In today’s world where everyone wants to be #winning, there’s no better way to make yourself famous than to go viral. Viral marketing is everywhere; movies do it, artists release whole CDs over the internet for free... and then there’s Youtube. Ah, Youtube, where you can post a video of any crappy thing you’ve done, and if it’s funny enough (coming soon – check out my stand-up comedy!), you too can be a celebrity! In the past, you would have actually had to do something notable; to have some measure of talent, but no more. What’s the latest trend to grace our computer screens? None other than the fantastic Ms. Rebecca Black, and her well-written little ditty “Friday”. Fun fun fun fun! Unfortunately, individuals have been quick to draw comparisons between Ms. Black, and other celebrities who have gotten their start on Youtube, some of whom have actually gone on to have a measure of the success that would have denoted them as a celebrity in the past. The most notable victim of these comparisons is the “pride of Stratford” (and soon to be of UWO – my university, if you believe the rumours), Justin Bieber. I will say that Mr. Bieber is the antithesis of everything I stand for as a human being; I once told my ten-year old cousin that he was “everything that is wrong with the world”. That being said, anyone who thinks that Rebecca Black is on the same level as Justin Bieber is sorely mistaken.
For starters, Bieber actually has talent. I mean, sure, his style of music is not the greatest, but if you actually watch the original videos that he posted on Youtube... well, there’s a reason that Usher and Justin Timberlake were competing for his services. Black, on the other hand, is autotuned to a level not seen since Jane Lynch sang on Glee. The girl simply cannot sing. In addition, the songs themselves are quite different. Say what you will for Bieber’s saccharine lyrics about prepubescent love, but I guarantee his songs will never feature the following highly-enlightening line: “Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday/Today it is Friday, Friday/Tomorrow is Saturday/and Sunday comes afterwards”. It’s exceptional that she’s remembered her lessons from the second day of Kindergarten, but song lyrics these do not make. Then, there’s the fact that both songs feature an interlude from an MC. In Bieber’s case, it’s the very talented Ludacris, of “Act A Fool”, “Get Back”, and “Welcome to Atlanta” fame. Who’s the fella that features in “Friday”? I had to do some digging, but I discovered that his name is Patrice Wilson, and he goes by the stage name “Pato”. A multi-talented individual, Pato has toured extensively in Eastern Europe, starred in ad campaigns for the Gap, and even appeared in a film with Snoop Dogg! Do you know what else he’s done? He happens to be one of the two producers behind Ark Music Factory, the company which produced “Friday”. This brings me to my final and most substantial point: namely, how did “Friday” even come to exist? Ark Music Factory is made up of two producers who take money from rich people whose children think they have musical talent. They give them a single, and a music video with reasonable production values. The whole thing is a money-making scheme to take advantage of hapless people who either don’t know better, or are too rich to care. Meanwhile, Justin Bieber got to be famous from having talent, and putting in hard work. He grew up in a single-parent household, and overcame his circumstances to become the success he is today. This is in stark contrast to Rebecca Black’s rise to “fame”.
If I didn’t make it clear before, I’ll say it again: I am no fan of Justin Bieber. If he fell off a roller-coaster and broke every bone in his body, not only would I be unmoved, I would also doubt as if the world would be any less cultured as a result. It aggrieves me, however, to see someone who is talented and who works hard to have his name slandered by comparisons to Rebecca Black. Just because they got their starts through vaguely similar circumstances does not mean that they’re in any way similar. People making this comparison need to seriously reconsider their opinions.
Even though I loathe Bieber I agree with you 100 percent. It seems like anyone can get famous by making a video on Youtube.
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