I thought reality television would have run its course by now but it only continues to grow in ratings, franchises and stupidity. Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta is a new low for the now staple of American Television.
I find it hard to comprehend some of the things people find entertaining these days, then again, we are a generation who records kids knocking out old people, men hitting women, little girls twerking, and Facebook Live murders. Why wouldn’t we watch people who appear as normal as you, live lives of luxury and full of drama?
In the old days, this situation played out through well-known actors and actresses on shows like Falcon Crest and Dynasty. Today’s generation has taken it five steps further, there’s plenty of acting, plenty of luxury and television sets but these are real lives being ruined. These are real families being broken apart, these are real kids being exploited for a paycheck in front of the whole world.
As if dragging their child through the ordeal of growing up in the limelight, surrounded by drama and ridicule isn’t bad enough, now, some of the worst offenders have allowed their children to be on their own reality television show to further the exploitation.
When I first heard about the WEtv’s show, Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta, I told myself it had to be a joke. Of course, it wasn’t, this is 2017 in a world that gets off on ratchetness, drama, and people watching. Reality television has brought out the worst of Americans. It has truly shown the low depths people will stoop to in search of money, fame, and attention. Even worse are the parents who capitalize off of their children’s childhood being played out in front of a worldwide audience.
A Lot of good it did those Kardashian abominations.
Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta is the newest in a chain of exploitative reality television show featuring nobodies who get labeled as “stars” because of who they are related to. Bow Wow has a daughter now, her appearances on the show will pass the cycle on to a new generation and create another child “star” based on their parent. Oh, the lessons we are teaching our kids in today’s society. No wonder World Star, Vine, and Instagram is full of people, especially youth, full of drama and hijinks in the hope of being “noticed” and plucked from obscurity to fame. So much for working for your goals and things you want in life.
Starring on the show are Bow Wow, Reginae Carter ( Lil Wayne’s daughter), Zonique Pullins ( Tiny’s daughter), Ayana Fite ( DJ Hurricane’s daughter), Shaniah Mauldih ( Jermaine Dupri’s daughter) and Brandon Barnes (Waka Flocka’s brother).
If the first episode, which aired on May 25th, is any indication of what the content of the show will be, I can already tell it’s worse than trash. One of the highlights from the first episode is Shad Moss, more commonly known as “Bow Wow” returning to ATL, having a mixtape release party and having to deal with “thugs with guns”. This crap is so scripted and stupid and America eats it up. Reality television is garbage.
Also highlighted in the first episode were Reginae Carter and best friend, Zonique Pullins, who I wrote about earlier this month when the two were in a brawl an Atlanta Clark University. The fight was no doubt a publicity stunt or perhaps a future scene for the show. It surely explains why a teen with as much money as Carter, would stay so close to home for college when she could go to school anywhere in the world.
Around the same time that Carter and Pullins were creating a scene at Atlanta Clark University, Bow Wow was making press for supposedly lying about being on a private jet. Bow Wow later confessed it was a promo stunt. I’m guessing advertising just doesn’t work the way it used to.
For someone like Bow Wow who hasn’t made any music that sells in years and probably lives off of reality television money, I can understand the need to jump from show to show, sharing all of his personal business. Some of the others on the show I can’t comprehend and feel sorry for, Lil Wayne and Toya Wright both have more than enough money and I’m sure Reginae has plenty after all the years she’s been on reality television. At what point does this child break the cycle her parents started with thinking she needs attention, cameras and people on her at all times. Will she ever have a normal life or has she already been ruined?
The rest of these “stars” have all made appearances here and there through various shows and in the Atlanta entertainment scene and now they are airing around the world. What a tragedy.
What happened America? I know they say everyone loves to watch a train wreck but we used to at least try to protect our youth. I can’t and won’t watch this crap just like I don’t watch the rest of the reality television garbage being thrown at me.
What do you think of shows like this?
