Today’s Rap Videos – a lot left to be desired

In short, rap videos have become obsessed with cash money, and as much as I’d like to be, I’m not.  In fact having the type of disposable wealth flaunted in today’s rap videos seems like it might actually be embarrassing.  This is of course because the economy blows and a lot of people with big bankrolls have proven to be the reason we’re all in our respective predicaments.  But apparently the rap game hasn’t gotten the memo.  Instead, they’ve turned up the bass on their campaign to paint the meaning of life the color of money – literally.

Some would argue that rap videos have always been that way, but I disagree.  It used to be the case that once you peeled away the layers of booty and champagne, rap videos had class. They led us all down a thrilling yet shameful path towards an undeniable kernel of truth about the American condition – that we’re obsessed with all the things that we’re told to be obsessed with – the cars.  The watches.  The houses.  The ladies.  But that was then… 

Today’s rap videos, in their haste, have forgotten to glamorize the lifestyle that money can buy and simply glamorize the money.  It’s as if the purpose of each video that I watched was only to out-do the last in it’s use of gratuitous shots of wads of cash, gold and diamonds.  The yachts and houses aren’t the focus – the physical dollars and cents are.  It got absurd – the last video that I watched, Souljah Boy, in his video, Turn My Swag On had a scene where he sits down and pours himself a bowl of diamonds for breakfast.  Diamonds?  For breakfast?

Don’t get me wrong, there are still a few rappers out there that are keeping the dream a live.  Rick Ross is one.  His video for the song Magnificent, transports you to the race track where, if you’re like him, you get the VIP treatment and escort your own race horse to the starting line while a silky smooth melody by John Legend reminds you of how dope you’re life is.  That’s the dream.  That’s the lifestyle I want and am ashamed to want at the same time.  It’s almost enough to make you forget that, if you’re like me, you’re escorting your wheelchair-bound grandmother to O.T.B to place two-dollar bets while a cacophony of smoker’s coughs fills the space between the hum of old TVs.  

But sadly, Rick Ross is the exception.

The rest of the hip hop landscape seems to be littered with videos that are drunk with money but have little imagination on how to spend it.  And as our economy reboots, so it seems a lot of people’s priorities do as well.  So wouldn’t it make sense that this shift would be expressed in the treatment of our entertainment?  In our rap videos?  I would hope so.  But you’ll forgive me if I don’t hold my breath while I wait for Soulja Boy to appear in a video fanning himself with a fistful of  bejamins right before he hands over his money to a charity for street kids in Burkina Faso while singing:

I get paid Benjamins, dollars and cents   

But I only keep enough to cover the rent,  

The rest, I save for a rainy day,

Or I give it all away to ma’ favorite charity.

-

Cause in this economy diamonds and chains don’t mean shit

I learned this from laid off days playin’ online battle ship,

But I digress, I’m off subject,

I’m talking ‘me’ too much,

I’m a man of the public…

-

Yeah, I’m not holding my breath for that one.  Instead, I think the closest I’ll come to witnessing a ‘relatable lifestyle’ in a rap video today is probably  Joell Ortiz and Brooklyn Bullshit.  Keeping it as real as humanly possible in the rap world:

Thanks to my homies at Portal-A Interactive for turning me on to this video.

…And this just in.  Anthony reminded me of one of my favorite videos from years past that best articulates the down-to-earth tone that I think we could use a little more of in today’s rap video.  What’s Up Fat Lip? – directed by Spike Jonze:

Know of any more rap videos that depict a relatable lifestyle?  Link to it in the comments section and I’ll post it up in this article!