Rappers the Next Super Heroes?

The Guardian's excellent gamesblog has an editorial up discussing the role rappers and rap culture has taken in games. From the article: "Following Def Jam Vendetta and more pertinently Def Jam Fight for New York, this is another game that places real-life Hip Hop artists within a fictitious gangland setting. It's an interesting sub-genre, trading in on the mythologies that many rappers build around themselves in their lyrics, album art and endless feuds - fantasies of gun violence, rivalry and retribution."

Comments

Two comments

[Mike Hawk]

They have been making crappy games with rappers for a while now. Cash rules everything around me.

And I don't know what they mean about fantasies of gun violence. I bet 2-Pac wishes they only had fantasies of gun violence. And as near as I can tell, 50 Cent didn't shoot himself. Suge Knight isn't really a nice guy when you get to know him. Snoop really did get put on trial for murder. Man rap music is fun.

Re:Rappers the Next Super Heroes?

[macdaddy357]

Remember the cartoon, Hammerman? Neither do most people. MC Hammer was a superhero. It didn't last long. Neither will this.

Re:Rappers the Next Super Heroes?

[Brainboy]

Thanks. Now I have the theme song stuck in my head.

So the Gramps opened up the bag,
And took out the magical shoes...

Ugh.

It's counter-culture really

[Red Moose]

I mean, Snoop Dogg was actually a crack dealer, so when he is on TV talking about having the Roly on his arm and pouring Chandon and rolling the best weed, with pictures of the RR Phantom in the back, well, of course he will be looked upon as a hero (a workign class hero if you will, the John Lennon of the 2000s).

So if John Lennon is the working class hero, but he's basically a bad man with a lot of hoes, it's like he is the working class hero meets Wall Street. The modern life is that you must rebel (as usual) but instead of living "free" and so on, you basically live it up with bling and fish-egg coloured $300,000 cars.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is progress. The "system" has finally ironed out the rebels. This new version of The Matrix means that tyhose that rebel and try and fuck things up by killing people or selling drugs sell out and become pop-culture icons and never do we hear the likes of Snoop complain. Hell no, he's loving it. The modern "system" works. You can no longer rebel against anything.

I'd also like to add, that as a late 20s white male, I like Snoop Doggs new album a lot. So how's that for street cred? Huh? You badass mofo's like *my* type of Top 40 music?

Let's compare the messages

[snuf23]

Spiderman:

"With great power comes great responsibility"

Gangsta Rapper Man:

"When the bitch don't pay up ma money, the bitch get beat!"

Yah, at least ideologically the idea seems compatible.