Heroes and the Cult of the Celebrity

Hip Hop Music: Heroes and the Cult of the Celebrity

            As I have been studying theories of the popular culture hip-hop music, I have learned a lot. This paper will explore the theories of heroes and the cult of the celebrity as it relates to hip-hop music.  

            First I will define what a hero is - A hero is “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities” or “a person who is greatly admired”  (Hero, 2016).  An example of a hero can be a real life person who saves someone that is drowning, or a hero can be a sports figure that young players look up to or a musician that is respected and admired for the work the musician creates. Many fans that listen to hip-hop music have their favorite musician that is called a hero because fans admire them. They admire them because of the words in the songs that are about real life problems and fans relate to the words and feel a connection to the hip-hop musician sometimes because they have experienced the same thing. Courage is another characteristic of a hero and with a hop-hop musician, it takes courage to expose real life experiences to fans.

            Hip-hop musicians are part of the cult of celebrity which is a cult you join once becoming a celebrity. Celebrity is defined as “the state of being famous or celebrates” or “a person who is famous” (Celebrity, 2016).  Many hip-hop musicians who reach celebrity status show their status by the material things they have such as expensive cars, expensive jewelry, and mammoth homes. The reason they show their wealth this way is that many of them came from poor backgrounds having nothing, and these items are status symbols to and have become part of the culture of being a hip-hop celebrity.

             The insights I have gained from applying these theories to hip-hop music is that people relate to heroes for many reasons. One a reason hip-hop musician is thought to be a hero is because they may have shared the same experience with a fan. I never thought of hip-hop musicians as heroes but after doing this research, I better understand why some fans do. As far as hip-hop musicians being part of the cult of celebrities, I do understand when you come from nothing and become famous and wealthy your possessions are important to you. To me, celebrity becomes a hero when they use their power and wealth to help society either financially or through supporting causes.

References

Celebrity, 2016. Merriam-webster.com. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-

            webster.com/dictionary/celebrity

Hero, 2016.  Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieve from http://www.merriam-

            webster.com/dictionary/hero