On one hand, 50 Cent has sold 11 million records during his career, which is roughly twice West's still impressive 6 million. On the other hand, West is the critic's choice – many consider his last two albums to be bonafide hip-hop classics. As 50 Cent so eloquently put it, "I get checks. He gets the trophies."
Kanye West - "All Falls Down" (feat. Syleena Johnson)
Perhaps taking note of the hype, and certainly hoping to earn even more big checks, 50 Cent proceeded to up the ante. First, he challenged West to a presidential style debate on BET's 106 & Park and next, he proclaimed he would never record another solo album if Graduation outsold Curtis. Even though West declined to participate in the debate (saying on TV that it was "the stupidest thing [he] ever heard"), and 50 Cent has since retracted his promise to leave the music industry if he is outsold (a good idea, since Graduation is well ahead of Curtis in pre-sales), the trick worked. This Tuesday was undoubtedly one of the biggest music events this year.
Despite all the hype preceding the release of the two records, however, it doesn't seem like the most likely clash. Even if Kanye West and 50 Cent are arguably the biggest hip-hop artists in the market today, they aren't exactly competitors. In fact, they represent radically different personalities. 50 Cent is the filthy rich gangster, whereas Kanye West is the socially conscious backpack rapper. Would there be a competition of this magnitude in the rock industry if, say, Nickelback and Radiohead decided to release their new albums on the same day? Doubtful. Sure, beef is an important part of the rap industry while it is more or less irrelevant to rock and pop (unless your name is Brandon Flowers), but it seems that the 50 Cent/Kanye West battle is little more than a publicity stunt meant to jump-start floundering hip-hop record sales.
Indeed, music industry profit is currently at an all-time low. Compared to 2006, overall album sales are down 14 percent this year, which undoubtedly has major labels getting antsy. Hip-hop in particular is suffering, experiencing a shocking 30 percent decline since last year. Where does the problem lie?
50 Cent - "In da Club"
A frequent criticism of Top 40 hip-hop is that it is too focused on getting a great single as opposed to a solid fan base. In a world where consumers can steal a hit song or two with a few mouse clicks, there is little motivation for people to lay down money for artists to whom they have no connection. At the same time, independent musicians with staunch followings such as Arcade Fire, the Shins, Modest Mouse and Interpol are now claiming top spots on Billboard charts. Could the competition between 50 Cent and Kanye West compel consumers to pledge allegiance to their rapper of choice, thereby establishing the solid fan base indie musicians are currently enjoying?
Maybe. Or perhaps it is simply another publicity stunt. It's certainly impossible to deny that this competition has raked up an incredible amount of press attention. Practically everybody is poised to see how consumers react to this great experiment in consumer mobilization. It even jolted the rock-based Rolling Stone magazine into focusing on hip-hop – 50 Cent and Kanye West stare each other down on the cover of the current issue.
The two hip-hop titans go head-to-head this week in what has been dubbed "the battle that will save the music industry." Cast your vote and support your rapper of choice by buying his album and help the floundering record industry while you're at it! Either that, or make a futile protest of major label dominance by grabbing that great new Animal Collective album. Your choice.
Originally published for the Cavalier Daily:
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2007/sep/13/kanye-vs-50-cent/
No comments:
Post a Comment