Summer is a tedious time for me; I find myself either preposterously busy or swamped in boredom. When I was suffering from acute boredom Tuesday night (after reading almost every political update on the New York Times Web site), I decided to mosey on down to Hillary Clinton’s Web site and see what was there. For those of you who don’t know, Hillary basically lost the Democratic bid Tuesday, and I wanted to know what her supporters had to say about it. Lud! How I rue my decision now.
What I saw was depressing. I saw so many people who were planning not to vote, or worse, to vote for McCain. I can’t understand this at all. Did Democrats know that having two incredibly strong candidates would rip the party apart?
The reason why women are so angry is because they projected themselves onto Hillary Clinton; I can understand that. We’ve never had a candidate who wore a pantsuit before, let alone a bra. But we have to remember something: anger and hatred can only get us so far. If all the Hillary supporters vote for McCain, Obama will lose, and Hillary will lose favor with the DNC. By doing this, they are dooming their favored candidate down the line.
So, say McCain wins. In four years, where will we be? (Other than Iraq, that is. Perhaps Iran.) Hillary is still young. In four years, she can run again, but we have to remember that we are a party, and that unity is key. Hillary supporters swallow your pride and wait your turn. The party needs your votes to win.
This is a year when people want something new. We want a change, even if we don’t know where it will take us. We know where we’ll be headed with McCain and Hillary, but Obama, untested and without baggage, is new. We can’t see the future until we’ve been there. In November, I want to go there, and I’ll be pissed as hell if the Lady in the Pantsuit holds me back.
- Willamae Boling | VOX Staff
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Akon Lies about Criminal Past?
Violence, sex, money, jewelry, the ‘gangsta’ mentality and women are a big part of today’s hip-hop culture. Not all hip-hop music is negative or explicit, but let’s be honest, sometimes the song lyrics are simply obscenities put to a good beat. It seems, to be a famous rapper, an artist has to have a negative street image and a criminal record to get respect and be acknowledged as real. Akon has sold more than 10 million copies of his two albums worldwide and bettered himself by allegedly telling lies about his criminal past.
In April, The Smoking Gun published an article that called out the hip-hop/R&B singer for lying about being a ringleader in a 1998 car theft operation and spending four and a half years in prison. According to the article, Akon’s “claims about his criminal career and resulting prison time have been, to an overwhelming extent, exaggerated, embellished, or wholly fabricated.” The article also states that even though Akon has been arrested several times, he has only been convicted of one felony charge for gun possession. He was also convicted of stealing a BMW and was held in DeKalb County Jail for several months before being released with all charges dropped.
I’ve been wondering why Akon has felt the need to tell white lies to make it big in the industry. The Smoking Gun reports that as part of a marketing plan, Akon has filled his music with the kind of lyrics he thinks listeners want to hear. Frankly, I feel the truth always has the upper hand. He doesn’t have to lie to sell records. Just be real. When listeners appreciate music that tell harsh stories, it’s because the person rapping is telling the truth about the hard life he or she has experienced and might be using his or her life experiences to connect with people. Let's face it: no one likes to be lied to. By not telling the whole truth, I’m sure Akon has let down his fans and may have even given some of us a reason to dislike him.
From his first platinum-selling album “Trouble” to his latest “Konvicted,” Akon’s music has glorified prison and criminal life, as if being locked up in a cage like an animal is appealing. Akon has even taken his convict swag so far as to name his label “Konvict Music.” I don’t see why people go to jail and come out like they have gone to college and accomplished something. When I first think of Akon I instantly get the image of him in a video with handcuffs singing, "I'm locked up/They won't let me out," and I hear the loud closing of prison doors. I believe he portrays this negative self-image to be accepted in hip-hop culture and to get respect from rappers. But I don’t think anyone should lie just to be accepted.
It also bothers me that music promoting negativity gets more publicity than music with positive, uplifting lyrics. I’m not saying all music has to be filled with happy faces and rainbows, but when negativity is constantly uplifted, it really bothers me.
Why can’t more rappers be like Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Leela James or other artists who send good messages through their music? If there were more positive messages, I think hip-hop would be a much better genre. Maybe then hip-hop would get its good name back, and people wouldn't blame the genre for some of society’s problems, like drug abuse and the disrespect of women.
When artists like Akon lie about their past to seem cool and send messages that stealing and being locked up are admirable when they’re not, it’s not cool. Artists are always referring to how much they love their fans because the fans make them who they are. I sometimes wonder if the fans are knowledgeable of some of the artists they are creating.
- By Deranda C. Butler | Special to VOX
We want to hear you! Do you think artists need to bear more responsibility and keep it real? Or is lying OK for the sake of the music? Let us know your thoughts!
In April, The Smoking Gun published an article that called out the hip-hop/R&B singer for lying about being a ringleader in a 1998 car theft operation and spending four and a half years in prison. According to the article, Akon’s “claims about his criminal career and resulting prison time have been, to an overwhelming extent, exaggerated, embellished, or wholly fabricated.” The article also states that even though Akon has been arrested several times, he has only been convicted of one felony charge for gun possession. He was also convicted of stealing a BMW and was held in DeKalb County Jail for several months before being released with all charges dropped.
I’ve been wondering why Akon has felt the need to tell white lies to make it big in the industry. The Smoking Gun reports that as part of a marketing plan, Akon has filled his music with the kind of lyrics he thinks listeners want to hear. Frankly, I feel the truth always has the upper hand. He doesn’t have to lie to sell records. Just be real. When listeners appreciate music that tell harsh stories, it’s because the person rapping is telling the truth about the hard life he or she has experienced and might be using his or her life experiences to connect with people. Let's face it: no one likes to be lied to. By not telling the whole truth, I’m sure Akon has let down his fans and may have even given some of us a reason to dislike him.
From his first platinum-selling album “Trouble” to his latest “Konvicted,” Akon’s music has glorified prison and criminal life, as if being locked up in a cage like an animal is appealing. Akon has even taken his convict swag so far as to name his label “Konvict Music.” I don’t see why people go to jail and come out like they have gone to college and accomplished something. When I first think of Akon I instantly get the image of him in a video with handcuffs singing, "I'm locked up/They won't let me out," and I hear the loud closing of prison doors. I believe he portrays this negative self-image to be accepted in hip-hop culture and to get respect from rappers. But I don’t think anyone should lie just to be accepted.
It also bothers me that music promoting negativity gets more publicity than music with positive, uplifting lyrics. I’m not saying all music has to be filled with happy faces and rainbows, but when negativity is constantly uplifted, it really bothers me.
Why can’t more rappers be like Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Leela James or other artists who send good messages through their music? If there were more positive messages, I think hip-hop would be a much better genre. Maybe then hip-hop would get its good name back, and people wouldn't blame the genre for some of society’s problems, like drug abuse and the disrespect of women.
When artists like Akon lie about their past to seem cool and send messages that stealing and being locked up are admirable when they’re not, it’s not cool. Artists are always referring to how much they love their fans because the fans make them who they are. I sometimes wonder if the fans are knowledgeable of some of the artists they are creating.
- By Deranda C. Butler | Special to VOX
We want to hear you! Do you think artists need to bear more responsibility and keep it real? Or is lying OK for the sake of the music? Let us know your thoughts!
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