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The Economics of “Tip Drill”
The hip-hop industry’s origin can be traced back to the Bronx, New York in the
1970’s when the Sugar Hill Gang released their single “Rapper’s Delight.” Since then,
the industry has grown immensely with album sales in 2003 totaling 2.8 billion dollars,
which represents one in every four CDs sold in that year. As a matter of fact, the current
estimated value of the hip-hop industry as a whole has reached an all time high at 10
billion dollars (Zahn, 2005). Today, the hip-hop industry encompasses more than just
music, as many of the artists have branched out into the business world. Artists such as
Jay-Z and P. Diddy have started their own record labels, production companies, clothing
lines, restaurants, and exclusive nightclubs. Needless to say, the pervasiveness of the
hip-hop industry has caused it to become extremely influential in popular culture.
Music videos represent a popular media form that has the power to influence the
mass media on many levels. When Michael Jackson made his videos for “Thriller” and
“Beat It” in the early 1980’s, the music video industry expanded immensely. Artists were
no longer satisfied with simple choreography and plain backdrops. A decade later, in the
early 1990’s, music videos reached an all time high with Michael and Janet Jackson’s
7 million dollar expenditure for the production of “Scream.” Currently, the success of an
album often depends on the dynamics and meanings conveyed through music videos.
Today it often seems as though music videos, especially in the hip-hop and rap
genre, are used as a forum to exploit women. However, the artist and his/her record label
view a music video in a different light; they see it as an investment that will ultimately
lead to greater profit. In fact, much of the success of an album is contingent upon the
success of the corresponding music video (Durant, 2000). Thus, record labels invest
millions of dollars in these videos in order to gain widespread public recognition.
Because of this particularly economic approach, one might assume that Nelly and his
record company, Universal Records, may have overlooked the exploitation of the women
in the “Tip Drill” video. Nelly and Universal Records believed that images of sex,
money, and power in the music video were likely to be well received by the video’s
intended audience and therefore would result in considerable album sales (Passman,
2000).
In a special segment of “Paula Zahn Now” entitled “Women Battling Hip Hop,”
CNN correspondent Maria Hinojosa stated, “Today’s hip-hop video cool has gone
somewhere else” (Zahn, 2005). In other words, music videos provide artists with a venue
to showcase their success, fame, and fortune. Providing price tag figures for several of
the material objects that appear in the “Tip Drill” video will aid us in creating some
notion of the money surrounding the rap and hip-hop world. To begin with, Nelly’s “Tip
Drill” video shows various rappers associated with Nelly’s “St. Lunatics” group in a
number of luxurious and exclusive automobiles. This year, Rolls Royce released the
“Phantom,” a $350,000 ultra luxury mobile that appears several times throughout the
video. In addition, Nelly is shown standing near a $100,000 S-Class Mercedes along with
a $250,000 Ferrari. Although in many cases these cars may be rented solely for the
shooting of a music video, the real costs of these items are absolutely outrageous.
In addition to the luxurious automobiles shown in the opening of the video, Nelly
goes on to display many other symbols of wealth and power. One particular materialistic
object that is shown within the video is expensive jewelry. Diamond encrusted nameplate
necklaces, gigantic diamond stud earrings, gold watches, and multiple diamond rings are
just a few of the accessories Nelly and his crew flaunt throughout the entirety of the
video. Within the video, Nelly and his entourage are all wearing authentic throwback
football and basketball jerseys, ranging in price from $250 to $600. The video’s setting is
an elegant mansion where the party takes place in a number of spaces including a marble
Jacuzzi, an outdoor pool, and on the driveway where Nelly’s cars are displayed. Lastly, a
recurring image in the video is the flaunting of money by Nelly and the St. Lunatics.
Hundred dollar bills are constantly being thrown at the women in the video, and at one
point Nelly goes as far as swiping a Platinum credit card between the cheeks of one of the
dancer’s buttocks. Such actions convey the notion that money and status creates power,
which in turn leads to fame and fortune.
Many rappers, including Nelly, come from poor, working class, and
underprivileged backgrounds where fame and success are virtually unattainable goals.
However, once success has been achieved, it is common for these artists to flaunt their
newly achieved material wealth through music videos. But by displaying images of
monetary wealth and power, Nelly’s music video construes a narrow definition of success
and the good life.
The numerous expensive objects portrayed in Nelly’s “Tip Drill” video fuel the
American public’s desire for materialistic goods. The ostentatious nature in which Nelly
displays his wealth has a profound impact on the way in which his audience members,
many of them young people of African American descent, view their own lifestyles. The
message Nelly conveys reinforces a common and disturbing aspect of contemporary
American society: the elevation of wealth as the first and foremost element of a
rewarding and fulfilling life. While it is unclear whether or not Nelly is aware of the
exploitation of women in his video, it is quite apparent that both he and Universal
Records are aware of the financial rewards involved in the placement of such sexualized
images in the video (Marchand, 2004). Their choice in this regard suggests that we live in
a society that values money and status more than consideration for other individuals.
References
Durant, Cathy: “The artistic realm of music video.” American Visions Media. (June/July
2000): 8 Apr. 2005
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Marchand, Juliann. “Nelly’s High School Confessions.” Teen People Oct. 2004: 8-70
Passman, Donald. All You Need to Know About the Music Business. Simon & Schuster
New York, NY 2000.
Tate, Greg. Everything But The Burden. Broadway Books Random House Inc. New
York, NY 2003.
Tatum, Beverly. “Spelman students combat hip-hop’s negative portrayals of Black
women”. Cox, Matthews & Associates, Inc. (March 24, 2005). 8 Apr. 2005
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“Women Battling Hip-Hop.” Nar. Paula Zahn. Interviewer. Maria Hinojosa. CNN. 3
March 2005.