Miley Cyrus recently sat down with Billboard Magazine and proclaimed that she is distancing herself from Hip-Hop. This made us think, do Pop Stars exploit Urban Culture because they’re going through a phase in their life? Honestly I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t see this coming. It seems like every Pop Star seems to have that moment in their early to mid 20’s where they want to be “down” with the Hip-Hop culture. Hip-Hop embraces them with open arms for some reason. The reason could be business (attempting to obtain that Pop Star’s audience) or just genuinely thinking that the Pop Star is their friend. It seems like just yesterday Miley Cyrus was out on the scene posing with French Montana and Juicy J while making Pop Rap records with Mike WiLL Made-It. Who’s career ultimately benefits the most from this phase that Pop Stars go through? It isn’t the Hip-Hop artist. The Pop Star is able to keep themselves relevant using the relevance of the current hot Hip-Hop artist while keeping their audience intrigued when they go back to their old selves.
Cyrus also mentioned how shocked and confused she was at claims that she was appropriating Black Culture. Cyrus tells Billboard “It’s mind-boggling to me that there was even a controversy around me having black dancers. That became a thing, where people said I was taking advantage of Black culture, and with Mike [WiLL Made-It] — what the fuck? That wasn’t true. Those were the dancers I liked!”. Cyrus explains her appreciation for Kendrick Lamar’s brand of Hip-Hop and why she has distanced herself from Hip-Hop. “But I also love that new Kendrick [Lamar] song [“Humble”]: ‘Show me somethin’ natural like ass with some stretch marks,’” she explained. “I love that because it’s not ‘Come sit on my dick, suck on my cock.’ I can’t listen to that anymore. That’s what pushed me out of the hip-hop scene a little. It was too much ‘Lamborghini, got my Rolex, got a girl on my cock’ — I am so not that.” This brings up another interesting discussion. In this statement Miley basically is saying she is not “about that life”. So why did you attempt to be “about that life” in the first place? Is it a phase or has it become a business move for Pop Stars because the record companies know Hip-Hop will accept them with open arms?
Miley is basically putting the Hip-Hop world on notice letting them know that collaborating with her from here on out is not happening. When you needed to find the next creative wave in your music career you ran to Hip-Hop, but you will not offer the same courtesy to Hip-Hop. This is the age old story of a Pop Star flirting with “The Darkside” and being brought back to the light. In this interview Miley gives the notion that she is born again. She points out the fact that she hasn’t smoked weed in three weeks. Cyrus tells Billboard “I like to surround myself with people that make me want to get better, more evolved, open. And I was noticing, it’s not the people that are stoned. I want to be super clear and sharp, because I know exactly where I want to be.” So were your escapades with rappers done with an un-sober mind? Everyone’s situation is different, we all live different lives. But the fact that Pop Stars seem to use Hip-Hop as a phase in a “troubled time” in their youth seems to be a constant.