Government Money, Gangbangers, and Gold Diggers

by Racialicious special correspondent Latoya Peterson

The name Matthew Lesko is somewhat unknown in DC.

However, if you say “the guy in the question mark suits with the free money commerical” most people will remember the crazy informercials.

A staple of late night and daytime TV, Lesko’s commericals feature him clad head to toe in an eye-popping suit covered in question marks, screaming about free money and being chased around the capitol by government agents.

However, it looks like Matthew Lesko is looking for a different feel to his new commericals.

According to this article in Sunday’s Washington Post, Lesko seems to have found the answer:

Lesko’s here in the coffeehouse to meet with his director, Mike Fleg, who has an idea for a new ad. No geriatric muggers this time. This ad will feature Lesko rapping.

Rapping? Is the world really ready for Matthew Lesko rapping about how to get free money from the government?

Fleg thinks so. He’s 23 and he just graduated from the University of Maryland. He’s here with Elijah Harvey, another new grad, who raps under the name “XL.” Together, they explain their idea for the ad: Lesko’s walking through a funky neighborhood in his nerdy question-mark suit. A gaggle of gangbangers spot him, and one of them — to be played by XL — starts rapping about how lame Lesko looks. Then Lesko starts rapping back, talking about how he knows how to get free money from the government: “I got billions in free money and it’s waitin’ for you / So come get your money and your life will be new.” And pretty soon, the gangbanger’s girlfriends desert him and flock to Lesko because he’s got free money. Then the music swells :”Getcha money! Getcha money!”

Lesko smiles and sings along: “Getcha money! Getcha money!” Then he says, “I like that. But the beginning is too long. How do we get to the ‘getcha money’ faster?”

Ew.

On so many levels.

One – why do people still think the tired “nerd goes to hood, meets gangbangers, has rap showdown, wins and gets the girl” is funny or innovative? I can see why Lesko might think it is a new, refreshing take on things – the concept probably would never have crossed his mind. (Lesko’s last informerical featured himself as an old woman, mugging a doctor.) But a 23 year old? A 23 year old rapper? Please…

I would file the new Lesko commerical with the Casa Furniture Commericals or the Eastern Motors Radio spots – but there is one key difference.

The Casa & Eastern Motors commericals use stereotypes to pander to specific communities. Lesko’s commerical plays on black racial stereotypes – namely gangbangers and gold-diggers – to attract mainstream attention.

Thoughts?