Show Me The Money

Donald Trump said, ~Money was never a big motivation for me except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game.~ Without a doubt, money is considered a big incentive when it comes to being an athlete, actor/actress, and most certainly a musician. When it pertains to musicians, particularly those in the area of rap/hip hop, money is the name of the game to where one can make a name for himself or herself depending on the sales of their records. It can truly be staggering how much these "artists" make as we all read, see, or her them buy lavish material possessions such as houses, cars, clothes, and most definitely

Let me ask you this question, have you ever thought to yourself when you're looking at a certain rap artist that they're really overdoing it with all the bling? In a sense, they can literally be on the cusp of being the next Mr. T in the making, which is a description not meant to be considered flattering. Yet, it's not so much the quantity of bling but the or ice, as it is otherwise known, it's the size of bling one wears that amazes you that person is actually standing upright due to sheer mass and weight of it. It's no wonder they need bodyguards not just because of their fame but rather the millions of dollars they're displaying and oftentimes flaunting around their neck, wrists, fingers, on their ears, and even on their teeth.

You truly know when someone has too much money when they start putting diamonds, gold, and/or platinum coverings for their teeth or otherwise known in the urban lingo grillz. For the most part, it's been done in the past before rap/hip hop exploded into the mainstream, but it was more toned down back then. Now, you have rappers with diamond/gold/platinum encrusted braces or teeth guards which have become popular with "artists" such as Paul Wall who sported them on Nelly's recent music Video Grillz. In my honest opinion, they're nice for show but they'll end up cutting the inside of your mouth and talking is a total impossibility.

Essentially, when it comes to the bling you know there are people out there who are bold enough to try to jack their jewelry. It's a given because the price tag of a particular rapper's bling they wear can reach millions, which in all intents and purposes can pay for not just my house but my friend's houses especially the bling in their mouths as well. Undoubtedly, potential robbers may not be just going after the usual things such as wallet, the earrings, necklace, rings, but also taking what's in their teeth, which makes it funny to think about as a rapper is trying to describe what one's teeth looks like to the police, but I digress.

In retrospect, money can be considered a double-edged sword to where it's considered survival of the fittest. When money plays a part in the music industry, it can either make or break you in album sales. It helped rapper 50 Cent's and it probably helped sales when people heard he was shot 9 times and lived to tell about it. You have to admit though we as a society thrive on building people up to where they make it big and jump off the proverbial bandwagon once that person falls i.e. M.C. Hammer. In the end, when potential rappers think they've got what it takes, get signed to a label, and start buying things such as jewelry, just know it all began with a single thought that became a driving force which was...show me the money.