culled from my blog: craymistress.
Two days ago, the cut for Bieber trend shook the whole twitter community. Some fans of Justin Bieber, a teenage American pop star were cutting themselves and uploading pictures of their cuts to twitter with the hashtag #cutforbieber. This was in an effort to stop the pop star from smoking weed. Justin Bieber had allegedly been caught by the paparazzi’s camera smoking weed with the YMCMB star Lil’ Twist in Mexico. His fans, knowing the implication of this behavior took actions to stop him in a rather ridiculous way, hurting themselves in the process. Earlier this week, it was reported that a camera man was crushed to death while he was trying to take a picture of this same pop star. Justin Bieber probably does not know that something like that occurred. Very late last year, a video of Nicki Minaj’s tour popped up on the Internet, a fan was videoed trying to grab her waist prompting Nicki’s bodyguard to give him a few good punches as she looked on showing no sign of emotion, watching the video reminded me of the late Micheal Jackson’s lyrics “All I wanna say is that they don’t really care about us”. Few months back, 19 year-old Sonia Jumbo aka Sonia la bomb was suspended indefinitely from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Ghana where she is a student, this might not be unconnected with the pictures she posted on twitter of herself and Davido, a Nigerian hip-hop star, in a compromising position. People have been crushed to death, fainted, sustained minor and major injuries at concerts where their favorite artistes were billed to perform. Ladies have thrown caution to the wind, offering body parts as papers for autographs to be signed on, they have cheapened themselves throwing themselves at male artistes with reckless abandon just to have a taste of the forbidden fruit. The Nigerian pop icon, 2Face has children from three different women and is only getting married to one. What happens to the other two? People will hurt themselves and others over sweaty singlets, wristwatches, CDs and other souvenirs thrown by artistes at concerts. Just recently at the much publicized Koko Concert, people were asked to pay fifteen thousand Naira to take pictures with their favorite artistes. A VIP table went for one million Naira at the same concert. At the summer Jam festival last year, it cost Nigerians around 500k to sit a the same table with Rick Ross, the Maybach Music Group guru. A Nigerian on Nairaland, the Nigerian forum, apparently pissed off by the ridiculous amount of money wasted asked if “it was the table Jesus Christ and his disciples sat on at the last supper”. This write-up will not be complete if I forget to add the way tweeps (as twitter users are called) beg artistes for follow-backs and abuse each other on issues related to their favorite artistes; the artistes probably don’t know these people exist. The artistes on their part have taken the stance of Demigods, basking in the attention and generally feeling as if the world revolves around them. Some even see their position as an opportunity to dish insults to fans that would not lick their feet and tell the bitter truth. A little allegiance is good but when it turns to obsession then something must be wrong somewhere. Going to concerts to support your favorite artiste is good but when the situation there is detrimental to your health then it is not worth it. Entertainment is a good thing but when your favorite artiste becomes more important than God then you need to see a shrink. Having fun is good but when your life-savings (sitting at a table with Rick Ross or paying one million naira for VIP ticket) goes into it then you need help. Calabar state government allegedly paid 200,000 Dollars for Nicki Minaj to perform at the Calabar Carnival,that is around 30 million naira. Our own Eva Alordiah would put up a nice performance if paid around 15% of the same amount. Now I understand the reason there are more Akpans and Ekaettes earning their living by working as house boys and house girls. Abi I lie? Think of the children that can be gotten off the street with that money, think of better infrastructures that can be put in place, think of how many scholarships that can be given out, think of the widows, the impoverished and the sick at heart. Chris Brown recently stormed Nigeria after an amount equivalent to 1 million Dollars had changed hands while we continue to suffer and smile, must we live fake lives? Who are we trying to fool? Really. Nigerian ladies need to be given proper orientation, selling yourself cheap to an artiste because he has one hit track is not just it, Sonia is on indefinite suspension while Davido’s musical career continues to soar, who is at a loss? Are the people really worth the hype? Are they worth the stress? Enjoy yourself, live life but in the course of doing so, do it responsibly. I Rest My Case.