Fallout from Rick Ross’ rape lyrics could inspire change in hip-hop
theGRIO REPORT - The firestorm has singed the 37-year-old rapper at the moment, but any long-term consequences appear slim according to those who work in the business, as he likely won’t lose his fan base...
Artists such as T.I. and Chris Brown lost sponsorships due to criminal misbehavior, not verbal slander. In Brown’s case, even after physically abusing Rihanna, his campaign with Double Mint was merely suspended.
From the perspective of Homeboy Sandman, a hip-hop artist signed to the independent label Stones Throw Records, Ross’ words could actually prove beneficial to his career. The young emcee feels that not only are Ross’ lyrics predictable, but a likely progression of the business.
“There’s a thin line between art and celebrity, or art and tabloid,” Homeboy Sandman explains. “There are a lot of acts that nobody’s excited about their music, but they’re always out there. They generate a lot of revenue; they generate a lot of talk…This is why, in hip-hop, a lot of people are getting shunned. It’s theatrical. It’s not a music-based thing, and the hip-hop community stands for it. To me, people look completely foolish who get up, [saying] ‘Hey I can’t believe this dude,’ when every record he makes is talking about killing human beings.”
A starring role in criminalization
According to Homeboy Sandman’s theory, Ross, who took his name from one of the worst drug traffickers in American history, masterminded a character to embody as his rap alias, and thus he promotes a corresponding lifestyle fit for cinematic display. Homeboy Sandman compares the MMG artist to a figure like Kim Kardashian, whose skills fall more in line with a shrewd marketing strategist than talented musician.
“Rick Ross to me is a celebrity just for the sake of people talking about him,” Homeboy Sandman says. “People do terrible things when they get paid. He recognizes that violence works, that’s part of his job. There’s a lot of revenue being generated…Women are not even people in the lyrics; women are just for sex. They are constantly disrespected…The people who consider themselves members of the hip-hop community really need to be ashamed of themselves for waiting until you have something [like pro-rape lyrics], and that makes them more upset than hearing 5,000 lines that say women are good for nothing but sex.”
Nikole agrees, adding that the positive could outweigh the negative for Ross.
“The song is a hot topic right now, but eventually all of the hype around the situation will fade,” she observes. “Even though he has lost some fans, he has also been introduced to an entirely new audience who would have never paid attention to his music before this scenario.”
The need for citizen’s arrest
When the debate surrounding Ross’ rape rhyme quiets down, the sting of its torch may similarly be numbed unless the community demands more from its leaders. Homeboy Sandman insists the duty to police in hip-hop belongs to those who absorb music, and a zero tolerance policy seems out of the realm of possibility.
“There’s so much hypocrisy going on,” he remarks. “There are people that are upset about this that go and spend their money every weekend in clubs that play Rick Ross. There are people that blast it out of their windows. Can we police ourselves?”
“We have allowed them to change the whole culture to the point where life is imitating art instead of art imitating life,” he continues. “Rappers used to represent people. Rappers used to do what the people do. Rappers used to talk like people. Now people talk like rappers. People dress like rappers. It starts with what is put out there. We do not turn the off radio. We do not stop going to the clubs. We support this with way more than our dollars…So police yourselves. Have some standards, have some backbones. Do not wait for a guy to come out and talk about killing and raping before you say, ‘Yo, this dude is messed up. He might be doing something wrong for our community.’”
With disparaging feedback from fans and fellow artists (Talib Kweli also voiced his disapproval), and monetary assets at stake, Nikole believes there does lie a small chance Ross’ misstep will prove positive for the industry.
“I think that artists will become more conscious of the language that they use, especially once it begins to affect their money,” she says. “Losing this endorsement could cost Rick Ross millions of dollars; any artist who sees this will definitely think twice about what they are saying. It will also make artists pay more attention to who they choose to collaborate with, as the song has been pulled from radio in various markets. This in turn affects the artist who released the music, in this case Rocko.”
Nikole admits that radio stations should be held responsible for supporting artists who promote such negative connotations, but insists it’s a two-way street and that the public must demand change as well.
“Radio plays its part, but it’s only a small piece of a giant puzzle,” Nikole says. “I hear people call to request the music in question all day. Rap has pretty much reached a point where anything goes, the content of rap songs now consist of sex, money, and drugs. With so much influence over the youth, rappers should be held accountable for the content of their lyrics. Maybe seeing this incident will make artist realize that they need to be more responsible with the lyrics that they are promoting.”
Follow Courtney Garcia on Twitter at @CourtGarcia
