Update 2/3: On second thought, this isn’t “ether”, and to have labeled it as such is actually an insult to the word and all that it stands for in hip-hop. True, 50 succeeds at delivering some pretty harsh blows to Rick’s character (which is the ultimate goal of any rapper engaging in battle with his/her opponent), however, the method behind his madness here (using his opponent’s ex-girlfriend as a pawn in such an unprecedented fashion) is all too real, too sleazy to sit back and cheer on as one would in a normal rap battle (which this is clearly not). This is the sort of thing that you’d expect to see on daytime televison, not in the midst of a what should be an entertaining rap battle confined to lyrics. What I fear most, though, is that in this age of hip-hop meets new media, this will become the norm. Just as “Nas vs. Jay” gassed up a legion of mediocre rapcats to take their best shots at hip-hop’s elite, this stunt and others like it, will give the go ahead to a new legion mediocre rapcats to take to youtube (and other video outlets) to do what it is that they are not artistically capable of doing on pen and pad, in the booth, or on the mic.

I applaud 50 on the move, however, the really odd (and in some ways interesting) thing about all of this, is the amount major media attention that this story’s received–CNN, Wall Street Journal, LA Times (not to mention, the various media outlets that have mentioned the story during their on air reports). It’s pretty crazy. I wonder though, does this story matter to them because it’s 50 Cent (outspoken, controversial rapper) at the center of it all? Or because it’s 50 Cent (outspoken, controversial rapper and the establishment’s unofficial hip-hop representative) at the center of it all? You have to wonder.

Portraits of Kanye West, 50 Cent, Russell Simmons, and other heavyweights of hip-hop are featured in painter Alexander Melamid’s Holy Hip Hop! exhibition, currently on display at Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.

The life-size portraits of twelve icons of hip-hop culture capture the larger than life personas embodied by these men, who are among the wealthiest and most influential individuals of our time. Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Common, Kanye West, Reverend Run, Duke, Lil Jon, Don “Magic” Juan, Whoo Kid, Marc Ecko and Russell Simmons are portrayed by Melamid as they are in life ‚ serious, ambitious, powerful and compelling. The twelve, dressed in their everyday clothes, are rendered with Old Master style and quality, providing a provocative visual context and an association with masterpieces of the past. In these paintings, Melamid explores art, power and commodity, as well as displaying the wit that has long elevated his work.

[via NY Times, MOCAD]