Source: WENN

I’m not one to (habitually) hate on other people’s talent. I believe everyone has a lane, there can only be one Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston, and there is generally room for all on some level of success in the entertainment industry. What I will hate on, though, is people trying to use the devil as the reason why their career hasn’t taken them outside of their mediocre lane. Case in point Nicole Scherzinger.

As a whole, Nicole has what it takes to succeed in the industry. She can carry a tune, she’s attractive, she can dance — and that’s why she’s made it. The problem is she thinks she should be further along than she is when she should probably be thanking her lucky stars– or Jesus — that she’s even gotten to where she has. But that’s not the case, instead she says she hasn’t been as successful as she should be because she hasn’t sold her soul to the devil. Now yes, we do know lots of artists end up selling out in some way, but  isn’t Nicole the same one who rocked with a group of burlesque dancers known as the Pussycat Dolls despite her conservative, religious upbringing?

In an interview with The Independent, Nicole spoke boldly about where her career is not, here’s a snippet:

Within two years, [Nicole] had left Eden’s Crush, and was recruited into Pussycat Dolls, a pop act created by a record- company executive that aimed to combine burlesque titillation with catchy, commercial songs. “My first response when I was invited to join was, No way!” she admits. k “I come from a strong religious background, and I had a very conservative upbringing. So I was nervous, and confused. Here I was wanting to be Whitney Houston, so why did I have to dress in lingerie to do that? I didn’t get it.”

The demands of going to work in her bra and pants soon took its perhaps inescapable toll. From the very moment she became part of the group, Scherzinger was instructed to lose weight. That she didn’t need to lose weight was immaterial, she says. “I simply did as I was told. You know, I didn’t have the confidence to go around in all that lingerie. I’m a crazy b***h now, of course, and I’m all over that, I love it, I embrace it. But back then? Back then, I wasn’t comfortable at all. I’d never worn stuff like that in my life.”

Sounds a little sellout-ish, no? Speaking on her current solo musical ventures, she said:

 ”With these kind of songs, I don’t feel I have to justify myself to anyone. I come from the most religious family – my grandfather is a priest – and if they support me in all this, and they do, then I’m OK. I’m being sassy and classy; I’m having fun. I’m not coming from a dark place. To be honest with you, I sometimes wish I were more slutty. I’d probably be a lot more successful if I were.”

“This is such a tough industry, you know. To make it, you really have to sell your soul to the devil.”

And has she?

She turns back to face the mirror, and closes her eyes. Her make-up artist resumes her work. “No, I haven’t. That’s probably why I haven’t quite reached the top of my mountain. I mean, where’s my Tony Award, my Grammy, my Oscar? Why don’t I have any of those things yet?”

I think I already explained that in my intro, so I’ll let ya’ll answer that question in the comments section.

by Marissa Ellis

We know that “selling out” is part of the entertainment game. We do. But in light of the recent Mary J. Blige chicken-peddling fiasco, we appreciate those celebrities who are simply about their art that much more. Who are we talking about? Oh, you know, the ones that are successful enough to command the requests of advertisers seeking to hawk their products but classy enough to turn down offers to sing the praises of soda, chicken or DirectTV.

There’s nothing wrong with hawking products. This is America after all. But something about seeing Erykah Badu plugging The Gap just reduces her mystique and authenticity…ya know? Here are a few artists who have refused to water down their brand (and essentially turn down lucrative offers) for the sake of their main gig: being an artist.

Many entertainers look to and respect Sade. Beyonce just recently gave her a shout out on her new Tumblr page. But one thing that many of these popular artists don’t have on Sade is her focused love of the music – it’s so focused that she doesn’t engage in PR or care about red carpet engagements and certainly doesn’t care for endorsements. If there is one powerful global influencer out there when it comes to music, it’s Sade. We’re sure that Coke and Pepsi and countless others have begged for her plugs.

(HipHopDX) — With Sunday’s upcoming Super Bowl, you’re guaranteed to see at least one Hip Hop artist in a commercial. Lipton confirmed Eminem will appear in a “Brisk” ad for their signature iced tea. In the last two months, emcees Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli and Jay Electronica have all come under fire for lending their rhyme skills to beverage companies. But what’s all the fuss about? The mere act of selling an album puts any musician—Hip Hop or otherwise—in a different category.  “The truth is that music and videos are commercials,” says Nelson George, who has served as co-executive producer of VH1’s “Hip Hop Honors.” George has also written the movies CB4, Life Support and the book Hip Hop America. “[Songs and videos] are commercials for artists that say, ‘Buy me. Buy what I’m doing. Buy my lifestyle.’

Read More…

What does it mean to be a sellout?  Most of us grew up on this term, but I would be willing to bet that most of us don’t know what the word actually means.   Back in the 1980s, the term “sellout” applied to someone who was all too quick to give up his blackness in exchange for a seat at the white man’s table.  It could also relate to someone willing to do nearly anything to earn a buck.

Obviously, being a sellout means that you’ve sold something.  But that’s not an entirely accurate definition, since we all sell something at some point.  Most of us have been in situations where we wanted to take a stand on an issue, but simply decided to choose our battles in order to protect our opportunities.  That doesn’t necessarily make you weak, but there is a thin line between selling something and selling out completely.

So, perhaps the term “sellout” means selling something of tremendous value in exchange for greater opportunity or financial prosperity.  Can we agree on this definition?  Good, now lets’ get to the nitty-gritty.

There was a time when an athlete, politician or celebrity was ridiculed for selling his/her soul for money.  While we’ve always needed money to survive, there was always a set of standards and expectations to ensure that the individual didn’t compromise his integrity during his climb up the ladder of power and success.  We expected that a commitment to the community would certainly supersede almost anything else.

The 1980s changed all that.  Great individuals like Harry Edwards (who led the Olympic Protest of 1968) toned down his message and began making gobs of cash from corporate America.  Rather than having athletes like Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown, who took a stand on important social issues, we got men like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, apolitical corporate puppets who take almost no public position on any important cause.

Selling out has become en vogue, and the trend is only going to continue. We’ve decided that Bob Johnson having a billion dollars is more important than the fact that he nearly ruined an entire generation of young people in order to earn it.  This is a sad day for our country and an especially sad time for black America.  In our quest to obtain what we want, we became all too quick to throw away everything that we need.

But watching others sell themselves doesn’t mean we all have to commit to this trend.  I encourage anyone reading to search their own soul and not be afraid to do what’s right.  Bob Johnson could have been incredibly wealthy while still keeping his integrity.  If Michael Jordan were to take a stand on an issue affecting black men, he’d still have a few hundred million dollars in the bank.  The decision does not have to be dichotomous, since selling out is a continuum: a person can become incredibly wealthy and still maintain his principles.  It’s time to reconsider our paradigm, since massive wealth means nothing if your impact on the world has been negligible.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the initiator of the National Conversation on Race. He is also the author of the book, “Black American Money.” For more information, please visit BoyceWatkins.com.