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Lady Gaga

1/28/2010

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My Journey in Trying to Love the Lady.

Like many, when I first heard of and saw Lady Gaga, I passed her off as an artist destined to be a flash in the pan. That still might happen. But when she started to get critical acclaim, I wondered if there was more to her than the crazy costumes, looks and “Poker Face”. It turns out there was (Don’t stop reading if you disagree, there’s more to this). I heard a quite impressive, slower, acoustic version of “Poker Face” and saw great live performance. The girl can actually sing. Then, I started to hear of her work as a producer and songwriter before she became an artist. I thought “Wow. She has other talents?” So I finally buckled down and got the deluxe version of “The Fame” to give her a try. I was disappointed.
The material on the record failed to display any of the great vocals I heard on some of her acoustics sets. Some of the lyrics were intriguing, but I thought they had to compete too much with the hardcore, futuristic techno-pop that was the music. Which, by the way, unless techno-pop is your thing, a Lady Gaga album may be too much for you. My ears began to grow tired of the music.

I was really surprised that none of the songs seemed to really grab me. Being a lover of pop over the years, I expected to REALLY like at least one track, but instead, I just “KINDA” liked some songs. Like Alicia Keys’ “Element of Freedom,” most of the songs were “just ok”. At the end of the day, all I liked was what I originally liked- which was “The Cherry Tree Sessions” version of “Poker Face.” I’ve figured out that I like my Gaga slow, chilled out and just singing. All the over-production on the songs was just too distracting and gave me a headache. So, in conclusion, Gaga’s got potential, but her music doesn’t do her much justice. We’ll see what happens with the next album. I hope it isn’t more of the same.
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Happy Birthday Aaliyah

1/16/2010

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It never fails. On January 16th or on August 25th, there is always something written in music media (i.e. blogs, music magazines, or music websites) about Aaliyah, her life and her music. To make sure I wasn’t being delusional about that fact, I googled “Aaliyah January 16” and “Aaliyah August 25” from 2002-2009 just for kicks. For every year, I found at least 10 articles from various places, like MTV and Global Grind. This year alone for her birthday, there were more than 15, and YouTube was flooded with tribute montages and videos. I think the outpouring of commemorations is a testament to how powerful music is and can be. It’s a testament to how just one song (or a few) can impact your life and carve out their own special, eternal place in your heart and memory. Think about it: With only 3 albums (and 5 years in between the last two), Aaliyah didn’t have that much material, and yet, she obviously is still on everyone’s mind. Aaliyah is a mainstay in the tapestry (particularly in the hip-hop community). All it takes is one song to make your mark. Several of Aaliyah’s songs are attached to specific personal memories for me, and every time I hear them I have the wonderful privilege of reliving those moments. Thank You Aaliyah for providing those pinpoints and giving me a pathway to the happier times in my past.

While listening to Aaliyah’s music, I noticed how TIMELESS her sound is. “Back in Forth” still gets you crunk. “Rock The Boat” is still sexy and alluring. “Are You That Somebody” still brings out the wannabe dancer in you, and “One in a Million” is still the truth (and Timbaland’s finest). Her self-titled last album may have come out in 2001, but the material is so potent that it would murder the competition if it were released in 2010. Her sound was so stylish, sleek and innovative; it really makes you wonder how different things would be in R&B if she were still with us. Everything she did seemed to be unique to just HER; from her trademark style, to her sound, to her mysterious nature. So much to the point that any slight imitations or resemblances seen in other artists ruffle feathers (i.e. Cassie’s “Official Girl” video, Ciara’s dance style and Kiley Dean’s “Make Me a Song”). It’s clear that while we may feel her absence, we don’t want ANYONE to even TRY to take her place. She’s carved out her space in our hearts and minds forever.
I encourage everyone to take some time out and watch a few of Aaliyah’s interviews on YouTube. In watching them, I was reminded of why I loved Aaliyah, “the person” just as much as Aaliyah, “the artist.” She was so freakin’ cool, hilarious and likable! OMG! You can’t hate her, she’s just awesome. I imagine that if I knew her personally, I would’ve wanted to be around her all the time. She just had an attracting glow to her. I have one of her interviews attached to this blog post.

Here’s to our “Baby Girl” Aaliyah, the “street, but sweet” artist that was the epitome of sensuality and femininity and had just as much swagger as the boys. The artist who seemed to only compete with herself and always delivered memorable music, the girl who always kept us guessing and intrigued, the girl you either wanted to date or hang out with, and the girl that always made you smile when you put on one of her records.

Dear God,
Please let her know how much we miss her.

