am! I try > not to be, but... I can be vain and neurotic and impressionable yet I should > know better! You could be an underground producer articulating radical ideas > and still (secretly) love designer clothes and girls and cars! I forgive > that as I have the same impulses. Nelly is young and I think most young > people are especially contradictory. I always think how Malcolm X grew as a > man - where was he in his youth? I think the most contradictory rapper out > there after Tupac is Nas - one minute he's Nasty Nas, the ill MC, the next > Nas Escobar, a playa rapper, and part of The Firm. A lot of hip-hoppers > never forgave him for 'selling out' after Illmatic. Yet, correct me if I am > wrong, but he is the only mainstream MC to question the current US foreign > policy on his latest album. On his last album there was a song which sampled > Toto's Africa and spoke of the way in which some young Black men in the US > aspire to rock jewels that are mined in Africa by exploited Africans - it > was a very commercial R&B beat but the content was very conscious. Also, > unlike myself, Nelly has not had the opportunity to attend college and read > and learn and be exposed to a range of information and ideas in concentrated > form (most of my higher education was paid by the government too!), but I > feel he has the openness to learn and grow and he will. A lot of my friends > used to call Wyclef Jean a sell-out but I said, as a Haitian-American he has > broken through barriers by setting up companies and negotiating with > multi-nationals and using his success as a platform to share his cultural > experiences and address the prejudices experienced by Haitian Americans. So > for all the contradictions, there are some positives. It's hard for the > dispossessed and marginalised to relate to a post-capitalist mentality when > they have in fact never been a part of capitalism itself, so I think this is > a phase. > I guess the real fault lies with US radio - if it played Nelly, then > Jurassic 5, then UR, young people would be exposed to a range of ideas and > possibilities and it would break down stereotypes. Maybe Nelly's music per > se is not as inspirational as some others, but within the context of his > career, him coming from a broken home, and experiencing a lot of instability > in his early life to go on to build up companies, employ friends, there are > some positives. > > >> From: Lester Kenyatta Spence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Subject: Re: [313] Religious Producers >> Date: 15/09/2002 6:48:10 >> To: Cyclone Wehner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> CC: 313 Detroit <313@hyperreal.org> >> >> On Sat, 14 Sep 2002, Cyclone Wehner wrote: >> >>> I respected TP's post, but in defence of Nelly, who gets a lot of flak, he >>> is a really real person. His music is party music and actually quite >>> positive for his genre of hip-hop - he would have more cred if he were more >>> 'gangsta' or hardcore, but he refrains from that. He does a lot of social >>> work and gives back to his community in St Louis and has given his friends >>> jobs in his mini empire, and that's a positive, conscious thing. And, I have >>> to say, he is one of the most down to earth and gracious superstars I have >>> ever interviewed (three times now). He is very humble about his success too. >>> In many ways he is like a lot of young men of his age, still finding his >>> way. Music can be inspirational and positive in many ways maybe? (I love the >>> song too, production is hype!) >> >> Cyclone, I'm feeling you. ON the one hand, Nelly IS a cool brother. I've >> played ball with him a couple of times and on one level he is totally >> UNASSUMING. >> >> But this doesn't mean his music is uplifting and inspirational. I >> definitely get conservative (in the intellectual sense) on issues like >> this. Let's just take the words to one of his songs and compare them to >> the words of something that IS viewed by most as inspirational. I don't >> think there is any comparison. I can respect that he's trying to find his >> way, but even when TP was a sloppy alcoholic, I bet he moved more people >> in an inspirational manner than Nelly. >> >> >> peace >> lks >> >> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >> >> >> > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
