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Jimmy Iovine is No American Idol
The Christian Diarist ^ | May 22, 2012 | JP

Posted on 05/22/2012 6:00:31 PM PDT by CHRISTIAN DIARIST

You wouldn’t know it from the role he plays as kindly “mentor” to the promising young musical talent vying to be the next “American Idol,” but Jimmy Iovine has done as much to coarsen our popular culture as anyone on the planet.

His biography boasts that the 59-year-old music producer has worked with such acclaimed acts as John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and U2.

What it doesn’t say is that Iovine almost singlehandedly brought so-called “gangsta rap” from the outer fringes of the music industry – where it belonged – to right smack dab in the mainstream.

It started back in 1990 when Iovine co-founded Interscope Records. He made a deal with the devil when he partnered with Death Row Records, putting up several million dollars to distribute its hard core rap, which celebrated misogyny, guns, drugs and “thug” life.

Iovine was “doggs” with Death Row CEO Marion “Suge” Knight, who made no secret of his close ties to Los Angeles street gangs. Some of those true-to-life gangstas actually worked for Death Row, routinely bringing guns and drugs into the offices Iovine provided to Suge and his posse.

Why did Iovine do business with Knight? Because Death Row delivered a succession of multi-platinum gangsta hits, which generated some $325 million in sales for Interscope by 1997.

He didn’t part ways with Death Row until Knight went to jail (after violating probation on an attempted murder charge) and the label stopped delivering multi-platinum hits; stopped generating annual sales in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Had the hits kept coming, had the money kept rolling in, Iovine might still be trafficking today in gangsta rap rather than mentoring “American Idol” hopefuls.

Of course, all of us make mistakes. The Scripture tells us, “There is none righteous, no, not one.”

But Iovine has never, ever repented his role in bring profanity-laced, hard-core gangsta rap to mainstream America. He doesn’t think he made a mistake in doing so. He doesn’t think it was unrighteous.

It was just business to him.

Well, I hope Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips – the two “American Idol” finalists – keep their distance from Jimmy Iovine.

For what will it profit them to gain the whole world if they lose their souls to someone so morally reprehensible?


TOPICS: Music/Entertainment; Religion; Society; TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: americanidol; blogpimp; gangstarap; jimmyiovine; popularculture
I'd publish some of the Death Row lyrics, but they are simply too profane.
1 posted on 05/22/2012 6:00:40 PM PDT by CHRISTIAN DIARIST
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To: CHRISTIAN DIARIST

At least he isn’t responsible for N’Sync or the Backstreet Boys.


2 posted on 05/22/2012 6:03:31 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: CHRISTIAN DIARIST

Someone doesn’t like Jimmy Iovine.


3 posted on 05/22/2012 6:17:20 PM PDT by ReneeLynn (Socialism is SO yesterday. Fascism, it's the new black. Mmm mmm mmm...)
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To: CHRISTIAN DIARIST

You can just youtube any Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg song. Not that you personally want to.


4 posted on 05/22/2012 6:36:35 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: ReneeLynn

If I was Jessica Sanchez’s parent, I wouldn’t let Iovine near my 16-year-old daughter.


5 posted on 05/22/2012 6:41:59 PM PDT by CHRISTIAN DIARIST
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To: dfwgator
Worse: New Kids on the Block were allowed to go free to live their lives, and procreate. There are dozens of little New Kids out there now, biding their time, waiting for that record deal...
6 posted on 05/22/2012 7:21:17 PM PDT by Melas (u)
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To: CHRISTIAN DIARIST

I didn’t know that.

Did you know tht Vicki iovine was his wife? She was a Playboy bunny who wrote very funny cute Girlfriend’s Guides to parenthood, pregnancy, etc. They are divorced, don’t know the story.

He looks like a turtle with rose colored glasses on. How did he get a playboy bunny? Oh yeah, he was rich.


7 posted on 05/25/2012 8:12:31 PM PDT by Yaelle
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