We gettin what kind of money??

Greetings from the blog that brings discussion to recent and often controversial changes in urban music culture: style, talent, lyrics, business and more. Has the music culture advanced since years ago? Where has it gone wrong? How did we get where we are? Do we want things to stay this way? These are questions we all ask ourselves about Hip-Hop and R&B music frequently. Here is where you can air your thoughts and theories. There may be things misunderstood as to the reason and rhyme of the game, but here we can break it down. Welcome to dEcomposed.

Today, let's discuss lyrical content. When did that become an issue for music? Particularly in the case of R&B music, way back when, most music came from the soul. Singers and groups always had heartache and love on their mind. Yes, that can get repetitive, but we can never change the fact that love and relationships are at the center of most people’s hearts. Not everyone can relate to or even possess the ability to write deep lyrics that involve changing the world or ending world hunger, nor can the general audience. Even though the previous statement is true and reasonable, that does not justify the following trend.

We all want to dance. We all want to party. And the artists who create music for the club are much appreciated for creating music we can use for those reasons rather than sitting in a circle singing folk songs around a camp fire. But when lyrics have now surpassed the issue of too much cursing, violence and sex, I now pose another concern. Recently, rapper Busta Rhymes released his first single from his 8th album called Back on my B.S. The single is entitled “Arab Money” in which Rhymes compares his wealth in terms of wealth of the Middle East. There has been a lot of pressure on Rhymes because of this song and has faced the risk of being considered racist or prejudice, and also for the inappropriate usage of prayers from the Muslim holy book, the Koran (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Money) in the "Arab Money" remix.

Pump the breaks. What is really going on?? I totally get the analogy that Busta is attempting to make. You’re rich like Middle Eastern royalty. I get it. But “I make you bow down and make Salaat like a Muslim?” Really?! A hot as this is in the club, and as hype as people get when it comes on, we have to stop and take a look at things. This song is disrespectful to the Arab and Muslim people, period. It’s bad enough that he is stereo-typing the culture, but the usage of holy prayer and words from the Koran is really over-doing it. I don’t understand where Busta Rhymes ever got the notion that saying these things was ok in any form… This is the type of thing you might say to a friend if you really felt the joke would be worth it. But nationally distributing it? Maybe that should have gotten a second thought..or a third one. What makes it really bad is the fact that there were people in the video of Middle Eastern decent, including DJ Khalid, dancing along in approval!

When it comes to using inappropriate religious references in rap music, Busta Rhymes is not the only one in recent music. In singer/rapper T-Pain’s recent single “Chopped and Screwed” featuring Ludacris, Ludacris used a line that could offend Christians:

“Put you over my knees
Put you on punishment
Women and I'll spank ya (baaa)
Have you praising the lord
Like thank you-thank you
Thank you lord I want to thank you (Jesus)"

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/tpain/choppedskrewed.html


I know I personally feel uncomfortable with that and I turn it off until that part is over every single time. Some say art is art and no one should have a right to approve or disapprove of an artists’ creative work. There is some truth to that, but when you are an entertainer on a global scale, doesn’t there have to come a point where there is even the smallest consideration and respect for things?

-.Ele



VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYOmWQiVCFQ
LYRICS
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bustarhymes/arabmoney.html
OTHER COMMENTARY
http://www.blackpower.com/entertainment/an-analysis-of-busta-rhymes-arab-money/

http://www.rapbasement.com/busta-rhymes/120308-busta-rhymes-new-song-arab-money-gets-a-dj-suspended-releases-new-video.html

Want to read other blogs like this? Try:

www.blackpower.com/entertainment/an-analysis-of-busta-rhymes-arab-money/

www.illdoctrine.com

randb.about.com/b/

www.blogcatalog.com.blogs/confessions-of-an-rb-drama-queen.html

www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/domeshots-and-fat-laces.html