Monday, November 28, 2005

A Crossroads Like No Other

As everyone is well-aware, Kanye West and 50 Cent are having a big feud over President Bush. West, as we remember, famously declared that "George Bush doesn't care about black people." Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson then countered that he had no idea what West was talking about, that the hurricane was just God's way of getting his message across. 50 Cent then went on to praise the president and bemoan the fact that he could not vote for Bush, because Jackson is a felon*. This got me thinking about CMT's Crossroads. As you know, this show takes artists from across genres who are, presumably, fans of each other's music, and puts them onstage together. But, as is so obvious that I'm loathe to get into it, country music and rap have tons in common--violence, love of guns, bad-ass masculinity, big concerns about authenticity, name-checking fellow artists in songs, promoting a lifestyle presumably looked down on by the dominant culture, love of booze, emphasis on the importance of the role of the producer, etc. etc.--and yet there's been no real rap/country Crossroads**. Now, Tim McGraw did do that duet with Nelly, but, let's face it, it sucked. It was a ring tone in search of some phones and nothing more. And I'm not seeing too many other rappers admitting a love of country music or visa versa. But what if we could put folks together by politics? Imagine 50 Cent on stage with Darryl Worley. It might be enough to rescue both of them from their equally bizarre and mediocre careers or, and we can only hope, it would ruin both of them forever. *Thus proving how little Jackson understands about how politics work in predominately Democratic places like NYC and Chicago, but that's neither here nor there. **No, Bob and Bocephus don't count.

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have a friend that works on that show. I'll put in a word for your suggestion.

W

11/28/2005 07:10:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'd like to see a Crossroads with 50 Cent and Prussian Blue.

11/29/2005 07:31:00 AM  
Blogger bridgett said...

I think that "Coming to Your City" by Big and Rich sounds like a country cover of the Gorillaz (add some banjos here, take away some synths there). . It took country music a long time to admit that everyone who owned Bellamy Brothers albums in the 1970s also owned Physical Grafitti, Hotel California, and maybe even Off the Wall. But I think that they've come to grips with the idea that many people listen to other things -- sometimes even things not played on the radio. This sort of show would attract a new (younger, drools the ad men) audience.

Of course, this would break the all-too-real color line in country. Would it not be cool to see Faith Hill and Faith Evans doing their thing simultaneous? Or if they can't really see their way clear to putting a black woman on CMT, they could always get Gretchen Wilson and Pink to give a tutorial on cross-cultural tough bitchness...

I'd tune in.

11/29/2005 09:24:00 AM  
Blogger Aunt B said...

Bridgett,

I love the Faith and Faith idea. Though I worry that Hill could not keep up wiht Evans, I'd love to see them throw down on "Mezmerized." That would rock.

And Wilson and Pink?! Woman, W. needs to put you in touch with his friend. Your suggestions are brilliant.

11/29/2005 09:55:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Condoleezza Rice / Steve Earle. That's my vote.

11/29/2005 10:56:00 AM  
Blogger Sam Holloway said...

I'm sorry, Aunt B, but I look at "50 Cent" and I see Sambo or Quimbo with a microphone (if H.B. Stowe were alive, I reckon she might agree with me). Anyway, I'm no fan of most hip-hop or country (at least not the heavily marketed, lowest common denominator stuff), so seeing them combined holds no appeal for me.

Now, if you want to give 50 Cent and Darryl Worley M-16s and drop them in the desert outside Baghdad, I'd pay to see that.

11/29/2005 11:46:00 PM  

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