They are the people we idolize. They live lavish lifestyles, wearing million-dollar bling, hosting exclusive and wild parties and cruising around in the most expensive rides. They are the current titans of the music industry: rappers.
There is a lot of diversity in today's rap scene, from the soulful sounds of Talib Kweli to the volatile and incendiary growling of DMX. As rappers reach a lull in their careers or find themselves short on material, however, they become desperate for innovation and novelty. Thus, they take drastic measures and try to navigate the uncharted waters of disparate genres of music, primetime television and laughable movies.
Kanye West followed one of these paths by taking his career in a radical direction after three successful albums. The "Louis Vuitton Don" busted-out eyeliner, My Chemical Romance CDs and skinny jeans, going full-fledged emo for his 2008 EP, "808s & Heartbreak." In "808s," Kanye ditched his college-themed titles and Dropout Bear emblem to become a blubbering, auto-tuned mess, wailing endlessly about his failed engagement. We get it, Kanye, you're sad. So do what everyone else does when they suffer a break-up: Bust out a pint of Ben and Jerry's and listen to Boyz II Men.
With former songs like "Roses," "Family Business" and "Hey Mama," Kanye successfully managed to balance his emotions with wit and wordplay. Yet his newest CD is so maddeningly introspective, it's no wonder that its sales paled in comparison to his superior "Graduation" (2007). We liked some songs, but as far as we're concerned, he's on double-secret probation.
Kanye's genre-changing fever has infected Lil Wayne and led him to make a ludicrous new album. Whatever happened to the self-proclaimed "Best Rapper Alive?" This April he will release a rock album entitled "Rebirth." No, you did not misread that last sentence. We said rock album. "Weezy" has decided to liberate his innermost Hendrix. "Tha Carter III" was the best-selling album of 2008 and won "Best Rap Album" at the Grammys on Sunday. Weezy, our mantra is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." And, if "Prom Queen," a single from "Rebirth," is any indication as to what the rest of his CD sounds like, then you can call Wayne an April baby, ‘cause he's a fool.
If Wayne and Kanye stop recording, they can always follow in the footsteps of some of their predecessors like Coolio, Ice-T and Ice Cube by pursuing a career in acting. (They could also court plastic beauties named "Deelishis" like Flavor Flav or host a hip-hop version of "The Apprentice" like 50 Cent.)
Coolio hit the jackpot with 1995's "Gangsta's Paradise," but he foresaw his own future when he uttered, "Aww, here it goes" in the intro to Nickelodeon's "Kenan & Kel." Now this gangsta has found paradise starring in a Croatian drama, portraying a pot-smoking astronaut in the vampiric space odyssey "Dracula 3000" (2004), and hosting his own cooking podcast. Move over Rachael Ray!
Meanwhile, Ice-T gets the award for most ironic career change. After his residuals for songs like "Cop Killer" dried up, T landed a gig as a law enforcer on "Law & Order: SVU."
As for T's similarly chilly counterpart, Ice Cube has forever soiled his reputation and tainted N.W.A.'s name by acting in family friendly comedies such as "Are We There Yet" (2005) and "The Longshots" (2008).
Yet, if Eminem can reach movie stardom by portraying himself in "8 Mile" (2002), and Will Smith, who started off as a rapper ("Parent's Just Don't Understand," anybody?) can garner two Oscar nominations, we think other rappers will have success in their post-rap endeavors.
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Zach Drucker and Chris Poldoian are freshmen who have not yet declared majors. They can be reached at Zachary.Drucker@tufts.edu and Christopher.Poldoian@tufts.edu.
