to say that these artists are illuminati might be a little too narrowly-scoped. they are merely pawns of the people that sign their paychecks.

Roc-A-Fella is a subsidiary of Island Def Jam, which is a subsidiary of the Universal Music Group, which is owned by a French company called Vivendi.

Vivendi are MAJOR players in the entertainment industry, holding stakes in about 25% of all record labels, NBC, as well as many european telecommunications companies.

i believe your connection to the elite can be found there.

to add to the ACTUAL point of this thread however:

the messages portrayed in their music is nothing more than the classic "mystique" approach perfected by the rolling stones, the doors, and led zeppelin back in the days of true arena rock. it was that mystique(as well as catchy songwriting, might i add) that allowed them to become so popular. people wanted to know more about them.

hip hop today is very similar to classic rock in its prime. the only difference is that today, the majority of people go to clubs and hear the hits of their favorite hip hop/dance artists and it is a HUGE market right now, as opposed to the live concerts of the 60s and 70s.

on a more personal note that has nothing to do with anything...the idea of pop music to me is disgusting. it's all rehashed garbage(there are some hip hop artists with credibility, but most just use computer-generated loops and brag about stupid BS, hence why i call it "brag" and not "rap"). this goes for all forms of mainstream music whether it be rap, pop, rock, country(what a joke pop-country is, huh?), reggaeton(another joke, how can you make a genre of music for 5 years with the same drum beat?). it's a frustrating thing being a musician who plays out and having to compete with a computer randomizing a selection at some trendy hot spot where all the people care about is a ton of indiscernible bass. it's the dumbification of america, if you ask me. that's right...dumbification. and it's controlled by the likes of the Vivendi corporation.

[edit on 8-1-2008 by Sacreligion]

[edit on 8-1-2008 by Sacreligion]

don't get me wrong, there are definitely still many respectable artists in all genres of music...it just so happens that the musicians most hear of on a regular basis are doing what their A&R guys are telling them will help their image/sales. over the past 50 years music has become more of a market than an art form.

true, but it was a statement made in generality as the industry controls just about everything you hear. you can always go down to your local bar and see the live acts playing, but in most cases they're just trying to copy what the big stars of the time are doing, anyway. it seems as if even those not directly controlled by companies like UMG are pretty much brainwashed into making crap music because they want the fame and money more than they want to convey a message. because of this you end up with stagnant music scenes across the country. believe me...this is something in which i'm very well-versed.

All outlets are under the influence.

Originally posted by Sacreligion
to say that these artists are illuminati might be a little too narrowly-scoped. they are merely pawns of the people that sign their paychecks.

Roc-A-Fella is a subsidiary of Island Def Jam, which is a subsidiary of the Universal Music Group, which is owned by a French company called Vivendi.

Vivendi are MAJOR players in the entertainment industry, holding stakes in about 25% of all record labels, NBC, as well as many european telecommunications companies.

i believe your connection to the elite can be found there.

First class example of how to connect the dots, people. It's not just the artists but the corporations behind them. There are always hierarchies within the entertainment business that reach up to the same group of people, all of them, satanists.

Jay-Z is a rich and powerful man. He's about to step down from his presidency of Def Jam but he's going to be heading Apple's new record label that is said to be released some time this year. Jay-Z has even patented his own color, Jay-Z Blue.

With that being said, I think it's silly to think or assume that Jay-Z or any other entertainer for that matter belongs to any elite orginization that runs the world. In fact, I would think entertainers like Jay-Z and Nas, able to reach so many through their lyrics, as a target of the illuminati.

peace

First of all, the present day "Illuminatti" have absolutely nothing in common with the illuminated mystics of old. So, to say that someone is part of the "Illuminatti," just because they have a fascination with "strange" spiritualities and philosophies is very false.

