Gorilla vs Bear: Tales of the American Dream?

Kanye or 50? Who's gonna outsell who? It's going down on 9/11 and aside from the record industry pulling a stripped down version of the East vs West beef that sparked sales in the late 90s (yea we all know how that one went down...), there's something else that's been intriguing me about this whole showdown.

What I can't help but notice is that, despite the seemingly different personas 50 and Ye come to represent: one of a gangsta and the other the baller by way of college dropout, when it comes down to it, both make music that seem to celebrate the American Dream.

Fiddy, in all his G-Unit/Glaceau glory, is about coming up in a world that doesn't give a shit about poor disenfranchised youth of color via any means necessary (ie moving keys, robbing fools). He's a hustler, he's a gangsta but he's made it. Look no further than his latest single "I Get Money" to understand what he's about. 50 has always been about playing into America's fear and fascination of Black males. It's almost like he's laughing "all the way to the bank" by owning his image and making millions from playing into a stereotype. Aggressive, hypersexual, criminal makes for some cool marketing. Essentially, we have Fiddy saying I've made it out by turning a negative thing into $$$.

In the other corner, Kanye. From the beginning, 'Ye has been about his whole "college is for suckas" shtick and how he's made it through the fire (or wire). His latest album, Graduation is all about the celebration and flossin you do once you've made it (Glory, Can't Tell Me Nothin, Flashing Lights come to mind). Where Fiddy puts forth a ghetto poor rags to riches story, Kanye comes at it from a middle class to riches perspective. Honestly how many kids in the hood are actually going to face the problem of dropping out of college, let alone apply to college? Like 50, Ye plays the role of the underdog that's made it. Both flaunt the fact that they made it despite the hate and adversity.

So is it me, or does this whole having two monumental pro American Dream Black figures drop on September 11th seem not so much like a coincidence? It's like some weird form of patriotism has swept popular black music. Discuss!