Name That Tune
Written by Just K
Written by Just K
Reasonable Doubt
The Getback
The Marshall Mathers LP
Untitled
American Gangster
Aquemini
The Score
That’s a list of some of my favorite albums. Albums like these are few and far in between as of late and I blame Puff Daddy for that.
First of all, Puff Daddy’s a genius. How many others moguls can you think of that can get paid (both monetarily and through exposure) to put together a band and market that band on national television? This is the guy that introduced arguably the greatest MC of all time to the world. And if he’s not the arguably the greatest off the strength of pure skill, Biggie clearly had the greatest hype machine behind him. This is the dude that not only acknowledged that he had ghostwriters, but he actually used this fact to market his album.
And now the problem. Diddy is the dude that came up with the formula for CDs. Now no one makes cohesive projects anymore. Nope. Now people just throw together a collection of songs. As soon as that rnb singer come on, you already know it’s the girl song. When that 808 starts thumping – actually, forget the 808. As soon as the club song comes on, the rapper doesn’t even have to talk and you know it’s the club song. The beat says it all. When that typically mediocre beat comes on and there’s no hook to the song (or a depressingly pathetic excuse for a hook), you already know it’s the by-the-way, I-can-rap, let-me-prove-it song. Let’s not forget the slow, melancholy beat that automatically signals the introspective/autobiography song. It’s horribly predictable. Play the beat and you know what kind of song it is.
Where are all of the cohesive projects? On many classic albums, you can’t pick out the girl track or the club track or whatever. All you hear is good music. Good, quality music that usually carries a consistent theme. Puff was lucky in scoring Biggie, an MC that actually has the ability to pull off the formula well. Most MCs are not. Most MCs didn’t get that memo.
Rappers, I beg of you, just step in the studio and make a quality song. Then make a CD full of them. If it’s really that good, you’ll get play (or at least a cult following). ‘Cause if I’m listening to the radio, as soon as the beat drops, that’s usually when I put in a CD.
4 comments:
Son I don't know if I blame Diddy for that though. Cuz all of his Pre-Biggie death projects weren't really predictable at all. I think these labels started forcing dudes down that path and it was a wrap. "Yo you can't have a first single that's not in a clubs, gimme a club banger first"
Now I blame diddy for the shiny suits and the rampant sampling that took place in 1997 where producers didnt even bother to change the beat one bit lol.
What? Diddy used to sample?
Eh, I still blame Diddy for it, but whether he did it or not, why is it all so formulaic now?
Why can we tell what audience an artist is going for in each particular song? And even worse, why is ONLY that audience pleased with that song? Where's the universal appeal music?
I really think its cuz of the suit and ties making the decisions. They see that a "club banger" gets the radio spins and ringtones so they want every artist to have one of those. And since they lack the vision and the balls they want the same producers and the same format.
I don't think Diddy set the forumla as much as dudes like Ja and Nelly (although i ride for nelly cuz he came out on his own ish, its not his fault it caught on the way that it did) did.
yeah, see my previous posts, Diddy took advantage of the "formula" and certainly revolutionized the "sampling" game, but its the executives and suits that have watered down music of all genres with this formulaic approach to making money via "pop" music
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