Is Charlie Sheen a new hip-hop icon?
OPINION - Sheen has dropped an abundance of quotes that if set to a great beat could easily become a catchy rap song...
Over the past few days Charlie Sheen has been making headlines and leaving memorable soundbites everywhere. Sheen’s Today Show interview this week with NBC’s Jeff Rossen started a media firestorm that doesn’t seem to be burning out anytime soon. Along the way he has also gained a new-found street credibility that is easily associated with the style of hip-hop swagger. Sheen raised eyebrows with his first hip-hop-tinged nugget — a reference to a professional basketball player. When Rossen asked if he had ever missed a day of work Charlie Sheen quoted Allen Iverson, saying “We’re talking about practice, come on guys, we’re talking about practice.”
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Hip-hop lyrics poetically speak of overcoming defeat and prospering against all odds. Rap artists have consistently adopted a “winning” persona. “Winning” in hip-hop translates into having the best car, the most bling, an amazing crib and lots of women or even “goddesses” to surround you like a pimp. In Sheen’s ubiquitous television appearances he has dropped an abundance of quotes that if set to a great beat could easily become a catchy rap anthem. In a recent description of himself on Twitter Sheen wrote: “Born small…Now Huge…Winning…Bring it…!(Unemployed winner…)”
In many highly publicized interviews Sheen has delivered his points of view confidently and without fear of public or corporate retaliation, which has given him seemingly instant street credibility. Reading from some Sheen’s quotes is like borrowing a line from a group of up and coming amateur rappers having an MC battle in the streets of Brooklyn. In a recent interview Sheen said: “One of my favorite poets is Eminem.” Maybe Sheen should consider a career in rap?
WATCH FOOTAGE FROM SHEEN’S INFAMOUS ‘TODAY SHOW’ APPEARANCE HERE:
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Some of Sheen’s most hip-hop flavored quotes are:
“I am grandiose. Because I live a grandiose life.”
“I don’t know, winning, anyone? Rhymes with winning? Anyone? Yeah, that would be us.”
“I’m going to hang out with these two smoking hotties and fly privately around the world.”
“I’m tired of pretending I’m not a total, b**hin’ rock star from Mars.”
“I’ve spent close to the last decade effortlessly and magically converting your tin cans into pure gold.”
“You borrow my brain for five seconds and just be like ‘Dude, can’t handle it. Unplug this bastard.’”
“I am on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen.”
“Let’s talk about something exciting. Me.”
“Sorry my life is so much more b***hin’ than yours. I planned it that way.”
To add to his already growing swagger and street credibility Charlie Sheen has been Tweeting with rapper P Diddy. The Tweet exchange went as follows:
P Diddy: “can u please send me the address to ur house? Ive been dreamin about a party like this all my life #winning! See u soon! Lol”
Charlie Sheen: “Get dressed my man… sending the driver..!”
P Diddy: “On my way- WINNING!”
WATCH MORE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE SHEEN’S ANTICS HERE:
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Kanye West, who has climbed to great heights of controversy based on his self-congratulatory tweets and ill-conceived public statements, which have seemingly spurred from the hip-hop mentality of I say what I want, I own what I say, and you deal with it. Now that Charlie Sheen has taken to Twitter Kanye might just have met his match, as Sheen is sure to tweet even more unbridled confidence, egotistical pride and disregard of consequence into the Twittersphere.
In February 2010 hip-hop artist DJ Khaled released the single “All I Do Is Win” a featuring Ludacris, Rick Ross, T-Pain and Snoop Dogg.The song consisted of the lyrics “all I do is win, win, win no matter what. Got money on my mind, I can never get enough. And everytime I step into the building, everybody’s hands go up, and they stay there. Cause all I do is win, win win.” This could easily be seen as Sheen’s personal mantra.
Based on recent news coverage it is evident that America and the world will be staying tuned for more of his unique brand of braggadocio. Maybe he deserves a hip-hop handle: “C-Sheezy” anyone?
