American Idol or American Dream?

The American Dream can be described as a belief in freedom that allows all citizens and residents of the United States of America to achieve their goals in life through hard work. Today, in America it generally refers to the idea that one's prosperity depends upon one's own abilities and hard work, not on a rigid class structure, though the meaning of the phrase has changed over America's history. For some, it is the opportunity to achieve more prosperity than they could in their countries of origin; for others, it is the opportunity for their children to grow up with an education and career opportunities; for others, it is the opportunity to be an individual without the constraints imposed by class, caste, race, or ethnicity.
I think the show American Idol exploits the concept of the American Dream. American Idol is a reality show where ordinary every day people can be given the chance to show off their talent, and work towards achieving their goals and making a name for themselves in the music industry. American Idol does change people’s lives but it is a million and one chance. Thousands of hopefuls try out in different cities for the one chance of a dream career and life. Contestants have to audition to audition, meaning that they have to first audition for the show’s producers. This is where the controversy of whether or not American Idol exploits the “American Dream” or not comes in. The producers turn down many talented singers that are serious about the entire thing for people who dress up in stupid costumes, who know they can’t sing worth crap. These people are just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame, but honestly that is why a lot of people watch this show and the producers need to please their audience to keep it going.
American Idol isn’t the traditional or ethical way of achieving the American dream but it does happen. Take Carrie Underwood for instants. Before American Idol she was just a sweet innocent country girl from Oklahoma that was raised on a farm. When Carrie’s audition aired, they played a video of her background and it was her feeding her cows. When she made it to Hollywood they showed footage of her out seeing the town and Ryan Seacrest asked her if she had seen any stars yet and she very seriously looked up at the sky and said “um no it’s been pretty cloudy though”. He was referring to celebrities but her mind didn’t even work like that at the time. You can’t fake that kind of innocence. She obviously went on to win and now she is one of the most successful country artists of all time. People accepted her in spite of her none traditional way of getting there.
I think people don’t consider things like American Idol to be a way of people achieving the true American Dream because it is so different. It is a reality show and it is true that some people can and do abuse it just to try to get on T.V. Those people don’t work hard they just act stupid and it ruins the original purpose. But there is living proof that American Idol can be the gateway to someone’s American Dream no matter what race, gender, sexuality, or whatever you are.

Snoop Doggy Dogg

 When asked to write about any musician who I would classify as a “gangsta rap” artist, the first person who comes to mind is Snoop Dogg. I think Snoop Dogg is one of the most famous gangsta rap artists. Unlike other rappers who would be classified as gangsta rap artist, Snoop is not only successful in the music industry but he has also done film as well. He has surprisingly been in 15 movies, including Half Baked, Old School, and Malibu’s Most Wanted just to name a few. I think these movies have helped add to his persona of being a “gangsta”.
 In Nelson George’s essay Gangsters—Real and Unreal, he defines gangsta rap as a celebration of gatts, hoes, gleeful nihilism, and crack as the center of their economic universe. I agree with his definition and Snoop Dogg is a prime example of this. His music is about these sorts of things, he doesn’t rap about anything real or serious. For example, in Snoop Dogg’s song “For All My Niggaz and Bitches” he says “So all my bitches and my niggaz and my niggaz and my bitches wave your motherfuckin hands in the air and if you don't give a shit like we don't give a shit wave your motherfuckin fingers in the air.” Really? Stuff like this has no real meaning or purpose, I absolutely don’t understand it. I personally don’t have anything against rappers like this; it just isn’t my cup of tea. There are a few of Snoops songs that aren’t meant to be disrespectful and crude like his tribute to his mother called “I love my momma”. He talks about how much he loves his mother and how much he appreciates her and is thankfully for everything she has done for him throughout his life. Like I said, he has a few songs that are sweet and sentimental, but for the most part they are about the typically “Gangsta” things. In another one of Snoop Dogg’s songs called “break a Bitch Till I Die” he says…
Now don't get mad when you see me wit ya girlfriend
She ridin shot gun, smokin the damn thang again
Now say it ain't true...
Baby you gank em and play em it ain't no ring on you
That ain't what I do, just because I spend time wit you
Don't really mean i'm lyin to you
You got to understand what this young pimp will say
Cause right about now, it ain't no time for play
Now watch me slap ya ass wit dicks, bitch
You was stricly dickly, why you turn clitly
Thats even better, now both of you bitches lick me
Then I sit back and watch y'all eat pussy
Kick off my feet and count my cheese
Snoop this ain't the XLF, this the P-I-M-P
Look, she think she burned out
Wait until I put her on the fast track and have her turned out
P.I!
 Songs like this is why parents don’t want their kids listening to any kind of rap music. It sends horrible messages and promotes this kind of lifestyle. To be completely honest I wouldn’t want my son listening to anything like this. I don’t want anyone or anything telling him that it is “cool” to disrespect woman in any shape or form. Finally I don’t think Snoop Dogg would resist the “gangsta rap” label. In fact he glorifies and prides himself on it.

