# MTV Cribs: Am I right thinking that this crap isn't sustainable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 18, 2002, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506 "2002-12-18T07:01:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/21 "2002-12-18T23:34:46Z")
It seems like whenever I turn on MTV (rarely these days) Cribs is on. And no matter who the star is, they almost always have a bottle of _Cristal_. It must come standard with the pre-fab home. ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/22 "2002-12-18T23:37:45Z")
In case your “crib” isn’t complete… [http://send-champagne.com/cristal.asp?referrer=google](http://send-champagne.com/cristal.asp?referrer=google) ---
**Author:** ![WSLer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/23 "2002-12-19T01:30:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ersatz Shmoe \* > \*\* However, record labels do tend to front large amounts of money to the artist to live off of and record with, but it’s all recoupable, so Birdman will probably have to start watching for the repo man pretty soon. \*\* You pretty much hit the nail on the head. Many artists blow their advances on the mansions and the cars and the bling-bling, never realizing that they actually have to pay the record company back or all of the mansions and cars and bling-bling go away and they have to go back to robbing old people on the street, and selling crack on the corner, which hopefully will get them shot or arrested or possibly both. ---
**Author:** ![tfnb34a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@tfnb34a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tfnb34a)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/24 "2002-12-19T01:52:48Z")
apparently, atleast one of the “big dogs” is living a tad beyond his means… [http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/351/living/\_MTV\_Cribs\_stars\_take\_heed\_being\_a\_big\_dog\_is\_taxing-.shtml](http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/351/living/_MTV_Cribs_stars_take_heed_being_a_big_dog_is_taxing-.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Feistymongol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Feistymongol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feistymongol)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/25 "2002-12-19T01:58:42Z")
Sounds like some of you guys are chewing on some sour grapes. Just FYI there’s quite a few high powered rap stars that invest very well and own their own labels/businesses. They have the money to sling because they are hardworking and intelligent enterpeneurs. Guys like Dr. Dre, Puff Daddy, Russel Simmons (owner of Def Jam records before he sold it for a 120 million), and Master P have all produced new talent from scratch and made them what they are. Dr. Dre practically MADE eminem and em is a huge household name these days. You can call them “marginal” talent all you want but the fact is consumers in America and worldwide buy it up. The guy that owned the “bling bling” house was on Master P’s label if I recall and one of his friends. Obviously, he’s done very well in the business if he can afford to live like he does. You’d be surprised at how much these guys make from doing concerts, merchandising, and record deals. The most enviable thing about Rap stars these days is they make their own labels. Hip Hop has learned to be self sufficient and self marketing without the traditional big studios involved. This has made them far richer than even most rock stars. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/26 "2002-12-19T02:27:37Z")
Feistymongol, you make a good point but the people you list are the exception, not the rule. Add Jermaine Dupri, Scarface and Snoop Dogg to your list and you’ve probably just about completed the list of “Rappers that won’t be broke in five years.” There are old school rappers that make relatively less money (still 6 figures) but manage it smarter that will stay off the streets but for the most part the people in this thread are right. Will Smith fell victim to the same thing these people are falling for the first time he got rich. I remember hearing him say “If you make a million and go spend $800,000 then you think you still have money left over but you’re really in debt. 'Cause half of that million goes straight to taxes.” Also remember that if you make 10 million dollars this year you can pay cash for a 2 million dollar house and think you’re set for life but that house needs maintenence, upkeep, and property taxes _every single year_. You can’t afford to stay there unless you keep raking in the bucks, something most of these guys wont be doing in 5 years. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/27 "2002-12-19T03:01:07Z")
Mariah Carey - talk about a nutjob, invites everyone in to her Penthouse. She shows us her Butterfly room, with her “Lambs”- Fans Scrapbooks of Mariah. She also has to change wardrobe every two seconds, she takes a bath in one of her bathrooms tubs, then gets into a black strapless mini-dress, and five inch heels, then shows her work out room, and precedes to do a stair climber in this club outfit, then she puts on sweats and a top and shows her “TV/Movie room” with captains galley, then kicks MTV out. No wonder she was exhausted, and needed rest. ---
