This is incredible. Last week, toy maker Mattel and rapper 50 Cent jointly announced in a press release that they will form a partnership to market a new 50 Cent doll. The figurine will be an exact 1/10 size replica of 50 Cent and is the first in a new line of dolls trying to capture the "new hip youth generation," said a spokesperson. On a controversial note, accessories for the doll will include a bulletproof vest, a bottle of Bacardi, and a matching diamond watch and necklace to adorn lil' 50 in bling.
Most of you readers probably haven't heard this breaking news, because I just made it up. But I had you going for a second, didn't I?
With all the recent commercialism in the hip-hop industry it isn't so hard to believe. Reebok has partnered with G-Unit and Jay-Z to create shoes, Nelly teamed up with Nike to make the Air Derrty sneakers (possibly on the success of his song "Air Force Ones"), and Jay-Z also has his own Nokia phone. In the most bizarre case however, Old Navy has decided to make Lil' Kim one of their new spokespersons - this is the same woman known for wearing outrageously revealing outfits, such as the skintight purple jumpsuit she wore at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards which exposed one of her breasts, covered only by a matching pasty on her nipple. Makes me wonder whether we'll be seeing pasties as the Old Navy item of the week any time soon.
Incidentally, Mattel does actually have a line of toys aimed at "the highly popular hip-hop market." For anyone looking for a quick laugh, check out their Web site at Flavas.com.
Music and commercialism is nothing new - it is a business after all. Every artist dreams of making it big, and partly inherent in that success is that you must "sell out" to advertisers and sponsors. However, advertising can ingrain powerful messages, and the images that kids see around them become the culture they try to adopt.
And when the messages of niche music like gangsta hip-hop go mainstream, strange things will happen. For example, flipping through channels on TV one day, I saw 50 Cent on "TRL." He was there promoting the release of a new CD from his rap group G-Unit, and Carson Daly asked 50 about his friend and recently incarcerated G-Unit member Tony Yayo. It struck me as odd when hordes of teens began cheering after 50 announced Yayo would be released from prison in a few weeks. This is a man who was arrested on charges of weapons possession and jailed because of a history of outstanding warrants, yet the news of his release was cheered by a huge group of young people on national TV.
I'm not trying to pick on Fitty (that is the technically correct pronunciation, by the way) or his G-Unit. But with some of its lyrics, G-Unit should change its name to PG-13-Unit.
Media images have been the subject of tremendous criticism ever since a rash of school violence a few years ago, but I'm not about to suggest that rap lyrics are the cause of all of society's ills. But hip-hop commercialism is out of control. Advertisers and marketers should choose spokespeople with more care, as they reflect the face of the company.
While a freethinking adult has every right to choose to listen to whatever music or buy whatever product he or she wishes, young children often do not have the same control over the messages they are bombarded with, and they are usually more susceptible to the culture created by the media. The thug lifestyle of many successful rappers is not one that young kids should be emulating; yet these are the messages they are often receiving. And the biggest problem with mainstreaming is how it legitimizes and popularizes fringe ideas. Hip-hop music discusses adult issues and is clearly meant for mature audiences; trying to tone these messages down for mass-marketing campaigns is not only deceitful, but it also lends implicit approval for young children to embrace its themes.
Hip hop is an R-rated industry. But advertising shouldn't be.
Ishtiaque Masud is a mixology and marketing senior. Reach him at ishtiaque.masud@asu.edu.
