Calvin Broadus, a.k.a., Snoop Dogg, has regaled us with some of the most captivating lyrics in the history of recorded music. Who can forget his emphatic yet wistful, “%$&#! you #@!$*!” from the cut, “Murder Was The Case.” Or how about his haunting confession, “This &%$#@ ain’t saying’ @!#*&%!!” from “In Love With a Thug.” And who among us has not paid heed to the cautionary tale, “Doggz Gonna Get Ya,” in which Snoop warns, “So what the &%$#! you gone do now?”
Snoop’s impact on American culture in general and on the hip-hop scene in particular no doubt explains why a mainstream corporation like Nokia signed him up as a pitchman. Certainly the folks at Nokia touched the usual bases before inking Snoop, examining his Q rating, his demographic appeal, and most especially, his way with words. Now you can even go online and download Snoop ringtones for your cell phone, although a word to the wise here: Remember to turn your phone off during family gatherings or business meetings, lest you serenade the uninitiated with thoughts like, “&%$#@ those #$@&! hoes!”
Snoop isn’t the only rapper or hip-hopper making the transition from the milieu of handguns, drugs and prostitutes toward that of Mr. and Mrs. Front Porch. LL Cool J is doing Gatorade commercials. P Diddy is a businessman who parties in the Hamptons with the likes of Martha Stewart and Mayor Bloomberg and, in the most telling concession to celebrity entrepreneurialism, recently faced accusations that his clothing line is manufactured in a Honduran sweatshop. Jay-Z and Nas appear in commercials overseas. Busta Rhymes hawks for Mountain Dew and Virgin. OutKast just signed a deal with Polaroid.
Then there are those thespian Ices, T and Cube. Ice T has had numerous film roles, including “New Jack City” and “3000 Miles to Graceland.” Cube can be seen in “Barbershop” as well as the upcoming “Torque.” And don’t forget Beyonce Knowles, who livened up “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”
Let's be 'Friends'
With these examples as signposts, it probably won’t be long before we see Eminem guest-starring as a baby-sitter on “Friends,” or 50 Cent singing a duet with Michael Bolton at halftime of the Super Bowl.
But it seems Snoop currently is the king of homeboy hucksterism. At halftime of the Sugar Bowl game between Oklahoma and LSU last week, Snoop was featured in a lengthy, football-themed music video for Nokia that featured no bullets, ladies of the evening or rock cocaine, and instead was G-rated enough to play at a PTA meeting.
That’s not all. Snoop, who won an award at the 2002 Adult Video News Awards for his short film, “Doggystyle,” which, judging by the title, I can only assume was at least partly autobiographical, did a voiceover for “A Very Merry Muppet Christmas” later that year in an effort to soften his image. But the Jim Henson Company got nervous and cut him out of the movie. Supposedly, Snoop was pushing for an ending in which the Muppets got offed in a drive-by, and the filmmakers ultimately opted to go in a different direction.
Ordinarily, all this hip-hop conformity would make me queasy. I cringe when I hear songs like the Who’s “Happy Jack” featured in a Hummer commercial, and I applaud artists like Neil Young who refuse to allow their art to be used purely for capitalistic purposes. I admire rap and hip-hop because it is raw and uncompromising, and I just assumed that most of it would not translate into a form that Madison Avenue could exploit.
Yet after much deliberation, I realize now that perhaps the greater good can be gained by having more hip-hop in the mainstream, one way or another. Let’s face it, rap and hip-hop already dominate the music charts and the Grammys. Having artists like Snoop and his brethren can only serve to break down societal barriers. I would probably feel better about the integrity of the art form if, say, LL Cool Jay did a spot where he poured a bucket of Gatorade over the head of a rival gangsta rapper, shoved him to the ground and then gave him the finger before walking away, but you have to make some concessions in order to attain maximum appeal.
Money talks
Just about every major brand name is appealing to the hip-hop generation in some form or another. The demographic is impossible to ignore. Money drives the U.S., and right now, hip-hop drives the music business.
And the issue of street cred is a tired one. I’m sure there are kids in inner cities who view Snoop and others like him as sellouts, too preoccupied with making money and no longer connected to their roots. But if the hip-hop stars in TV commercials inspire young devotees to find opportunities in the business world for themselves, isn’t that a positive message? And if citizens who are ignorant of the genre become exposed to it through advertising and come to realize that such performers are not after their belongings and their daughters, then that also is an important breakthrough.
The real harm comes with misogynistic lyrics, threats of violence toward the police, and a general hopelessness and anger among rappers. The grim reality of Snoop’s early work and that of others is now the negative stereotype. The current wave of artists who appear on television and film is a positive step forward. In this case, I’ll take a little sanitization of the subject matter in exchange for the benefits of universal acceptance.
Why, just the other day I was at the bank and an old man who wanted to withdraw $50 asked for “Fitty” instead. When the teller corrected him, the man replied, “@#!$!! your &*%$#!!”
Snoop would have been proud.