Stars give viewers the rap on life after fame
THE BIGGEST dream of every up-and-coming musician in their garage or bedroom making music is to be signed by the biggest record company out there.
In the past those youngsters would walk around with their demo tapes so they could pass them on to “important” people in the music industry.
Nowadays all you have to do is post your stuff on the internet. Whether it is a mixtape or a song, websites like www.myspace.com and www.youtube.com are the new talent scouts that expose real talent to music gurus.
Justin Bieber knows what I am talking about.
The interesting part is when a young unknown artist is taken under the wings of a superstar. The whole world stops and listens.
This is what Guest Star is about. The show is a series of documentaries in which some of the most successful young rappers talk about their newfound status, and their lives before fame. Youngsters like Drake, Big Sean and J Cole all appear on the show.
Many fans of Drake know that before his rap fame, he starred in a Canadian TV show called Degrassi: The Next Generation. It must be hard for those who used to watch it to relate the character he plays to the now transformed cool dude that Lil’ Wayne called “the greatest rapper alive”.
In an interview for Rolling Stone SA, Lil’ Wayne confessed that he is sometimes jealous of Drake’s and Nicki Minaj’s success. He is the one who signed them with the now very successful Young Money records and introduced them to the world – a fact they remind us of often in their music.
The father of all in the recruiting business who should be most jealous of his protégés is Diddy. He helped the careers of people like Mary J Blige, 112, Ma$e, Carl Thomas, Total, Mario Winans and Notorious B.I.G. But Puffy himself does not have the talent to rap.
There are also protégés that are taken on for strategic reasons, rather than because they are talented. Take the Usher Raymond and Justin Bieber situation. Bieber helps Usher stay relevant to young girls who are reported to be excellent buyers.
Another interesting find was Lady Gaga who was discovered and signed by Akon. The two artists perform very different types of music.
But Guest Star is not about Beiber or Gaga. It focuses on young rappers that are on top of their game and perhaps they will be the future leaders of the genre. Find out how life was for them before the money, the fame and the women.
airs from January 25 at 10pm on Trace Urban.