Go cop son, cop...

CONsumerism
written by Doesn't Matt R'

Back in the mid-90’s I don’t recall how I ever had money in my pocket. I didn’t have a job. I didn’t have an allowance. I didn’t have an older girlfriend who bought me things. I guess my parents must have been giving me lunch money here and there. Or maybe birthday gifts just add up a lot more when you don’t have any bills to pay. Either way, every Tuesday, I was at the Wall in Bayside, Queens for the newest album drop. Later on, Bulldog Records on Francis Lewis Blvd. would put out the Tuesday releases over the weekend, so you could really be the first one with some new stuff. I didn’t hear about downloading until 1997, so there were a lot of years in there where Tuesday was THE day. And it was these years that made me the wizened consumer that I am today. For every Ready to Die I bought, there was a Junior Mafia- Conspiracy. For each Legal Drug Money there was a Bootcamp Clik album. And for every Power of the Dollar, I had the Mad Rapper LP. Shoot, I even bought Jay-Z’s Streets is Watching on video tape. But then again, I also bought Master P’s I Got the Hookup.

I tried to cop all of the Jordan’s when they came out. But then I went overboard and got a pair of Team Jordan’s. And so today there are many new ways to try out products before we put money down, especially when it comes to music. Certain big websites will play entire new albums as long as you listen to them straight through. There’s downloading and satellite radio, and the ever classic: straight up stealing from your boy who had to cop it the first day. I don’t always buy the albums that I like. But I’m going to try to, so I can support the artists. And because I need my rappers to push nice whips and rock ice. Not for them but for me. In case I ever go to Japan, they will think I do the same, and treat me like royalty for just one week. But I will not pay money for any of that whack sh*t, ever again.