Many artists are seen as role models when they gain status in the industry; however should they really be seen as role models when you look at the language they’re promoting through their songs.
A good example of this is with Nicki Minaj who is a rapper and singer, she is highly influential to all audiences this including the younger side of the market. In 2011, an eight year old girl called Sophia-grace and her friend Rosie (aged 5) performed Nicki’s song super bass and uploaded the video to youtube. In my opinion Nicki’s songs shouldn’t be available to young kids just from looking at the language she uses in her songs and the sexual references you can decode from the lyrics. The media are partially to blame for this culture as Ellen Degeneres promoted this singing by bringing the two all the way from the UK to the US to be on Ellen’s show; this is showing to these two young girls that it’s acceptable to be singing these lyrics and it can get you places by doing so. I followed their journey now and again over the years and they have actually met Nicki Minaj and it seems as though they look up to her; is this someone who they should be looking up to? Granted that super bass is one of Minaj’s tame songs but it the youngsters are fans they’ll want to listen to the rest of her songs and I can imagine parents would be concerned. I had a conversation about this to my mum and she recalls a similar situation with me when I was younger, it was in relation to the song ‘My neck, My back’ by Khia. It would be played all over and if you have listened to it you will know how vulgar the song is and my mum was concerned that I was able to listen to it as at the time I was just 6 years old!
From looking a Nicki’s lyrics in detail I may try to include her in my campaign as she is a relevant/ current artist and is a role model to many. After seeing them young girls be subject to the affect of capitalism it has me even more passionate about this subject.
