Al Sharpton inks book deal with Cash Money. What Part of the game is THIS???
by BlaqKharma · July 7, 2013
I could never hate on an individual that has any sort of book campaign (unless if you’re doing a trashy tell-all that no one cares about… That includes Superhead….). With all of the advancements made in technology over the years, actual books are dying and slowly becoming a thing of the past. I am a journalist. With that being said, the literary world is mines. I bask in words and beautiful concepts. When I heard that Al Sharpton made a deal with Cash Money to publish his up and coming book “The Rejected Stone“, I had mixed emotions… Al Sharpton? Slim and Baby are publishing books now?
First off, I find it good that Cash Money has entered the publishing world. However, why is it that the streets really don’t know about this? Let’s be real, I thought that we were living in an age where the majority feels that being uninformed and zombie-like is the new cool. It has now become acceptable to never exercise your brain or inform yourself. Wearing nut-hugger jeans, and being socially sloppy is the move. As long as you look “good”, you’re winning. That sounds ugly but the truth isn’t always lovely. Saying that we are in a literary crisis is and understatement. Shit is real… Du du has hit the fan and splattered.
When I initially heard about this, my first question was “Whaaaaat…. How come Cash Money isn’t publishing all kinds of stuff”? After I did a little bit of homework, my next question was “Why is it 2013 and it takes a headline like them inking a book deal with the Reverend Al Sharpton to let everyone know that they are in the publishing business”? Why wasn’t this news before? This situation is major. For a musical machine like Cash Money Records to cross over into the literary world is huge. The name of their publishing division is called Cash Money Contents. This division has been in business since 2010. Cash Money Contents published reality star Evelyn Lozado’s debut Novel “Inner Circle” in June of 2012. We all see the marketing schemes and business practices that the label operates under daily. Marketing genius like this could prove to be very beneficial to the literary world. I could even see them publishing rap journals and lost notebooks by various artists… Imagine if Nicki Minaj were to publish a book of rhymes or even a memoir. Could you imagine how many people would want to read it? In a recent interview, with Black Enterprise, Baby of Cash Money made a statement that made me look at this thing in a different in different perspective.BE: The Cash Money brand has been extremely successful in music industry over the last decade. What made you want to branch off into publishing with Cash Money Content?
BABY: One of my personal reasons, I think we should read more as a people. And me, personally, I felt like I should read more. We have so much influence on the music world, I just wanted to convert it with books, and just get us [people of color] to read more. I think reading exercises the mind. To be special in life, we have to be self-educated, and I consider myself self-educated.
The power of influence that these rappers and hip hop moguls posses is AMAZING. It seems like these days, Hip Hop is the number one culprit in a lot of the issues plaguing our younger generations ie. Molly culture. Why not change that negative into a positive and make more sense. Imagine how many more kids would want to read if their favorite hip hop artist referenced literature or published their inner thoughts. I remember hearing different artist from the 90’s reference a book or famous characters or concepts in their music. My young and inquisitive mind would have to find out who or what they were talking about. In an impressionable society, there are still youngsters that are so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and eager to learn. Why not give them food for thought?m ;
So, why is it that, we have a label as popular and large as Cash Money Records that publish books yet, we don’t even know it?? I’m lost…
Al Sharpton’s joining forces with Cash Money?? What part of the game is this?? I am not one to hate on another prospering and getting money but when it comes down to this, I have to say,” Hold up, PAWSE”. I have a huge issue with the whole situation for several reasons: One being, Al Sharpton and Cash Money/YMCMB rapper Lil Wayne have battled each other through out the years. Wayne didn’t hide his disdain for the “reverend” at all. On his Carter III album, he goes on a rant at the end of one of the tracks and calls Al Sharpton “Don King with a perm”. OUCH!!!
With that being known, I don’t understand how someone who used to campaign and protest against someone so hard one day and then basically join them at the dinner table the next by signing a book deal with Cash Money…. WHAT? Sharpton’s response to Associated Press in reference to this business deal was:
“Just because we disagree doesn’t mean we have to be disagreeable,”
Excuse my ignorance but, WTF does that mean? Sounds like some BS to me. Keep it real Al, that check is being cut lovely. No need to rant and hit the world with more ghetto philosophy to justify the deal. Either way, “The Rejected Stone” will be joining the literary world on October 8th of this year. Will you go out and cop it?