Happy 31st Birthday, angel.
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Hip Hop and R&B: The Last Decade

1/15/2010

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A long-debated topic
Over the last decade, hip-hop and R&B gradually became the “pop” music of America, driving sales and dominating mass music media. If you look at a Billboard chart from 5 years ago or even 3 years ago, majority of the artists in the top 20 for the singles chart were either hip-hop and/or R&B acts. The influence didn’t stop with music as hip-hop had commercial appeal; it was used to sell everything from soft-drinks to cell phones. All over the world, people are feeling hip-hop as there are Asian and European sub-cultures immersed in hip-hop ethos. Being that hip-hop and R&B are genres dominated by African-American artists, this is historically the first time so-called “black music” has dominated pop-culture since Motown and doo-wop groups in the 60’s. Some African-American philosophers, societal commentators and music commentators have deemed this mainstream appeal as kind of a “cool” thing. It’s great for us that black music took over the world, right?
Maybe not. Our music and media, for better or worse, is representative of who we are as culture to the world. If a non-black individual wanted to learn about African-American pop culture through OUR music, what would they learn? What would they see? Well…if they were to look at the example set by MAINSTREAM hip-hop (NOT all hip-hop), they would see an example that reinforces the stereotypes they’ve been taught all their lives about African-Americans. They would see a portrait of self-degradation, self-exploitation and materialism. They would learn nothing of substance. They would see that what we strive and live for is the club, sex, money, liquor and a hard beat. Is that who WE really are? Is that who YOU are? Is that what YOU strive for in life? At this level of impact and influence on pop culture, this was our chance to show who we are and what we’re made of. This was our chance to provide a portrait of sophistication, refinement, intelligence, strength and power. This was our chance to for once define ourselves, instead of an outsider telling us who we are. And yet, we’ve wasted it. We’re not even close to how we represented ourselves during the Motown era. 

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You Can't Win: Taylor Swift

1/15/2010

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“You can't win chile’, You can't break even, And you can't get out of the game”-The Wiz

There are times when you can’t win in the industry; its darned if you do, darned if you don’t. Taylor Swift is having one of those moments. She cleaned up at most of the award shows in 2009, she has a great public image and her fan base is ever growing. The only people that don’t seem to be sold on her are some music critics, whom I feel have unjustly measured her. I’ve read several reviews in which critics complained about her material being too youthful and not mature enough for her age (many of her songs have an innocent tone to them). Because of this “innocent” tone, some critics feel that her music has little artistic value. This complaint/critique is a load of crap. 1st, I will argue why that critique is a load of crap, and then I will explain why Taylor Swift “can’t win” with critics.
The critique is unfair because…
#1 Taylor Swift has been writing since around age 14. Did it ever come across the critics’ minds that some of the material on her albums may have come from that period?
#2 The critics are age-biased. Of course her material wouldn’t light their 30 to 40 year old fire. They want a 19 year old to sound 29 or 39. And why is sounding “youthful” not artistic anyway? If it isn’t “gritty”, depressing, or hardcore, it’s not artistic. Music is supposed to move people and unite them. Obviously, it’s “moving and uniting” her fan base fine. With some of the lyrics taken directly from Swift’s teenage diary, many teenage girls are finding solace in her songs and find her relatable. Does providing solace not count for anything?

Why Taylor Swift “Can’t Win”
 As her lyrics are, she’s being accused of being “too youthful and innocent.” If she were to “mature” her lyrics and over-sexualize herself like Britney Spears did at 19, she would be considered a “bad influence on teen girls”, “skanky”, or “growing up too fast.” You can’t win.

 
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StuCk iN mY HeAd

1/15/2010

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Today’s “stuck in my head” song is "Use Somebody", by the Kings of Leon.
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StuCk iN mY HeAd

1/6/2010

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Today’s “stuck in my head” song is Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me”, from the album “Fearless.”
I was totally that girl in high school that never got noticed by the guys she liked. LOL
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Artists Hating On Other Artists

1/1/2010

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I’ve made it known that I have a disdain for recording artists publicly criticizing other artists (see my 6-29-09 post about Keri Hilson). In a nutshell, I think it’s unprofessional and sad, as ALL recording artists have to deal with the same crappy things that come with being in the industry. They shouldn’t destroy one another. I’m bringing this back up because I recently saw a Michael Jackson interview in which he said the following: “I’ve been an artist most of my life, doing what I do, and I’ve NEVER attacked another artist. Great artists don’t do that. You don’t have to do that.” Enough said.

Critical statements from one artist to another often stem from one of two things: jealousy or the feeling that the art of music is being disrespected. The remedy for jealousy: learn from them, watch what they do and figure out how to do it better. The remedy for preservation of the art: do what you do great 10 times harder. Don’t get distracted honing your craft. The end.
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