"how do you get away with saying ridiculous shit?"
Some artists can get on stage and say the craziest things in their lyrics -- from 2 Live Crew to Eminem to Slick Rick. They're obviously not meant to be taken literally, and the fans get into it and laugh and sing along.
But some artists try the same thing and miss the mark. And when they screw up, we take them VERY literally, even though they were obviously trying to make a joke.
I remember seeing this local hiphop dude doing an a capella about boning all kinds of famous girls -- from Alicia Keys to Avril Lavigne. It was supposed to be sort of a callback to "dreams of fuckin an R&B bitch". When Biggie did his, it came across as charming, silly, witty. When this dude did his callback, it was just witless and irritating.
When the crowd turned on him he said, "hey, I'm just trying to have fun." He obviously failed. Now, when I think back, I feel bad for him. Where did he go wrong?
I ask you, my creative peers, where do you draw that line?
Is it's a perception game. B.I.G. could take advantage of the fact that it was a fat dude saying this shit. Eminem, a white dude. Slick Rick, his semi-british accent.
When you don't fit a conventional image, you might think of that as an obstacle. But if you twist it the right way, you can turn it into an asset.
It's easier to be funny if you look or sound funny.
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