To answer the question the blog is asking, I will simply say “No.” But, because this is a blog, I can’t simply just say that, I have to expand and explain myself. On the spectrum of art, there is self-expression on one extreme, and then money on the other extreme. There is very little room in between where an artist can strive (and achieve) both. There are cases, however, where artists are commercially successful by expressing themselves, but in these cases, the artists strive for self-expression and the economic success is just a reaction. When artists “sell out,” or do it for the money and fame, they lose all sense and meaning of expression.

For example, if a movie writer wants to express himself, then he will write what he wants to write, without the influence of money. But, when he falls into the temptation of money, movie series like “Fast and Furious” is produced. Making money in the movie industry is easy; there is a checklist: hot actors, cars, cool gadgets, money, drugs, guns, explosions, and a recurring theme of “bad guys can’t aim guns.” When you take this and add it all together, you get economically successful movies: Star Wars, The Expendables, and any Jason Statham movie. Movies like this, while generic, are not surprisingly successful.

This set formula can be used in any art form, such as music as well. Let me use Nicki Minaj as an example: people often complain that she is untalented and average, yet I don’t see anyone here making nearly as much money or having fame like she does. I don’t like her or her music, yet I have to give credit where credit is due: she knows how to work the system and give the people what they want: sex appeal and catchy tunes. Whether “Anaconda” has an underlying symbolic reference to the pseudo-sexual stereotypes in the everyday life or not is a decision everyone can personally make, but regardless, she has perfected the form of selling out. Now, let me switch gears and give an example of an artist who started off expressing himself, and coincidentally was successful: Eminem. Although there is no question that his latest albums were entirely to “sell out,” I will defend his earlier works of music, in regard to Waseem’s plea. The audience had an insatiable hunger for the songs expressing certain areas of Eminem’s personal life, such as his mother, daughter, and drug addiction. Personally, I don’t believe he was catering his music to the masses: he was doing music for his own pleasure. Granted, in recent years, he has turned to the economic side and does it for the money, yet he explains why people love his music. In his song “Rap God,” he explains that to become famous, stay famous, and make money in the rap area, all you need to do is follow the form, which he specifically spells out for us:

“Everybody want the key and the secret to rap
Immortality like I have got
Well, to be truthful the blueprint’s
Simply rage and youthful exuberance
Everybody loves to root for a nuisance”

Basically all he’s saying is that you need to be angry and be the underdog, and you’re in. Maintain that persona, and you’re set. The question is: Is it okay for artists to “sell out?”

Personally, I think it’s 100% fine if an artist wants to sell out. Artists can only aim for either money or expression. But, if they aim for the money, I don’t think they’re artists anymore, I think they’re performers. Art, however abstract and unique, is generally self-expression, and to aim for the monetary value side is not art anymore. Whether you’re in a movie with a bunch of explosions and a horrible storyline, Nicki Minaj, or Eminem (who is not a worthless slime bucket), you have given up artistic credibility for money. Every person is entitled to their opinion on this topic, but remember, every person is also entitled to the freedom of their choices, however artistic or not.

Work Cited: Waseem Iqnaibi’s “Real ‘Nigga'”