Someone Please Tell Soulja Boy Tell 'Em

I recently read an article on pop star Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or Soulja Boy. I call him a "pop star" because he is not a hip hop artist or rapper. Before you go and get all riled up you need to understand that it was Soulja Boy himself who admitted this. Anyway, in this article it says that for his 21st birthday Soulja Boy purchased himself a G5, or Gulfstream V jet.  The G5 comes with a $35 million dollar price tag alone, but as an extra bonus the young artist/musician is spending an extra $20 million to have it customized.







It is very easy at this point to start "hatin'" in Soulja Boy, but I have to first say "Good for you!" It's good to see that he is "doing his thing" and making that money.   Too many people are out there hating not because he bought himself a jet, but because he has the money to do so, and so many of us are not in that position. I wish I was able to frivolously spend $55 million dollars without worry. We can say that we would do differently if we were in his shoes, but you never know. In the music industry it seems that your longevity depends not on how good you are, but how good the label believes you are. If you make them money then you stay in the spotlight. If you seem to be a fad that is past it's prime, regardless of how entertaining you are, the record company may choose whoever is hot at the moment in order to cash in. In the hip hop community there are MANY artist who have almost unsurpassable skills, but due to them not being what's considered hot right now they tend to fall by the wayside. Going from performing at sold-out venues to taking whatever gigs at whatever clubs are willing to pay them something.

This is where my concern comes in for Soulja Boy. I know that there are people around him that know a good decision from a bad one. Someone must have voiced an issue with the purchasing of a personal jet. I hope that it was not an issue of  either no one speaking up, the concerns falling on deaf ears, or "leeches" going along with everything for free rides and/or waiting for his downfall. The latter may end up being the unfortunate truth as there are individuals who thrive off of causing others misery, and what better way than to make someone you may be jealous of extremely miserable?: You stick close to them (friends close, enemies closer) and whisper in their ear. Similar to the serpent in the garden of Eden. You gain their trust, all the while you are orchestrating their downfall. When the house crumbles to the ground you feign compassion when in your heart you are overjoyed as you relish the target's misery.

I am not saying that there are people within Soulja Boy's camp with ill intent. What I am saying is with that much money at such a young age there are bound to be individuals that are looking to either get some for themselves or to ensure that the person with the money does not have it for long.

What comes to mind, as have many people posted in their comments is the situation regarding rapper M.C. Hammer. At one point Hammer was at the top of the charts, rapping, dancing, selling records, and  of course, making lots and lots of money. He had an entourage made up of who I believe were friends and family members whom he paid very well. In addition to these individuals around him with their hands out Hammer lived lavishly, purchasing a multi-million dollar home among other things. One day Hammer had no money left. His entourage went about their ways and he lost the home. I can definitely understand wanting to help out friends and family, especially if you come into a financial windfall, but you have to be smart about it all. Save money for yourself, put something aside just in case something unexpected. Make sure that you have all your affairs in order before you decide to play magic genie to someone else. Look towards the future; where will you be in five, ten, and twenty years out. Looking at the number of artists/musicians in the industry very few of them have successful longevity, and an even smaller few have successful financial longevity.



Hip hop artist Method Man once said a few years back something along the lines of; "When most rappers get a check they go out and buy a chain (necklace). I have a family to take care of and bills to pay. " The respect I had for him at that point doubled. He was keeping in mind his responsibilities at that moment. Not sure of his standings at this moment, but I hope that he is doing well. I cannot recall, but I know that there are more instances of artists/musicians that look beyond "living in the moment" and make preparations for what the future may or may not hold. This is something we should all consider (especially me).

Hopefully Soulja Boy Tell 'Em if not on his own, has someone else to "Tell 'Em" what he should be doing in regards to his finances, and hopefully this 21st birthday gift is not followed by (as a comment on Yahoo put it) a bankruptcy lawyer for his 22nd birthday.