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I'm a sucker for hearing both sides of the story before making a concrete stance on the details presented. The entertainment world forces me to dive deep into the *why of things occuring in the industry.
What I find most intriguing about creators of today is how they've mastered presenting a world, an idea and a story we once never knew. From this we are able to adapt to the lingo, create memes and caption our pictures as a reference. But, here's my quarrel of an artist feeling shorted with an opportunity, possibly feeling replaced/threatened or imitated.
The situation with Mo'Nique and Netflix. It kind of makes me cringe because I feel like an ass for saying, well — Monique earning the same as a Chapelle or a Kevin Hart for a Netflix special isn't realistic to me. She has a fantastic resume, but is it currently deemed as a great marketing point for a network like Netflix? In my mind, I feel creators, artists and talents have phases of relevance. There's the peak, the simmer and the vintage moment.
The Peak
This is the prime and highlight of the career. For music artists, this is when your songs and videos are in heavy rotation. For creators, this is when your piece of work is the topic or argument of discussion. These are the moments that are remembered and cherished, because that high of celebrity status doesn't last forever.
The Simmer
The credit has been due after the peak and you are well-known. This is the time to bask in your hard work, and the contentment of how far you have come sets in. For some, this could be a pivotal moment; a crossroads where you may consider expanding on a piece of your artistry or simply decide to take a break to regroup. Nonetheless, everyone still knows your name.
The Vintage Moment
This is the teachable moment. The time to give back and coach individuals looking to pursue within the same field. This is the comeback, but should never be confused with the peak nor the simmer. Vintage cannot be considered vintage if it didnt at one time have a peak that was once highly valued and appreciated. But that doesn't dim the light of what was. It just distinguishes between the relevance of the now and the pure unadulterated version of the past.
So, back to a debate of who's check is cut first or more abundantly, it makes sense that a new artist/creator just as great as the last, in some cases, will come to make more. There's no competition, just a difference of time. Take Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande, two women who people love to pin head-to-head because of their similarities of sound. It makes no real sense to try and pick apart which artist is better when not only are they serving two totally different target audiences/generations, but they are within two different phases of relevance. Mariah Carey is the vintage moment. Ariana is at her peak.
This revolving door of introducing the new age to the old will remain for as long as entertainment exists. Artists and creators come to give us masterpieces, leaving classics and the blueprint for the next line of talents. It's all recycled wisdom and it's the beauty of the business. I love to see it.
