In a report that will give readers and hip hop fans added meaning to the rap music call-out "Everybody say Hooooo! Ho! Ho!," the
New York Times has a story by Martin Edlund in today's paper explaining what may be a growing trend in which the worlds of hip hop music and
adult video are converging.
Alert readers may remember that back in 2001 Snoop Dogg was involved in an adult video
called "Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle" (Hustler Video), though
not as porn "talent," but rather as
a master of ceremonies. What you may not have known is that Snoop's foray into porn translated into one of the biggest selling adult videos ever,
with sales "in the hundreds of thousands," according to Hustler's Larry Flynt, who is quoted in the Times' article.
Snoop's follow-up, titled "Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp," sold more copies than any other adult video release of 2003.
In Snoop's case, the convergence argument is pretty compelling. "Doggystyle," the adult video, included Snoop performing nearly an album's worth
of previously unreleased rap tunes. Talk about synergy!
Snoop is not the only hip hop star
to realize this synergy and, ahem, penetrate this new market for hip hop porn. Rap star Lil John (picture above) has made a video and other rappers,
including stars 50 Cent and Outkast, have been involved in porn
to varying degrees of participation, either as financial partners or talent. Apparently, it's mostly about the money. Edlund writes:
The economics of porn make it a lucrative prospect for rappers. A video like Lil Jon's can be done "on a very meager
production budget of maybe $50,000," Mr. Mann said. Marquee rappers tend to undertake these projects as partners,
rather than hired help, so if the video does well they get paid twice: once as talent (about $1 for every copy sold
in the case of Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz), and then again as investors.
The other side to the hip hop-porn trend is that in much the same way that a criminal conviction for a rapper might have boosted his
notoriety and resulted
in a spike in the artist's CD sales, being associated with porn might give hip hop stars that "crunky" street cred that no amount of PR could buy.
Instead of the gangsta thug-life image parlayed for years by rappers of old such Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac (which some argue led to their
deaths),
you have the hip hop star as porn star pimp. What better way to boost that cred than appearing in a skin flick? Lil' Kim, where are you?
--Da Smitho
|
RELATED LINKS
+ Hip Hop's Crossover to the Adult Aisle
[NY Times]
+ Essay: Woof! There it is! [Salon]
+ Official Lil John Web Site
+ Snoop Dogg Bio [MTV]
We had heard rumors. There was speculation. Then we second
guessed ourselves, "Nah! Can't be true." Then we thought, "Or could it?"
Now we know it is true. The world's giant, monstrous, green reptile-like menace from Japan
and all-round ace movie kaiju, Godzilla, is going on vacation and it looks like it may be permanent.
The Associated Press reported the news Friday in a syndicated story that ran in Friday's Hartford Courant and appeared
in yesterday's the (San Jose) Mercury News. The news was officially announced
in Japan Thursday by Toho Pictures, Inc.
that production of Godzilla movies is going on at least a ten-year hiatus following the release of the 28th Godzilla film later this year.
Toho studios' executive producer, Shogo Tomiyama, said Thursday that the latest movie - marking 28 releases and 50 years of "Godzilla" films - would
probably be the last one for at least a decade.
Diehard fans worldwide may look closely at Tomiyama's statement and find some wiggle room in his wording ("would probably")
and deduce that Godzilla WILL be back and sooner than anyone thinks.
But given the movie series' poor box office track record over the past decade and the coffin nail of Thursday's announcement, the future looks grim
for "Gojira," as he is known in Japan.
Even though Godzilla is a global movie franchise, during the past 50 years audiences outside Japan rarely got a look
at the entire output of Godzilla films. In America, only a handful of Godzilla films reached the public in wide theatrical release...
[MORE]