The Reality of the Lyrics

Eminem is a very controversial artist and subject. People either like him or hate him, there isn’t really a gray area in between. I have talked about Eminem in my blogs several times before this.  I am actually a fan of Eminem even though I don’t agree with everything he raps about, some of the things he says even scares me a little bit. Of course I do not personally know him so I don’t really know what his life was like as a child or even now, but I do believe that it was not easy.

In the essay “The Angry Appeal of Eminem Is Cutting Across Racial Lines” of our Music and Culture reading, it is mentioned that some teenagers who grew up with single mothers say they find it unfathomable that a mother would treat a child anything like Eminem would describe in his song “Cleaning out the Closet.”Personally I was fortunate enough to grow up in a very loving household with a mother and a father who worked hard to support our family and, gave us all the love and support in the world and continue to do so to this day. Unfortunately not everybody has that same luxury.  I have personally seen mothers who just don’t care about anything in the world including their own children. My mother grew up in a household with a father that was emotionally and physically abusive. It is very sad but it does happen so I do think that Eminem is telling the truth about his childhood and is “keeping it real.” The truth isn’t always pretty and what people want to hear. I think by him being so honest and real is why so many people do respect Eminem.

He also talks about real issues other than his personal problems, for example, the song “Stan.” As I’ve said before I think Stan is a horrible song for young impressionable teenagers who are just listening to music like this to rebel against their parents or whoever. But Eminem brings up real issues in this song that most people wouldn’t because they would be worried it would give them a bad name. Eminem talks about things like this to get the message across to people and I think to freak people out a little bit. Either way he does keep it real. He doesn’t rap about Bentleys and money and all the other materialistic things most rappers rap about. It is always real issues about life with Eminem.

I think lyrics that are reality based have so much more meaning, not only to the artist but to the listener as well. Every now and then people like to listen to music to escape from their own reality and that’s when music that is fantasy based come in handy. But mostly people listen to music to have something to relate to and the average Joe can’t relate to flying to Paris on their private jet to go shopping. Just saying.  

Just Dance

One of the few things that the entire world has in common is dance. From folkloric to crumping, every culture has its own style of dance.  Dance is a form of communication; it brings people together and has for centuries. Back during the medieval times people would come together to dance and socialize at what they would call a “ball”.  In today’s day and age, the most common way for people to get together and dance is at a night club. Clubs bring all different walks of life together to enjoy the same thing.
 I think dance brings out the best in people. Someone can be the shyest person in the world but as soon as they hit the dance floor it is like they turn into a different person. People coming together to dance whether it be at a club or somewhere else, are a lot less judgmental than they would be on the street on any normal given day. When you are out dancing just enjoying the freedom and music you don’t really care who comes up to you to join in or not.  If you were on the street and some random person just came up to you and started trying to have a conversation with you, you would most likely be a little skeptical and most definitely not as inviting. Not on the dance floor, most people welcomes all that are willing to join in and enjoy the music, movements and moment.
I am around dance all day and have been for my entire life. I used to be a performer for the Disney Corporation. I have seen how dance and music can bring sheer enjoyment not only to adults, but to kids and everyone else in between.  Dance gets people excited and brings them together. Now I am a dance instructor for a local studio and I get to teach what I know and what I have learned to kids and teenagers. It isn’t just about the technique and chorography; there is a certain level of integrity and confidence that come with dance as well. I have seen kids who would never dare pretend like they know each other, much less talk to each other at school because one was the “popular” one and the other was the “geek”, come together over dance and overcome the stupid clicks at school. This might not sound like a big deal to some people but don’t you remember what it was like in junior high and high school? Kids can be so mean and really can hate you for talking to someone who they don’t consider to be cool enough.
Like I said before dance brings out confidence in people that they don’t have on a normal day. I had this young student who was about 13 years old. I think she was the shyest person I have ever met in my life and even though she was talented she was not confident at all. When she first started coming to my class she would get so nervous before class even started that she would start shaking, crying and sometimes she would even throw up. By the end of the season this same girl was able to perform at one of the biggest competitions in the dance world in front of thousands of people.  Today she has this confidence about her that most people envy, and I think dance did that.