"who doesn't hate sellouts?"

In another "Fresh Prince" teaches a lesson--this episode sees Carlton and Will try out for an all Black Malcom X style Muslim frat. After doing everything they were asked to do, the frat accepts Will but rejects Carlton, because they deemed Carlton to be too white.

When they get home, Carlton tells the story to his family and this exchange takes place

Carlton: They wouldn't let me in the frat because they said they didn't like sellouts.

Hilary: Who doesn't hate sellouts? I mean you wait and wait and wait in line and when you get there it's all gone!

(Hilarys the airhead in the family)

Anyway, Uncle Phil goes off on this speech about how it's a shame they would do that to their own race and that just because he worked hard to provide a good life for their kids they shouldn't be labeled sellouts. Basically what Phil was saying was--Carlton didn't ask to be rich. You can't call him a sellout and "not black" just cause he wears Old Navy performance fleece, has a butler, and listens to Tom Jones.

Don't worry, AnD, I ain't gonna go off on one of my racial rants (not like any of you guys would ever leave a comment on that anyways)

I'm gonna talk about the term sellouts, and how music snobs apply that to any bands that make it big.

You see, I found out Green Day was coming to Hong Kong three days ago. With me growing up on Green Day, I of course was excited. I put the status on my facebook, and within minutes... my friend Mike, aka the guy I've blogged about on here several times, he's one of the most knowledgeable film/music person I know, a devout Christian, a hardcore gambler, a USC grad school film student, and someone I nearly killed in 97 cause I threw a punch at his head (but missed).

Anyway, he immediately left a comment on my facebook saying Green Day are sellouts, and that everytime he hears them he changes channels.

Now he didn't always hate Green Day. He was the cat who taught me how to play Good Riddance back in 2001. The very first time I ever watch him play music (he's a musician as well, used to play in a band) was 1998 and he performed Green Day's When I Come Around during a school lunch.

We went to tons of gigs in the early 2000s--the Strokes, Interpol, White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Soledad Brothers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and yes, Green Day.

So I know for a fact he was once a fan. But now he has to hate them because of their last two album. OKay so he didn't liket he last two albums, I'm not a big fan of American Idiot either. But much like all snobs do, he has to get venomous about them. He has to use hyperbole, he has to spew hate.

And I can't blame him, I do the same for NBA. I think being a snob is okay if you can back it up with proper knowledge. But still, I have a problem with the term sellout.

So because Green Day got big and famous they're sellouts? Because they're not stuck at Berkeley performing at local clubs? Because Billie Joe wanted to expand the music and try to go for stadium rock and not just three chord punk pop?

This is a paradox in music. We wanna like indie bands but then if they get big we call them sellouts. Imagine if htat applied to basketball. I grew up watching Paul Pierce, aka the mofn'ing TRUTH, in Inglewood repping Los Angeles. Should I have hated him as soon as he became a millionaire professional athlete?

But at the same time, I understand the snob mentality. I still feel a bit too. For example--Kings of Leon. I saw these cats in 2003 when they were labeled as "The Redneck Strokes" (They actually opened for The Strokes), they were a bunch of hicks with gnarly facial hair

Suddenly, in the past two years they've gotten huge. Now suddenly they're bigger than the Strokes ever were (it's a damn shame), and they've cleaned up their looks and look all groomed and shit now. Now suddenly random chicks on my facebook are talking about KOL. And yes, part of me wanna pull a Mike and be a snob

"Please, I liked them when you was listening to Christina Aguilera's Genie in a Bottle"

But I resist, because I want Kings of Leon to be heard, right?

I understand where Mike's coming from, and I too thought Green Day's latest album is too pretentious, but still, I grew up with them, I can't hate. And no matter how wanna be U2 their latest stuff is, when the old stuff hits I have to go crazy.

I can't be cold blooded like Mike.