Above is the song "In Da Club" by rapper 50 Cent. This is one of those popular songs everyone knows. It is like a "standard" in pop/rap music. To me, I really don't think that's a good thing. Everything about this from the song, to the album name, to the music video is giving off wrong value messages.
I think there are three components to the message of this song. The first is, the name of the album this song is on is called "Get Rich, or Die Tryin'" Already this is implying that if you're not rich, you're going to be unhappy. So, we should all become rich, or we won't be happy, won't have a good life, so we should work until we become rich. This message is all over the media- television shows, music, movies, all types of media. This also goes back to media concepts number one and two that this idea is constructed.
The second component is of course the song.The song itself, just completely throws away any kind of values that are learned. Not saying listeners throw those values away, but 50 Cent makes it sound okay to do so. The essence of the song if having a good time: going out and mindlessly getting drunk, doing drugs, and having sex. The line "I got the X if you're into taking drugs, I'm into havin' sex, I ain't into makin' love" says a few things in itself about the whole song. There's the drug use occurring with the "X" , and then there's the disrespectful use of women. This one line sums up the whole song of living "the good life". Partying without a care in the world. The complete opposite of what is reality and what parents want to instill in their children.
The third component is the music video. 50 Cent is being showed in some kind of surgery to enhance him, and then the rest of the video is flashing between him in a club surrounded by women, and working out. The main reason for working out should be for health reasons, but here it is used for vanity reasons. Another step towards that "good life".
The song overall, how constructed media is, and how the values within the constructed media are completely mixed up, and wrong.
I think there are three components to the message of this song. The first is, the name of the album this song is on is called "Get Rich, or Die Tryin'" Already this is implying that if you're not rich, you're going to be unhappy. So, we should all become rich, or we won't be happy, won't have a good life, so we should work until we become rich. This message is all over the media- television shows, music, movies, all types of media. This also goes back to media concepts number one and two that this idea is constructed.
The second component is of course the song.The song itself, just completely throws away any kind of values that are learned. Not saying listeners throw those values away, but 50 Cent makes it sound okay to do so. The essence of the song if having a good time: going out and mindlessly getting drunk, doing drugs, and having sex. The line "I got the X if you're into taking drugs, I'm into havin' sex, I ain't into makin' love" says a few things in itself about the whole song. There's the drug use occurring with the "X" , and then there's the disrespectful use of women. This one line sums up the whole song of living "the good life". Partying without a care in the world. The complete opposite of what is reality and what parents want to instill in their children.
The third component is the music video. 50 Cent is being showed in some kind of surgery to enhance him, and then the rest of the video is flashing between him in a club surrounded by women, and working out. The main reason for working out should be for health reasons, but here it is used for vanity reasons. Another step towards that "good life".
The song overall, how constructed media is, and how the values within the constructed media are completely mixed up, and wrong.
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