2008 Woodie Awards
How the West Won 50
HDTV Positive
Julia Corral
Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: Entertainment
Yesterday marked a monumental event in the history of the United States of America. I
am not referencing the 6th anniversary of September 11. No, I'm talking about the new
9/11, a day that will go down as the Kanye West vs. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson war.
For those who have been living under a rock and don't know about the feud, 50 has
declared that he will retire if his new album "Curtis" does not outsell West's "Graduation."
This leads me to believe that the hip-hop 401k plan must be the best in the nation. To
think that my mother will work well into her late 60's just to retire. She should have just skipped the 40-hour workweeks, grabbed her entourage, and started to hustle on the
streets. The woman has faced so much adversity in her life; she had to drive a Nissan Sentra with no air conditioning for a decade.
Most hip-hop is centered around hype, and this feud is not different. But still, I was
expecting some good, old-fashioned, trash talking beef. Gentleman it's good that no ones getting hurt, but it seems that the ladies of hip-hop are serving more time than all the men out there. Foxy Brown, we all get mad at the nail salon, but please hold your Blackberry.
The world of hip-hop has lost its social message. It's lost its flair and become somewhat predictable.
The Sugar Hill Gang warned us against oppression. Arrested Development showed Middle America a little about the Motherland's fashion attire. As a result, gangster rap emerged as some of the most influential sounds of our time. Who doesn't bump Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" even today?
This community has gone through its 40 days and 40 nights of turmoil and come out with
its fists raised proudly. Rap music has made it past Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur.
They have kept their credibility after Vanilla Ice. It has even outlasted Flavor Flav's introduction of BET-style programs to VH1.
But where is it now? The underground scene seems to have kept it pure. Common's
am not referencing the 6th anniversary of September 11. No, I'm talking about the new
9/11, a day that will go down as the Kanye West vs. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson war.
For those who have been living under a rock and don't know about the feud, 50 has
declared that he will retire if his new album "Curtis" does not outsell West's "Graduation."
This leads me to believe that the hip-hop 401k plan must be the best in the nation. To
think that my mother will work well into her late 60's just to retire. She should have just skipped the 40-hour workweeks, grabbed her entourage, and started to hustle on the
streets. The woman has faced so much adversity in her life; she had to drive a Nissan Sentra with no air conditioning for a decade.
Most hip-hop is centered around hype, and this feud is not different. But still, I was
expecting some good, old-fashioned, trash talking beef. Gentleman it's good that no ones getting hurt, but it seems that the ladies of hip-hop are serving more time than all the men out there. Foxy Brown, we all get mad at the nail salon, but please hold your Blackberry.
The world of hip-hop has lost its social message. It's lost its flair and become somewhat predictable.
The Sugar Hill Gang warned us against oppression. Arrested Development showed Middle America a little about the Motherland's fashion attire. As a result, gangster rap emerged as some of the most influential sounds of our time. Who doesn't bump Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" even today?
This community has gone through its 40 days and 40 nights of turmoil and come out with
its fists raised proudly. Rap music has made it past Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur.
They have kept their credibility after Vanilla Ice. It has even outlasted Flavor Flav's introduction of BET-style programs to VH1.
But where is it now? The underground scene seems to have kept it pure. Common's
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