I know you muthafuckas saw the grammys this past Sunday. Year after year, everyone watches this event & comes away thoroughly disappointed. So much, in fact, that I think I would be disappointed by not being disappointed, if that makes any sense.
Of course, this year was no different. Aside from Bruno Mars & a few other gems, the Grammys proved to be another lackluster spectacle. Now, my biggest issue with events like these aren't the lack of quality performances, but the pre-conceived, forced shock value that is tacked onto some of these sets. Everybody wants to be the center of attention, the talk of the town. Gaga wants to top Madonna. Katy Perry wants to top Gaga. Ke$ha wants to top Katy Perry. And so on. It's all a cycle of shit.
What this leads to is a whole bunch of chickenheads trying to prove how 'different' they are when the weirdness of their performances is actually a cover-up for their lack of talent. We are to believe that these artists are 'unique' and appreciate them because they're 'different' when these spectacles are merely illusions of who these artists really are. Have you not seen the aforementioned artists before they were big? All relatively normal-looking. I'm suppose to believe that when they had all the artistic freedom in the world that they were 'caged' but once they entered the creative jail that is known as the music industry that they were allowed to be their real selves? It makes no sense.
The newest member of this sorry sorority is Nicki Minaj. While watching the Grammys, I was told over & over again by the douchebag announcer to stay tuned & see a performance from Nicki that I wouldn't forget. Well, technically he was right, but not for the right reasons. I sat & watched a desperate plea for attention (and possibly help) as she became her alter-ego 'Roman' for five minutes while attempting to be exercised. If you were one of those people who dismissed any reality of secret (or not-so-secret) societies like the Illuminati being heavily involved in the entertainment industry, you were pretty much running out of reasons.
Illuminati affiliations aside, the performance got me thinking about the state of current hip-hop. Nicki was pretty much the only representation of hip-hop (if you can call her that) who performed, outside of a brief Wayne cameo later on. How much did she set the genre & the culture back? What about the reprecussions for her fellow female rappers going forward? The generation before me had MC Lyte. I had Lauryn Hill. The current generation is left with Nicki, who while she can occasionally deliver a solid verse, is seen more as an industry puppet w/ no identity. Not the uplifting trend-setter the hip-hop culture, or more importantly female rappers, need. I'm not saying that the future of a juggernaut like hip-hop lies on the back of someone like Nicki. Hip-hop will always be present in some form. But right now, the future of commercial success within the genre is being led by some bird who wore a giant red robe to the biggest award show the industry has to offer.
Another thing I've been wanting to get off my chest... her fuckin' last name is another word for a threesome. Yet when we have some 5-year-old girls on Ellen reciting the lyrics to her songs and saying Minaj is their IDOL, I'm supposed to think it's cute? I was disgusted at how many people on my Facebook & Twitter feeds posted that clip with some form of 'awwww' attached to it. I'd slap the shit out of my future daughter if I even think she muttered the word 'Minaj', let alone sang the lyrics of that industry slut. Condone it if you'd like, just don't be one of those people who acts surprised when they're on the train & overhear a sexually explicit conversation between a bunch of pre-teens who haven't even filled in their training bras.
In conclusion, we have to do better. I consider myself a rational person who takes everything w/ a grain of salt but this shit is getting out of hand. Now excuse me while I put 'The Mis-Eduction of Lauyrn Hill' on blast.
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