Porn Valley- For Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton and R. Kelly, having their private sex tapes mass-produced and sold to the public wasn’t all that funny.
Then there are rap stars. Some of them are launching their own lines of X-rated videos and cross-marketing them with their albums.
Musicians’ backstage antics have been talked about for decades, and by pairing sex scenes with hip-hop music as a backdrop, rappers have found a way to capitalize on it.
In the past three years, a number of rappers have released adult videos. Among them: Treach of Naughty by Nature, Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Jon, Ice-T, Mystikal, Too Short, Knoc-Turn’al and Digital UnderÂground.
Other prime-time players in rap, including former 2 Live Crew leader Luther Campbell, Trick Daddy and 50 Cent’s G-Unit cohort Lloyd Banks, all have tapes due before year’s end.
Critics complain that hip-hoppers moonlighting in porn is yet another example of irresponsible behavior in rap and sends the wrong message to impressionable teens. Snoop Dogg says he understands the critics.
“I am a role model, but you have to parent your kids. I can’t parent your kids – that’s your job,” he says.
The union of hip hop and porn seems logical to a lot of people, since many rap lyrics are saturated with explicit tales of sexual escapades.
“These adult videos are just an offshoot of rappers’ music videos, which already have people up in arms,” says Gail Mitchell, Billboard’s associate editor for R&B and hip hop. “So it’s probably the best outlet for them to go this way and target the adult market, where it should be directed, and not young kids.”
The trend began in 1996, with the infamous “Freak of the Week” collaboration between DJ Polo, of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, and porn legend Ron Jeremy. DJ Yella of N.W.A. did one around that time, too, under the alias Tha Kidd.
Just as rappers rule the music charts, their adult videos are best-sellers as well.
“Rappers are business-minded men who realized they could make money filming what was already going on around them in their dressing rooms, their hotels and at their home anyway,” says the adult-film star and producer known as Mr. Marcus, who has starred in more than half of the hip-hop porn movies released.
But while rappers may realize their potential worth in the estimated $4 billion porn business, they’ve refrained from actually partaking in the hardcore sex scenes. With the exception of DJ Yella, most rappers simply serve as hosts or commentators.
“They like to bring in a guy like me to do all of the hard work,” jokes Mr. Marcus.
A lot of the success of hip-hop skin flicks is attributed to bonus features including top-level soundtracks, live performance footage, exclusive music singles and cameos by rap stars.
While such female rappers as Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown and Jackie-O deliver lyrical content as raunchy as their male counterparts do, no legitimate female rapper has journeyed into the adult-entertainment industry.
The porn business has taken note. Snoop’s “Doggystyle” line, done with Larry Flynt’s Hustler company, earned him two AVN Awards – the Oscars of the porn business – including Best Selling Tape of the Year. The American Sex Series from hip-hop’s Lil’ Jon and the Eastside Boyz has been a top seller this year.
“On the road, you see different people do different things, but this is just entertainment on these videos,” says Lil’ Jon. “We wanted to give people a movie like they were there and one of our homeboys or homegirls hanging out with us.”
The avid audience for these tapes suggests that hip hop and adult entertainment will stay linked.
“They’re making money off of it now, and if they can continue to, more will do it. If not, they’ll move on to something else,” says Billboard’s Mitchell.
Mr. Marcus agrees.
“Paris Hilton’s tape has sold a half-million copies already,” he says. “So whether it’s a Hollywood star or a hip-hopper, the celebrity aspect of porn is in demand.”