Wednesday 11 February 2009

Rappers Get No Respect

Is it me or are rappers increasingly getting no respect from people? I know not everyone likes hip hop, and I accept that shit – a mudafucka don’t have to like it

Some people outside of the global hip hop community don’t like rappers. I’ve met a lot of peeps who stereotype rappers negatively. And when I say negatively I mean, they chat and/or think shit about rappers in order to use them as a REASON to justify to themselves why god should favor them, over rappers. They straight up ride on rappers. It’s not new, and in fact, it’s not just rappers that get this negative stereotype. What’s fucked up is stereotyping someone is ENTIRELY on the person who’s stereotyping, simply because it’s their thought. You could stereotype (think) some good shit, or negatively as a means to establish a reason (justify) why you’re better, or whatever. I don’t know much about Irish people but my stereotype (thought) of them is they can fight you all day and they never get drunk. And I say that with love

Rappers are what a person makes them to be – a person’s thought (stereotype). People outside of the hip hop community don’t respect rappers – and that’s whatever. You should focus on your community and not concern about others, right?

But I’ve noticed increasingly that people who love hip hop show no respect to rappers. They love a star. But don’t consider a rapper as nothing more than a moron. In other words, unless a rapper is a star – Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Nas, Timbaland, and the like – no one gives a fuck about him (or her of course)

If you don’t believe me, check the way a “local” rapper gets treated when he’s on stage at the next live event you go to. The audience don’t seem to give a fuck of his story or whatever he has to say

A singer on the other hand, (and I mean one who’s not a celebrity, or a star or whatever) is adored, especially when on a gig with a rapper

Rappers get no respect. I think a lot of rapper subconsciously know this, which is one reason (I know there are many) why they want to be celebrities. But where does this leave rap?


Click here for more of Columbo

Tuesday 10 February 2009

Pimping The Public

Personally, the word public to me means a place or space for everyone. This is opposed to a space, or place that is solely for a person, or a selected group of persons – which would make it private (claimed). For example, air is for the public. However, a country has its own air space which is agreed to be for that particular country. A pilot couldn’t fly into that country’s air space without permission or else there’ll be consequences. And as fair game it is agreed that every country has its own air space. This is respected

When you think about it, everyone is a public to or of something. For example, to my energy provide I’m a public so I get billed full price for the energy I use. However, the Managing Director of the company that provides my energy probably gets a discount, or even free energy supply. And if energy supply was running low it would primarily mean it is running low for the public – me, not the MD. I once got accepted to work for a telephone company as part of their sales team and was told that once I had signed up a number of clients, and had a team of my own I would get free phone service with the company – as part of the perks because I would then be one of them, in the organization, elite if you like. I passed on the opportunity but this is an illustration of what I’m saying. I don’t get free phone services because I’m a public to every phone company out there

Now let’s bring the entertainment industry into the equation. The public gets manipulated, influenced and conditioned to consume whatever is sold to us all for the prosperity of the industry – which is private. For example, I’m sure Nick Cannon and Mariah Carey are legally married (giving them the benefit of the doubt). However, I see that it makes sense for them to unite to flourish their careers. Nick was well known in certain circles but really needed mass exposure to build up his profile to be considered by adults (the ‘big boys in the industry’, the shot callers, the green-lighters). Mariah needed to be considered young and fresh, and what better way to be seen as young and fresh than to unite with a dude who’s considered young and fresh. Genius idea right? Hey it worked! Regardless of what anyone thinks they both have strong public profiles, which mean they are considered by green-lighters who need people with strong public profiles in order to sell a project – film, music, endorsements, and whatever

But anyway, that example aside, it seems to me that anything and anyone public is in a vulnerable position. The reality is if you’re not on the inside of something, or a member of something then you’re a public to it. The irony is that everyone is a public. I’m considered a public to someone or some organization, and a person or organization is a public to my life

Pimping of the public occurs when it is believed that because one isn’t amongst something that is claimed then they are not special, or elite. Claiming something (privatizing it) puts one or an organization in a detached position to then pimp the public. Everything is everything, except when it is claimed right?

Even though pimping ain’t easy, it really is

Yours truly, signing off,
Esco Columbo


Click here for more of Columbo