Random Musings: The Dream and Christina Milian

So, for the last few months, speculation in the blogosphere has run rampant that singer/actress Christina Milian and singer/songwriter/producer Terius "The Dream" Nash are a couple. They've been spotted at basketball games sitting courtside, side-by-side, and they've been seemingly inseparable, making all kinds of promotional appearances together. All of this was explained away by the fact that Milian is the newest signee on Radio Killa Records (The Dream's label). However, just this weekend, pics have surfaced showing the two enjoying a kiss during a weekend getaway. Now while celebrity couples come and go and I normally don't really care beyond finding them funny, this couple demonstrates what seems to be becoming a new reality for the music industry.

Some would suggest that Milian is, to be PC about it, having sex in exchange for production from Nash and his hitmaking partner Tricky Stewart. That may be the case (another famous Christina was suspected of doing the same with producer Scott Storch for her breakout second album Stripped), and if so, there's one very sad music industry reality. But that has honestly been going on for years, and frankly demonstrates the moral decay of society as a whole. What is new is how "celebrity status" is playing an increasinly pivotal part in the success of one's music career - the music doesn't make an artist famous anymore, but that artist's fame can make their music career viable. Now, this is not always the case (consider Paris Hilton... oh, poor Paris). But this is obviously what's happening with C-Mili and The Dream. The Dream has publicly said that he would like to do a joint project with Kanye West, but Kanye told him that he needed to increase his celebrity stature. Insert hot chick - but not just any hot chick - the musical underdog with the looks of superstar, Christina Milian. After having been dropped by Def Jam only weeks after the release of her second album, this is arguably her last chance to win over the fickle American audience. So what does she need, but to increase her celebrity status. Insert tacky blonde hair (lol). Seems silly, but her hair got Usher talking about it in a video that gained national media attention. And so now begins the whole are they/aren't they speculation, which can be a boon to any celeb's career.

All these facts put together seem to indicate that this whole "relationship" is at least in part a clever publicity stunt... we'll see if it works...