The Foils of Fame

Fame is the worst drug known to man.  It’s stronger than heroin.  When you can look in the mirror like, “There I am,” and still not see what you’ve become. I know I’m guilty of it too but not like them. – Jay-z, “Lost Ones“Being part of the Industry.           When you take that first step on your journey to becoming an industry superstar, your head is filled with culture changing concepts.  You’re ambitious and idealistic.  You know what Hip Hop needs and you will deliver. Rain, sleet, snow nor dark of night will keep you from realizing your dream of Hip Hop innovation.  You are the rap crusader. Then opportunity knocks and you answer.  Your dreams are realized and you are presented with your industry insider merit badge.  Access is granted and all those music videos you used to watch on your 13 inch tube are now 3D.  It’s top notch glitz and glamour and there is nothing that can rip you away; not even your own voice. You can hear the outsider you used to be reminding you of your desire to develop the culture, but the music in VIP is loud.  The expensive doors filter out all the noise. You misplace that voice somewhere deep in the belly of the latest hot spot.  And when you emerge, you are vacant and voiceless. Access is a beautiful thing.  We all want it.  However, that access can arrest the development of our crusaders.  We look to Hip-Hop’s fresh voices to push the boundaries of the genre; to advance the music.  But being silenced by that death grip you have on being accepted serves no purpose to anyone but yourself. I’ve seen glimpses of this behavior.  Artists get caught up in their own hype and don’t feel they have to work for your money anymore.  Journalists allow platinum selling rappers to lie to them in interviews, but don’t protest because they don’t want to jeopardize their outside relationship or the next interview. Folks look down the barrel of their noses at the latest battle king or regional mixtape phenom because they have yet to make a mainstream studio album. You have made it to the top, but that doesn’t mean the work you put in to get there is now beneath you. You did it when you were a fan and no one was paying you anything then.  You did it because you wanted to.  You did it because you cared. Now all these little industries that have popped up over the last 30 or so years to siphon as much from the music as possible have created their own league of distinguished gentlemen; groups who have bought into their own hype even though they add very little to the Hip-Hop landscape but an extra body in VIP. It’s tragic because when the innovators stop innovating and the crusaders stop crusading, the music suffers.  So, the next time you are patting yourself on the back for all of the A-List accoutrement you have in your possession; remember how you achieved that.  Think about that ladder you had to climb to get to where you are, and the passion that drove you. Excuse yourself from the round table and get back to being that advocate the culture needs.   Then you can try to marry that passion with your status.  If you think back far enough, that’s probably what you were trying to accomplish in the first place.The opinions expressed in the above editorial do not necessarily represent the views of AllHipHop.com, it’s representatives or assigns.