The hip-hop bling-bling culture is based on livin’ the millionaire life or at least lookin’ like you live the millionaire life. And with all these hip-hop and pop songs talking about “millions” in every verse, everyone seems to always be thinking about getting as much money as they can. How much money you get is the first thing people think about with fame and celebrity. I hate to break the news, but just because a person has fame and celebrity, you can’t assume they are anywhere close to having a million dollars. I bet you’re assuming that I have millions, but, trust me, that ain’t the truth.
First of all, as a winner onAmerican Idol, I can tell you that everyone is interested about what the winner wins. The winner of the show does get a million-dollar record deal, but does not get a million dollars in cash as some people think. Most people don’t understand the actual numbers behind the music business at all. You must be wondering why there is a whole chapter about money. Because what I have realized is that news of my winning automatically leads people to thinkin’ about money. I hate the thought that money might make us who we are, but the sad news is that, all too often in this world, it seems that it does.
What makes me laugh about it is that the Barrino Family never had money. All we had was music, good singing voices, and an anointing from God. Mama used to say, “Money is the root of all evil.” I’m beginning to think she may be right. Don’t get me wrong; I’m grateful for many of the things that this newfound money has brought me. But I also feel guilty getting caught up in this money thing, when I never meant to. It’s like a tidal wave. Maybe that’s why so many of us never wanted to do much in High Point. With success comes money, and that can be scary when you come from where I do. Everyone in the ghetto talks about wantin’ money and gettin’ money and makin’ money, but if they ever were to make some real money they wouldn’t know how to manage it and then they would still end up with nothing, but it would be twice as hard to go back to not having any money.
Why is it that when we have money we feel like we can have more things? That makes us feel like we’re better than people who don’t have money or who have fewer things. People put too much power in money for it to be such a fleeting thing. Money don’t last. You can have money one day and lose it the next. You can lose it in a card game or a stupid bet or you can lose it in a slot machine with just one pull of a lever. That is the evil of money. Why are we not as equally obsessed with God, who is lasting and almighty? Why has money replaced God as the most important thing? I’m blessed by what God has given me and my family, but this money thing continues to worry me.
For those who think that I’m now livin’ large, this is an example of what happens to large sums of money, based on my own experience.
You always have to begin with taxes and management fees, so now you’re looking at less than half of what you started with. I decided I wanted a house. My family has always rented houses, so it has always been my dream to own a house for us to live in, a house that we could really call our own. I also understood that buying a home was a better investment than spending my money on a luxury car that I couldn’t drive or diamonds that I probably wouldn’t wear. I liked the idea of spending my money on something I believe in and that is home! So now my whole family lives in a beautiful house that I bought in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is a great blessing for us and I love goin’ home every chance I get. I also love calling it “my home” because owning a home of my own was a dream that I couldn’t even imagine just a short while ago.
Of course, I have monthly bills just like everybody else. We all have to pay the utility bills, put dinner on the table, pay for insurance, and pay for all those minutes that we spend talking on the phone. But when you’re in the public eye, you suddenly have expenses that you never even thought about like security, hairstylists, and assistants. And one of the blessings of having some money in my pocket is getting to do what I love best (next to singin’) and that is helpin’ people. I’ve helped my family by buying them new cars and givin’ them a place to live. I’ve paid off their bills and given them some things that they always wanted. And I’ve helped friends by giving them spending money to buy things they really want. I tithe every week, and I always have some money in my pocket so I can help those in need. I believe in givin’ back.
It gives me a good feeling that I can do things for Mama and my brother Xavier. It makes me feel good that Xavier goes to a good school. I want him to have every advantage possible in life so he can go on to college. I want
