Several years ago, an a rapper and entertainer by the name of 50 Cent came to the spotlight. His songs were okay but were pretty mediocre, in my opinion, but I suspect that wasn’t really what got him (or kept him) famous. What kept him selling albums for a 3-4 year period was the fact that he started controversies and fights that captivated the attention of Hollywood gossipers and entertainment magazines.
First he took on Ja Rule. Then he made a diss record aimed at Fat Joe and Jadakiss. These feuds multiplied out of control. Now, someone who can’t see the forest for the trees might look at this situation and say, “This is exactly what happens when you get a former drug dealer and violent criminal involved in entertainment.” If you read The 50th Law, a book co-authored by 50 and Robert Greene (also author of bestseller The 48 Laws of Power), enough is said to allow you to draw the conclusion that all of these feuds are purposeful. 50 is a fairly intelligent guy who knows how to work over the media in order to sell albums, in order to get paid.
A lesson is to be drawn from that situation: when you see someone constantly starting public feuds, you ought to be wary about their motives. They could be doing this in order to get more attention for themselves, so that they can rack up more album sales (or book sales, or website hits). Taking the bait only rewards those are willing to fool you. The best option for dealing with such types is to let them suffocate by withholding the attention they crave.
