What Money Do...

You know usually I hate bloggers (lol), because I always feel like only 10% of them are intelligent (Souls of Black Folk 2007) but I can't help but sift the masses of ignorance in the comments from the bigger blogs (sohh.com, allhiphop, etc.). Recently, I came across one particular comment that caught my eye. Now I didnt care enough to go back and quote exactly or cite, but to paraphrase, someone asked...

Why after we just sat through a Super Tuesday showdown which produced 1.7 million record sales in a week for two millionaires, 'Ye and 50 are virtually tight-lipped about the weightier causes going down in the states (Jena), when less-mainstream artists are contributing their influence to said issues while they could be shamelessly self-promoting.

I'm not gonna get holier than thou' about it and initially it didnt phase me, but after seeing 50 all but dissapear from the rumor blogs and press junkets, and Kanye appear, solely to bitch about injustices against his ego... I felt some kind of way about it. By all means, your money is your money and your time is just that, yours. However, know that there is always a greater calling out there.

If the drama in Jena, or the hate crimes in West Virginia dont matter to you, then by all means, do you. I'll be the first to admit in true Kanye-fashion, I straight forgot and wore chocolate and tan on the 20th, but it is what it is. I just feel as though if they want to, these guys could have the ears, minds and hearts of 1.7 million people instantaneously if they felt the drive to rally support and social unrest behind these kids in Louisiana.

Now dont get me wrong, I'm not going to point fingers and single out the stars of Super Tuesday 2007... because hundreds of influential black artists fall in the same boat, but i'm a little sensitive because we as a country just gave 17 million dollars to Jean-Bernard Levy of Vivendi Universal (the beast that owns Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella AND Interscope/Aftermath/Shady/G-Unit) on the strength of two men's influence.

Recently super-producer, Timbaland provided a bit of insight into the concerns of hip-hop's nouveau-riche

Timbaland on "Super Tuesdays" & other niggas with money:

"To make it be some talk, I gotta go against my big brother. He's my big brother. [Who are] the two quarterbacks? Peyton Manning and Eli? When they have to go against each other, it's like, 'Do I really wanna go against my big brother?' Dre is my mentor. That would drive people to the stores. Like, 'Oh snap, Tim and Dre!' That would be big. I asked Jay-Z who he would go against. He said, 'The only person I would go against is my other homeboy: my friend Eminem.'"

...

"He [Jay-Z] wants me to do the next single," Tim said. "He just does it for fun. We talked about [his next album]. He says it's just a hobby, ain't nothing else to do. When a person tells you that, what you supposed to say? 'You crazy'? He said, 'I don't wait for nothing. I'm there. I'm doing it for the love of music.'"

Twista on the Jena 6 rallying efforts:

"I commend Mos for what he's doing. It's definitely time for more rappers to speak their minds, you know what I'm saying?" he said. "I'm going to be there to show my support. This is stuff that was always paid attention to in the early days of rap..."

I've recently downloaded Adrenaline Rush 2007, but I'm headed to Best Buy to get my copy on payday homie.