Cashing in, checking out

Was 50 Cent the most extravagant musical bankrupt? Apparently not…

Without two quarters to rub together – that’s 50 Cent. Rumoured to be working with Olivia Newton John for a tribute to Greece. Insert your own punchline here.
It seems that the rapper may be more canny than initially suspected, however – already having made $100m from selling his shares in a ‘health water’ company to Coca-Cola. Indeed, his self-declared bankruptcy has been described as a ‘tactical’ one by none less than the Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man. 50’s outstanding debts include a bill from his grandfather for $1737 as well as the small matter of the FT-unfriendly bill for $5M in compensation for leaking a sex tape of his ex on the web. So, hardly Warren Buffet then.
It shows how far hip-hop has come however with Jay-Z and Kanye among the highest earners while Dr. Dre’s fortune came from his deal with Apple for Beats headphones – the $3 billion considerably more than he made with NWA.
But so often it’s the innovators that lose out while others cash in – before Factory Records owner Tony Wilson died, a charity campaign was under way to pay for his cancer treatment. His lack of rich friends in the showbiz world was unsurprising – the Hacienda nightclub lost £18 million, Happy Mondays spent £250,000 on recording their flop album ‘Yes Please!’, and New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ – the biggest selling 12” single – actually lost money on every copy owing to Peter Saville’s elaborate ‘floppy disc’ artwork.
The true pioneers often died in poverty – Robert Johnson and Billie Holiday just two who would enjoy much greater success after their deaths. So it seems a little unfair that MC Hammer – talent aside, surely the George Best of the music world – was able to spend $6.8m per year for butlers and maids in his $12m home (the rest he just squandered, mostly on enormous trousers).
David Crosby also wasted $25m, much of it on drugs, and we assume, weapons, given he was jailed for possession of both.
Mick Fleetwood “bought too much real estate,” although he also admits to spending $8 million on cocaine. Shane Fillan managed to go under without the Class As, despite doing the sensible thing and investing his millions, the Westlife singer went under in the Irish property bubble.
Sometimes it’s either bad luck or bad choice of business partners. Billy Joel was stung for $30M by his accountant – his own brother-in-law. Joel sued right back for $90M.
If you can’t pay, get even. Faced with crippling alimony payments, Marvin Gaye recorded ‘Here, My Dear’ and signed the royalties over to his wife. The album bombed.
Ironically, massive hit ‘Sexual Healing’ got him back on the financial straight and narrow – but not long afterwards he was shot dead by his father.
Rather than this financial chicanery, 50 might be better advised to get back to making music again.
Or follow Isaac Hayes – owed $6M when his label Stax went under, he got back to work – as voice of South Park’s Chef. The position of singing school cook is currently open…

David Altair
Juno
(bandcamp)
Ambient music isn’t usually characterised by buzzing keyboards and a robotic voice intoning “you and me… together” in slightly sinister tone. However, David Atair’s form of electronica isn’t completely based around the opening 30 seconds of this release. Synths bubble and swish as the scene is set for the soundtrack to a trip to the farthest reaches of our solar system on Jupiter. Elsewhere, ‘Tend The Path’s snippets of chatter bring The Orb to mind while inevitably Brian Eno’s Apollo series will be a frame of reference. ‘Juno’ is an EP – Altair’s back catalogue includes May release ‘Movies’, as well as work recorded under the Chameleon Jersey Monicker. These explore more beats-driven music, but fear not, it’s more Chemical Bros or Orbital, rather than Calvin Harris. In all, ‘Juno’ works well as an
introduction to his work as well as the whole ambient genre. davidaltair.bandcamp.com.
HHHH

(This piece originally appeared in… well, I’m not sure. The Burnley Express or the Glasgow Extra most likely. Both fine publications).

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