Sometimes you have to go find the crap, sometimes the crap comes to you. Today Yahoo!'s Entertainment page features a fluffy AP about "Chris Lighty: Hip-Hop's Dealmaker." The article felicitates Lighty on having the job of making hip hop's most famous artists very paid. The author uses that term "very paid."
"Lighty didn't get to be hip-hop's go-to dealmaker by accepting the status quo. So while sales may be down, Lighty is still working magic to make sure 50 and other high-profile clientele like Diddy and Busta Rhymes keep getting very paid."
The article baffles me in its ability to overlook the commercialization of music and act like endorsement deals are great for the music industry. "Well, Fiddy was about to sell his private plane, and I was like, hold the phone. That’s when I got him that Cheerio's commercial." That seems to be the mentality the author and Lighty have, screw music as a creative art, we need to maintain our ridiculous and unnecessary extravagant lifestyle.
"As music sales go down because kids are stealing it off the Internet and trading it and iPod sales continue to rise, you can't rely on just the income that you would make off of being an artist."
Yes, let us all blame Mr. Internet and Steve Jobs for the decline in record sales. Perhaps if these artist made records worth buying, and created a fan base that respects their success, then they could make a success of their creative expression. What am I saying, Steve Jobs is responsible for P Diddy not being able to afford a third yacht. And yes, he just referred to people like 50 Cent and P Diddy as "artists."
"During an interview in the swank cafe of the opulent Beverly Hills Hotel, Lighty rattles off various opportunities for 50, including a vitamin supplement deal, a role in a Brett Ratner movie, and his own condom line. Coming soon for another client, LL Cool J? A Chapstick deal for the rapper known for licking his lips."
Ooo! Swank! Opulent! That place sounds nice!
A Chapstick deal for LL Cool J, who is known for "licking his lips." How about a "Icy Hot" campaign for KRS One who is known for pain in his joints?
I still don't understand why hip hop has become the most commercialized brand of popular music. There are many rap artists who struggle and output great expressions of musical creativity. The "artists" that Lighty represent are not known for their creative expression, or for writing songs of any importance. Mostly it involves degrading women, killing someone, or bragging about how much money they have. I have a hard time believing 50 Cent's upcoming vitamin commercials will keep his head above water while he struggles to make ends meet. I'm positive that if he lived a reasonably normal lifestyle the "decline in record sales" wouldn't make much of a difference.
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