[edit on 9-1-2008 by SpeakerofTruth]

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
First of all, the present day "Illuminatti" have absolutely nothing in common with the illuminated mystics of old. So, to say that someone is part of the "Illuminatti," just because they have a fascination with "strange" spiritualities and philosophies is very false.

Your comment's off topic. I think everyone would agree that the term "Illuminati" is generally excepted as the secret group that may be supposedly in charge of the NWO.

As to this topic of the rappers being involved in the Illuminati...sorry I don't believe it. Power and money don't always imply bad intentions. Jay-Z and Nas rose to the top because their great at what they do. I once heard that Jay-Z doesn't keep a journal of his lyrics, just memorizes them. I don't think anyone is questioning the talent of these guys, but if your skeptical about the validity of hip-hop listen to the Nas album "Illmatic." amazing lyricism

Originally posted by TheScribe

Originally posted by SpeakerofTruth
First of all, the present day "Illuminatti" have absolutely nothing in common with the illuminated mystics of old. So, to say that someone is part of the "Illuminatti," just because they have a fascination with "strange" spiritualities and philosophies is very false.

Your comment's off topic. I think everyone would agree that the term "Illuminati" is generally excepted as the secret group that may be supposedly in charge of the NWO.

I do not believe the comment was off topic, but I to take exception to your statement that everyone would agree with the statement you made. I'm skeptical of there being both an Illuminati that is in existence today and of there being a NWO in anything other than wrestling. The reason for that skepticism is that there's no proof of the existence of either group.

But, to add my two cents, I don't believe that either rapper is a member of a group that doesn't exist. Chances are good that they didn't have anything to do with the the design of the videos in question, other than input into what they're wearing or which dancer gets in the video. Generally speaking, the director and producer work with a marketing department to create a music video. The artist is just along for the ride.

So ... maybe the question should be: are the directors, producers and marketing departments members of Imaginati ... or are they just making a video based on what current trends in music videos are driving towards?

Your pal,
Meat.

if you are really interested in the illuminati / hip-hop music, or occultism and hip-hop in general, do some reading on the "Nation of Gods and Earths." That's basically the secret society of the hip-hop world. Also known as 5%ers. As in, 85% of the world is dumb, deaf and blind (ignorant). 10% is in on it, and the other 5% are all we have for hope.

Interesting thread, interesting video. Here's where I stand on this:

Numerous rappers, notably Tupac and Makiavelli (duh), have had a fascination with Machiavelli.

The RZA and other members of the Wu-Tang clan are very interested in East Asian history and philosophy, especially those surrounding martial arts, and have demonstrated through lyrical references, film works, and other outlets that they more about these disciplines than any American outside of scholars and other fanatics like themselves.

Nas has a real fondness for terms associated with mysticism, spirituality, etc.

Cannibal Ox's album "The Cold Vein" contains references to secret societies, mystical occurences, and even a song called "The Battle for Asgard."

The rapper who goes by "Rick Ross," who named himself after drug kingpin Rick Ross and is one of a long line of rappers to reference connection to underworld organizations that are so successful/secret that no law enforcement/authority/listener has ever heard of them.

Those are the the instances that I remembered off the top of my head in three minutes, and I'm a casual hip-hop fan at most. What I'm getting at is that contrary to many people's belief, even some of the most materialistic and artistically bankrupt rappers are fairly smart and willing to do a little bit of research. Secret societies run right along with the themes of money, power, elitism, intimidation, and mystique that they've made millions off of.

So I'm in the camp with those posters who say that this is guys who know how to make a buck just making a buck. I bet if you did an interview with one of these guys, there's even a chance they would answer the question in such a way as to lead on that they are a member of a secret society, because it would be a great publicity stunt. And maybe I'm ignorant, but wouldn't it be kind of outside the grounds of any of the many and varying groups conceptualized/labeled as "the Illuminati" to be so blatant about membership?

(edit: Left the "a" out of Tupac)

[edit on 10-1-2008 by thisshouldbegreat]