Music sales are down 40 percent, so to make a statement like, “I only rap about that [gangster] stuff because that's what's selling and I want to sell,” that's not only a cowardly statement but that's also an ignorant statement. That's like the crack dealer who says, “I sell crack because I wanna be rich,” but really, you're making less than minimum wage and your chances of going to jail or dying are way higher than if you were to just get a job at McDonald's. It's the ignorance speaking. They see the images, the fast money, the fast life, and they think that's something that comes immediately, without realizing that the top 2 percent make all the money whereas everybody else is just scrambling for crumbs.
There's a frustrating correlation/causation issue with gangster rap sales. Studios have decided gunplay sells, so they put money, promotion, and killer beats behind rappers like 50-cent or Young Jeezy, and then we're all shocked when those albums sell and younger rhymers emulate their most obvious characteristics. But as the solo success of beat-smith Kanye West shows, you can rhyme about blood diamonds, dress preppy, and still go platinum. The music matters, much more so than the lyrics. It's just that we've senselessly wrapped up a certain street aesthetic with a particularly bumping bass line, a gruff, masculine delivery style, and the money to make the whole package work. It doesn't have to be like that, but it is. And so young talent develops itself in that direction.
