Culture Shift: DJ Booda on celebrity alter egos

For some reason, I’ve always had this idea that if I became a DJ, my name would be DJ Booda. I remember sitting with my friends in high school and attempting to come up with “rapper” names for ourselves. I guess this was the closest I could get.

What I liked about DJ Booda as a title was that it was not much of a departure from my actual name, Boodaghians. It was essentially still me, just tweaked a little.

That’s why it’s always striking to me when artists invent somewhat obscure stage names for themselves, almost like they are abandoning their original identity for another.

Take Snoop Dogg, or should I say Snoop Lion, who recently changed his name again. Or perhaps a better example is “Puff Daddy,” “P. Diddy” or whatever Sean Combs goes by these days.

It takes a lot of creativity, I’m sure, to think these up, but is there some type of inspiration behind the decision?

I can see that Snoop Dogg might be a play on Snoopy, the cartoon dog, but what is Snoop trying to tell us about himself by choosing that name?

Maybe it’s just supposed to be catchy, but I feel like there is more to it than that. Some names appear to have a clear intention and seem to be well considered.

When Beyonce announced that she would start going by Sasha Fierce, I thought it was the weirdest name on the planet, but I also understood that it was a statement. Beyonce is a powerful performer, one of the best in my opinion (who else can dance that intensely and belt out lyrics at the same time?). The “Fierce” aspect of her name encapsulated that character completely.

In Beyonce’s case, it appears she established her identity as Beyonce to start and the name change was merely to reinforce her persona and her ability as well as her attitude. After all, she is still mainly referred to by her actual name.

But for other artists, it seems almost necessary for them to distance themselves from their actual being and create a completely separate identity in order to then formulate a stance as a performer. It’s an interesting message to send to the audience, especially since being true to who you are has become a major theme in the world of entertainment.

This irony is perhaps none the more present than in the form of Lady Gaga. Though she is quite talented, even if her overzealous edginess tends to overpower her ability sometimes, her position as an inspiration and role model for others is somewhat wobbly.

She preaches self appreciation and acceptance in songs like “Born this Way.” Yet she creates an image of herself that is quite far from her natural, “born this way” being, not only in the fact that she goes by Lady Gaga but also in her appearance and perhaps even in her composure.

I am convinced that if Lady Gaga had originally gone by her real name, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, and never taken up her caricature-in-real-life approach to marketing herself, she would have had much less of a draw to both fans and non-fans alike.

Maybe Gaga believes that who she truly is as a person is better expressed through her eccentricities. In that sense, she might be considered quite brave in her actions.

After all, even if I thought my true feelings would be best displayed by going to class dressed in an ensemble of meat, I wouldn’t have the guts to actually do it.

The originality of a name can be powerful in establishing a persona. But it seems that once that persona is established, it becomes ineffectual to attempt to reinvent oneself. A fan of Sean Combs is going to be a fan regardless of what the guy changes his name to every two weeks. My parents still refer to him as Puff Daddy and we all know who they’re talking about.

So, to quote Shakespeare, “What’s in a name?” In my opinion, a name is an identity. If we choose to change it, though we may not be changing ourselves in terms of personality or character, we are purposefully giving other people a certain way to view us. It’s the same as changing your hair or growing a beard.

Everyone is trying to differentiate themselves in real life: who has this internship, who works in that lab, who’s president of this club?

It appears that celebrities are not immune to this desire. If anything, it’s so difficult to make it in entertainment that it’s more necessary for them to spend time framing their identities a certain way. After all, it’s always the strangest celeb that gets the most attention.

If you could change your name to anything, what would it be? Email Boodaghians at [email protected].