If you've never experienced something like 'being locked up' for a long time. What you have to say doesn't really mean as much as someone who's actually went through it.
That's what I mean.
But the quality of the song itself doesn't become better or worse. It's just that we as a people value authenticity in everything, and therefore want to see that authenticity come from rappers too.
Akon presented his songs like facts over and over again, so if you were an incarcerated person, and you find out a man (or your idol) preaching about a certain pain being locked up and you find out that the man was bullshitting all along, I'd really doubt you'd care as much about him as you did before.
It's not about caring or respect. It's about quality of music. We as consumers and listeners often require the musicians to have respectable, non-hypocritical personalities, and to produce good music. If you can separate what a man does or who he is, and focus on the music, that's a lot better. That's what separates groupies from fans, and haters from critics.
However, I very much dislike what Akon and don't respect him for it, but like Sebastian said, I enjoy some of his music and I won't necessarily skip the next hot song that he's on because he's a liar.
I'm not saying all songs need to be truthful, but you can't throw yourself out there and say.. YES, I'VE DONE THIS AND THAT.... then lie all about it.
Politicians do it all the time and we elect them.
For you and me, this is just music, for the next man it could be what keeps him going. Pac's music for example, did a lot of that for people (even though at times he'd get out of hand)
I'm not denying what you're saying my Balkan shithead
I just despise the idea of 'fakes'.
haha I've come to learn that it's easier to not demand truthful rhymes, and more enjoyable.