ahemI want to embrace this shit, really, but some of this is such crap -- in my mind at least. I don't know fiddy really, but I have met some extremely stupid fans -- feverishly talking about gold and only caring about money --I can respect the fact that it has not been that long that (black culture) money has been around here -- but I don't think that a money oriented culture is fucking good -- any way that is the best I have. I have no idea what growing up in the ghetto is like -- I saw Menace 2 Society -- that is about it-- and, Boyz in the Hood -- which are about this stuff, I think. I like Wu-Tang, who I think are out of style now ... Liked Ice Cube, NWA -- but always like punk and Tom Waits type music more ... I know a lot of people that think that there is somthing that is wrong with you if you are not in to hip-hop right now, I just care about other shit. Like being a writer, maybe I'll check this out -- but put out by MTV?

It sounds like you know a lot about hiphop. I know 50 is over-exposing himself like crazy these days, and I hope he doesn't turn himself into a complete embarrassment. But, even though the ten year olds wear G Unit clothes now (I was just at my daughter's school, and this is a fact), I will still always give credit to 50's first mixtape tracks and his first CD. I read his book and really enjoyed it -- it's the same story his CD tells, and if I see his movie it'll probably be the same story his movie tells. Which is the same one Ice Cube and Easy-E told. It's just making more money now, and yeah, that will probably eventually be hiphop's downfall. Too bad.

Blackula rules!raise your hand if you think 50 really sat down and wrote that shit himself (his book). because he didn't. it's pretty hilarious that white suburban kids eat rap music up, because black rap artists pretty much just exploit the reality of the "hood" or whatever to sell their records or books to...white suburban kids. which i'm not saying this is a bad thing for rap artists to do, cause they are just schooling the shit out of rich kids for their money, so like, be my guest. i think its something along the lines of what blacksploitation movies used to do. i'm not sure, shit i listen to toad the wet sprocket sometimes, whatever that tells you.

It sounds sad that the fashion industry wants to dress kids like junior thugs. The fashion industry must have been behind the curve in the '60s and '70s because kids weren't dressed up like junior flower children although everyone did start wearing wire-rim and tortoise shell glasses and T-shirts but few were tied-dyed. Much has been said here at Litkicks about the Notorious B.I.G. and his Ready To Die CD is one of the best concept albums ever made but it doesn't seem the kind of stuff for bed time stories.White-bread suburbanites would consider many of this writer's former digs in the ghetto because hypodermic needles were often found discarded in the street and food stamps were common currency at the corner store with random gun shots at night but, as in the note above, hip-hop's going to change--has changed--because it may soon be the mainstream. Here in China, it seems they have the trappings--breaking, rapping, tagging, DJing--but none of the spirit. Gangsta rap was mocked in the 1999 film Office Space, so it seemed over then though there have been some accolades for 50-Cent here and he was on David Letterman recently which puts him somewhere on the major pop culture barometer and definitely less fringe.It's good to see the rappers putting out books because maybe it'll get kids reading but the street novel isn't anything new either unless it could be a new archetype like BIG's Ready To Die.

But ... does the annoying commercialization nullify the quality of the work itself? It's a tough call. If I were just encountering 50's music for the first time now, I would feel very prejudiced against it due to the fact that it's being mega-branded and cross-marketed, and I don't like music that makes me feel like a consumer.But if I had felt that way a few years ago and hadn't picked up his "Get Rich" CD, I would have missed out on some of the best songs I've ever heard. I think the guy has phemonenal talent. The New York Times reviewed his movie and said he lacks verbal wit -- are they crazy?!?! Verbal wit is basically *what* he's got -- he doesn't even sing well, he just writes very memorable words.Also, yeah, I know 50 co-wrote the book but it says so right in the book, and the co-author is credited by name, so I don't think there's anything false about this. I don't think he can be called false for trying to make a ton of money, either -- look at the title of his first CD. But, like I said above, I don't like music that makes me feel like a consumer, and I wish 50 would take a break, get back to writing songs he would respect himself (enough of this "Candy Shop" garbage) and spend some time counting his money instead of earning more.

Also, I have to agree that this news of a book deal, in itself, has got to be considered good news. If it gets people reading, who can be against it? I don't think 50's book deal is part of the problem (that's his good side) -- but the action figures, the video games, the saturday morning cartoons, the breakfast cereals ...

Yo Boyz!Not to diss any 50Cent lovers out there, but c'mon, it's not like he's some prophetic rapper. Unless of course I'm missing the real meaning of Candy Shop? Whether any of the other rappers admit it or not, they're all out to make money. Granted Fiddy is really pushing it. Seriously, do you think he sat in some meeting with executives convincing him that his name on books is really going to get the inner city kid reading? I sincerely hope it does. Oh! And a comment about the clothes thing. They weren't as "in your face", but there were plenty of us wearing halter tops, bell-bottoms and other trendy, hippy clothes as kids. We just mixed them in with Garanimals stuff so we blended with the mainstream a little better.

You know, people like Pam Anderson or 50 Cent putting out books isn't necessarily a good thing -- it's basically a coproration saying "look what we can stuff down their throats", it doesn't have to be good, it doesn't have to be written by the "star", it just has to have their name & picture on it.I've never seen anything that even suggests a star's book increases reading -- if it did it would be cool, but if anyone thinks that 50 Cent's book is anything more than "get rich or die trying" is kidding themselves, someone offered him a lot of money & he took it. I can see why rap stars are willing to shill for anything they rationalize it as getting back something for themselves & their people after centuries of exploitation, coporations give them a shitload of money, but it seems to me they're still being used by the same old men that cynically use anyone & anything to put money in their pockets & at the moment the rap stars are happy because they can buy a lot of bling, wait until they see it has cost their souls.

I certainly agree with you about the hippie clothes. Doesn't anyone remember when jeans were just jeans, and after the summer of love, the jeans industry exploded? They even came out with stone-washed, or faded, or whatever they were called, to look broken in, like you'd been living in a commune for two years (like they really washed them with stones in the factory) - I mean, the whole thing was big business after a while! The same with tiedyed shirts & dresses, granny glasses, belts & belt buckles, sandels, ponchos, right up to the 1976-American-bicentennial-old-time-old-fashion items of every description.

I do think certain books encourage young people to read. A few years ago, my son read a book about a wrestler named "Mankind" and I think the whole wrestling thing is about as stupid as anything can be, but I was glad to see him reading. Later on, he read a book by Marilyn Manson, and he is always reading my Rolling Stone magazines I leave laying around. By the way, he no longer watches wrestling.

And here is another example. I just reminded myself of this while posting about the hippies in a different thread: Herbal Essence Shampoo. It was marketed to those "back-to-nature" stone-washed jeans hippie-influenced people. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with it.