Azealia Banks And The Frustration Of The Industry

It's almost too easy nowadays to differentiate the artists with a message from the ones who say things just to promote themselves. Actually, it might not be so much. Scratch that, yes it is. Getting your feelings involved in any situation adds a biased factor to what you end up saying, whether your point is good or bad. Constructive criticism, straight hate and bashing, or even simple props given to someone are all justified at some point no matter how easy it is to see their reasoning. Living life in the industry can only be spoken convincingly by someone living the life themselves (obviously), but until you know about the life yourself, can you really give an opinion anyone truly cares about?  I felt an overload of thoughts surrounding this topic, and it starts with Azealia Banks' interview with Ebro in the Morning.

If you haven't seen it, Azealia Banks gave quite the entertaining interview to Ebro in the Morning on Hot 97. If you know Ebro and his interview style, he very easily has a way to warm up his guests then transition into the problems and the gossip people want to know about, and Azealia Banks had a lot to say about her past (and present) problems with Iggy Azalea. Banks goes on to say that she sees it as more of a problem that Iggy is getting more attention than her because of her race and how the industry works and sees blacks as "slaves" more than the fact that her and Iggy have had simple beef because of what Banks' fans see as Iggy stealing her name. Both sides of this have incredibly fascinating points that cannot be ignored.

The point of mentioning the biased views of people is this:  people should be able to see both sides of the story fairly and make a judgment based on the facts (I have no intention of turning this into a court case so you don't have to prepare for jury duty, though you may see it as you place). Banks goes on to mention in her interview that she is tired of blogs and magazines like Complex, Bossip, XXL and The Source that entertain these discussions and ideas just to "get your fuckin clicks" and make headlines and money. Reasonable point right?  Living the industry lifestyle has shown that you will have to deal with constant publicity, press, pictures and videos you don't want shot of you, and even LEAKED footage and pictures that you don't even plan to be seen (no this isn't about the fappening, perverts). Banks also went on to say that these sites are "creating the bad picture."

Now comes the second side of the story:  Banks' known history for beef and problems/disputes being made public. Azealia Banks almost has a catalog of problems and beef with other artists/rappers, Iggy Azalea only being the latest on that list. She goes on to talk about some of these issues in the interview with Ebro, including one with T.I. and his wife Tiny (which I had no idea even was a thing, who knew this "beef" even existed?  And to start it with T.I., the king of maturity in rap and focusing on himself and his family, what exactly did Banks plan to accomplish with starting something with T.I.?). Who sounds like the attention seeker during this part of the interview?  Relevancy can be obtained in any way you wish (especially as an artist), whether that be the good way or the bad way, then again why would the saying "any publicity is good publicity" exist?

But my points don't stop there. Ebro goes on to mention to Banks that he believes putting the energy into social media (tweeting about her problems) wasn't the right decision in his eyes. "Putting the energy into your music" as Ebro put it, has proven time and time again for artists (Drake, Eminem, anyone who you believe vents about life in their music) to be a successful method, and even if the success doesn't show up in sales, how could it not help your own personal views and mindset?  "Putting it all on wax" is almost therapeutic, and has been known to help not only the artists going through the struggles, but even their fan bases to feel better throughout the process (although beefing with T.I. might not have been something you've done lately). So this leads to my next question:  why not preach what you say in your music in real life?  If you're rapping or singing about it, why don't you talk about it?  This isn't always the case for every artist nowadays, so I'll be more specific: WHY HASN'T AZEALIA BANKS VENTED ABOUT THIS BULL IN HER MUSIC?!

This topic of conversation has been, is, and always will be a slippery slope. You don't know about making music unless you do it, and you definitely don't know about making music in the industry unless you do it (the difference in numbers between the 2 is astounding, believe it or not, going from mix tape rapper to platinum seller is a lot harder than some make it look, though I can't speak from experience). The key seems to be finding balance. (In my opinion) Azealia Banks is too often found in the spotlight for her beef and social media rants than she is for her music, so I only see this latest rant as her craving more attention than really trying to make a point. These interviews certainly make for some entertainment if you don't get your daily fix, but the fact that this is making news might be an example of a bigger problem. Shortly after this interview made waves online Banks got into some Twitter arguments (surprise) with rapper Action Bronson, be sure to check out those tweets if you can find them, and definitely be sure to check out Banks' interview discussing all of these things with Hot 97 below (Banks' views on Iggy and her rant begin at the 8:20 mark).

                                            (*I do not own this video, or the rights to it*)







      

    

G-Unit and the Comeback: What Should We Think?

50 Cent, along with Eminem, led an era of hard hitting, chart topping, heart stopping rap. Maybe not so much heart stopping, I just thought it sounded cool to rhyme. Now I don't want to sound old, but this is the 50 I miss. Not just 50 Cent, but being backed by as powerful of a group as there was back in their heyday, G-Unit was the group to take out of the number one spot for a decent number of years in the early 2000s. Now it seems they want to recapture the times that they once enjoyed at the top...but is it too late for them to do so?

The hip-hop world has been abuzz with a number of G-Unit tracks leaking as of late, all remixes up until the most recent track "Come Up." Their track record since the beginning of the year has led to remixes of Chris Brown's "Loyal," YG and Drake's "Who Do You Love," Future's "Move That Dope" and a few more. The crowd reaction up to this point has been pretty good, but will they be able to keep up the buzz in time for their projects' release this year?

Yes, I said projects' as in plural, supposedly the Unit has plans for not only a comeback album, but also a mix tape to come shortly before the album as well. The first place they really made noise with their reunion if you remember was during Hot 97's Summer Jam of this year back in the beginning of June. They took the attention of over 50,000 people in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and even though many fans believe the rest of G-Unit to have just been "hype men" to 50 Cent during his performance, they certainly stole the show from a very star studded line up that included other names like Nas, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Lil Wayne, Jhene Aiko, and many more.

Game has also voiced his opinion on the reunion. He recently stated in an interview this year that he thought the reunion was "cool" and is "very happy for them," especially for his still long time friend in the group, Young Buck. He also said this about the reunion in an interview with Power 106 FM; "With all the money he got, he (50 Cent) don't need music no more. He's giving Banks, Yayo, and definitely Buck, because that's my partner, a chance to get back out there and do shows and make more money. G-Unit the name will pack a building and they get to split that up and I think that's cool. That was my first and only thought about it."

So it sounds as if Game is happy for the reunion, but probably doesn't want anything to do with the group after his and 50's falling out awhile back. I'm sure if the fans had a choice, Game would be there with all of them sharing the glory, but if we know Game is going to do one thing, it's voice his opinion rather clearly. So what do you think of the reunion?  Do you think it's for real, or is it just another scheme for 50, Yayo, Banks and Buck to get together and make more money off of each other?  I'd personally love to see them share more success together and make good music once again, but the opinion of the masses is what counts!  Let me know what you think of the reunion on Twitter (@SuperNovaRover) or Google+ (Geoffrey Guy). G-g-g-g-g-g-g- u-NIT!