**Author:** ![Feistymongol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Feistymongol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feistymongol)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/28 "2002-12-19T04:16:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > \*\* > > Will Smith fell victim to the same thing these people are falling for the first time he got rich. I remember hearing him say “If you make a million and go spend $800,000 then you think you still have money left over but you’re really in debt. 'Cause half of that million goes straight to taxes.” > . \*\* Allright but the point is they have something that most normal people don’t have. They can market themselves almost anytime they want as long as they still have that window of opportunity. Most normal people can’t go out and raise millions just on image and “talents” alone. Even if some of them grossly overspend they can still manage to recuperate financial debt fast. The only exceptions I can think of where “stars” have gone absolutely bankrupt is when they were one hit wonders who decided to blow their wad all in one spree like M.C. Hammer. A lot of these guys like Will Smith etc. will never have to worry about being poor even if they are in debt. Why? Because they have so many sources of potential income all they have to do is go out there and grab it. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/29 "2002-12-19T04:28:42Z")
It’s not just rap stars. There are a lot of people who hit it big in their chosen fields, don’t have the financial acumen or the foresight to consider what will happen in the likely event that they can’t sustain that level of income, and go bankrupt when the next book/album/movie/TV show doesn’t sell. I believe athletes are also prone to this problem, and there are more than a few day traders and dot-com people who are sharing the experience right now. I always wondered how someone could rip through millions of dollars and be left with nothing in the end. When you consider how much money they drop on useless crap, it becomes clearer. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/30 "2002-12-19T09:18:39Z")
Perhaps the infantile word “crib” is appropriate for the people who live in them. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/31 "2002-12-19T20:10:58Z")
The other requisite “Cribs” accessory: Scarface poster and DVD. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/32 "2002-12-19T20:36:22Z")
You forgot the chrome sub-zero refrigerator (either empty or full of assorted beverages) and the television that rises like a cobra from the foot of the bed. Which I’m sure nobody _ever_ watches porn on. ---
**Author:** ![Zazie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Zazie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zazie)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/33 "2002-12-19T22:11:58Z")
And the unvoidable line that comes up every episode. TheUnkownRapperThatINeverHeardOff shows his gold bed and says : " And that’s where the magic happen, knowwhatImsaying?" Drives me up the wall… ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/34 "2002-12-19T22:45:51Z")
I used to work for an entertainment business manager, you know, the guy who takes 5% to pay the bills and file the taxes. I learned alot. Mostly that entertainment biz folk are stupid and arrogant. Second, they get what they deserve. Third, the people you would think have money, generally don’t, and the people you would think don’t have money, do. And I also learned how easy it is (back in 1986, no less) to blow through more than a million a year, just paying mortgages and flower bills. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/35 "2002-12-19T23:13:50Z")
yeah, the mandatory scarface poster is pretty funny. what’s sad to me is that you almost never see a book in the cribs. and when they show a kid’s room (usually the rappers) it has a nonpersonalized look to it: just a bed and a playstation. They rarely have a look of “my kid lives here”. ---
**Author:** ![japatlgt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@japatlgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japatlgt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/36 "2002-12-19T23:55:26Z")
Another fine example of totally worthless tv. Perhaps in the future television “producers” will expose us to these “icon’s” sanitary habits. I’m glad I miss this “production.” ---
**Author:** ![Darkrabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@Darkrabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkrabbit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/37 "2002-12-20T16:59:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by japatlgt \* > \*\*Another fine example of totally worthless tv. Perhaps in the future television “producers” will expose us to these “icon’s” sanitary habits. I’m glad I miss this “production.” \*\* Oh no, you shouldn’t miss an episode! Each one is MST3K-worthy and is often like an autopsy of the entertainers mind while they are still alive. ---
**Author:** ![Fingolfin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@Fingolfin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fingolfin)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506/38 "2002-12-20T17:42:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ElwoodCuse \* > \*\*The other requisite “Cribs” accessory: Scarface poster and DVD. \*\* Heh Also, lets no forget about the custom rock formations with waterfalls, that lead into the custom pools, which are aligned with hand-made Italian marble. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mtv-cribs-am-i-right-thinking-that-this-crap-isnt-sustainable/143506.md?page=1)