The artists I am studying are of course Ms. Dynamite and 50 cent; I am using them because they have different and contrasting messages. 50 cents real name is Curtis Jackson, and his father died when Curtis was at a very young age. His mother died later of mysterious circumstances. He lived in Jamaica and Queens. Ms. Dynamite lived in a council estate house in London and she sings about her perceptions of life and how it should be. When 50 cent was 12 years old he was a runner, and he had a gun by the time he was 15. By the time he was 18 he owned a brothel and earned £3000 a day on it. He is wanted dead, and has to wear a bullet proof vest. He once got shot nine times but survived. The person who shot him was dead within 3 weeks, which shows he has contacts. He was signed by Eminem and Dr. Dre earlier in the year, and he won 3 MOBOS. Ms. Dynamite was once a member of so solid crew and has worked with a number of prominent artists. She has been accused of being unfaithful. She was taught by her mother to work for a better life and to respect herself, they are still very close to each other. Ms. Dynamite and 50 cent both have different backgrounds and were raised very differently.
The songs I will be studying are 50 cent’s ‘P.I.M.P’ and Ms. Dynamite’s ‘It takes more’. I am studying these songs because they are both very different and both have different influences on the youth today. These songs are significant because by using them I can show how different music affects kids these days. 50 cents ‘P.I.M.P’ is about how he is a pimp and he does what he wants and treats people how he wants. It’s all about how he does not care if people don’t like him, he likes his life and no one can stop him from doing what he wants to do. His video is quite pornographic and has lots of explicit lyrics and swearing, and this makes kids think its okay to swear. He says people won’t get any money out of him. He is surrounded by a lot of women, who are with him most probably for the money. Ms. Dynamites ‘It takes more’ however is about how women do not have to sell themselves for money, they can go and work hard and get a job and have some self respect instead of letting people use them and abuse them. In her song she says that it takes more to amuse a girl like her. In her video it has loads of hidden messages like when the woman blows the smoke at the screen and it kind of freezes over, symbolises the coldness of her heart and how she may die soon.
Ms. Dynamite has images like she sees a drug dealer in a car and says about all the Africans who died to make his watch, and you see blood come out from the watch, and then the drug dealer drives into another car after selling drugs to some kids. In 50 cents video when you see his bedroom it is very big which implies his wealth, and it is very bright and white which could imply that he is in a gangster heaven, seeing as he is surrounded by women in their underwear. At the beginning of Ms. Dynamite’s video you see her coming out of a trailer ready to shoot a video, but then she sees what is going to be in her video (gangsters, half naked women) and walks off to do something else. In the beginning of 50 cents video you see 50 cent and he starts rapping, with other pimps around him. He looks clean while the other pimps are greasy and horrible, which could imply that he is different to them. In the video he has a magic stick which comes across as funny but probably has a hidden meaning.
I understand that 50 cent does not care that people think he is bad. 50 cent promotes a gangster lifestyle and does not care about what he is doing to young kid’s lives. Ms. Dynamite sings about how she wants the world to be like and how she thinks it’s bad. She wants women to do more for themselves and not sell their bodies to people. 50 cent and Ms. Dynamite don’t have the same views on life. In 50 cents song he implies that his life is a good life, and that is how he wants to live it. Ms. Dynamite does not think that 50 cents lifestyle is good she thinks that the world should be better and not full of hate and murder.
I have learnt that different people have different ways of living their life, and that people hardly ever agree with other people’s lifestyles. I think that music does have a big influence on people, but I think if music wasn’t around the world would be a dull place. Music does have contrasting messages. 50 cent acts like it is okay to live the gangster lifestyle and is happy with his life. Ms. Dynamite thinks that people should not live the way 50 cent does and thinks the world is a bad place and should be made better.
