Hip Hop Is Dead? The Rest Of Music Is Following It In The Grave

I remember the first time I went to a club in my hometown of Luton (stop sniggering!). It was in a club called Liquid and I loved it, good tunes, getting drunk, dancing the night away. This was what being 18 was all about. Continued to go once a week or so, going into other clubs befre Liquid; places like Chicago Rock Cafe and Exchange. But after a while, the music started getting a bit monotonous and repetitive, met with groans and “Didn’t they play those songs last week/yesterday?”. By the time it was time to leave for university and a new city (Nottingham), Liquid had, in my eyes, degenerated into a club full of students who would dance to pretty much anything, intoxicated or otherwise. Whether I had outgrown the place, or it was generally just crap and no one else saw it, I couldn’t be bothered with the place anymore.

So off to Nottingham I headed and within a week of arriving, I found Oceana. What a place! I avoided the main room, or Liquid room as I liked to think of it as, and headed straight for my musical Makkah: the R&B room. Such sweet sounds, tunes I had never heard played in a club before, and yet they weren’t obsure tracks, they were bog standard club tunes. Nevertheless, it had become my new haunt, a place I could dance the night away for weeks to come. My friends in Luton were jealous and so they should be; Oceana and Nottingham in general was far superior. Going back to Luton and going out meant Liquid, purely because it was the best club out of a bad bunch. After a few months of returning to Luton, I decided never to go back to Liquid (and after going again, reaffirmed my stance).

But then something horrible happened. Oceana started getting boring as well, and other things began to bug me. For example, have you ever been on the dance floor dancing with a random guy standing there not moving, in your way? Or perhaps he’s moving about like he’s fighting the invisible man and u caught an elbow in your shoulder? Well that is what I started encountering. Problem was, Tuesday was the only available “student night” I had to go out, other than Saturday, which wasn’t very viable as most of the people I knew went home at the weekend.

So, it appears I have drifted off the point of the post a bit. Allow me to go back to “Liquidgate”. The reason for its crapness? Repetitive music. The same DJ playing the same songs, in more or less the same order to the same crowd of people and I felt like one of the only people (my friends saw it too, but not to the extent I did) who thought this was wrong. Some might think, “yeah, well people go there to have a good time, and if they do, what harm is done?”. Well, that is true, but as I said before, they’d dance and have a good time to ANYTHING. I mean, who would honestly dance enthusiastically to Baywatch and actually enjoy it without geniunely feeling embarassed in anyway (unless you’re drunk like I was)? Watching people cheering and trying to dance to the Fresh Prince theme tune would normally be the cue for me to leave the dance floor, waiting for a good song to come back on.

And it seems the music industry is following suit. Every advert telling us about “the greatest rock album since Nevermind” (which wouldn’t be nearly as overrated if Kobain hadn’t killed himself the way he did, but that’s for another post), or “5 stars, best album of 2009 and the decade!!!” when really, it wouldn’t have sold half a million copies 10 years ago, nevermind going multi-platinum. You know when music is losing it’s edge when pop music is suddenly no longer bareable anyway. Before, cheesy tunes were catchy and you’d hum along to them without noticing and when you did, you’d immediately stop, reminding yourself you dont like this song. Or pop songs that were actually good and defined an era (Michael Jackson anyone). Nowadays, you get stuff so bad, the CD they come on wouldn’t even produce good glue if you melted it down. Never mind illegal downloads harming the music industry, it’s the poor music produced that’s affecting sales, and the music companies know what they’re doing. They’re probably laughing to each other, while sitting in their luxurious leather La-Z-Boys at how stupid their consumers are: “They’d buy anything if Paris Hilton said it was cool!”, they’d say.

But it’s not just pop that is following this trend, it’s seeping into the one genre that was against this very fad: indie music. Something of an oxymoron it seems, indie rock, for me (and probably only me) is incredibly dull, and I don’t mean proper indie rock, as in the stuff you never hear on TV or on Radio 1 or any major commercial radio stations, I mean the now commerical rock tunes we are incessantly pestered with. No, the lyrics aren’t amazing, they’re just talking about they’re normal, boring lives. Please, cut your hair and actually sing instead of shouting into the mike. Thanks. The disease continues, however, into the very genre that seemed to define the 90s with artists such as Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Mary J Blige and Boyz II Men to name but a few, alongside the likes of Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Notorious B.I.G, Wu-Tang Clan and Nas. R&B and Hip Hop. The classic phrase, Hip Hop is dead, was correctly publicised by rapper Nas:

Everybody sound the same, commercialize the game
Reminiscin’ when it wasn’t all business
It forgot where it started
So we all gather here for the dearly departed

As good a beat A Milli has, hip hop artists like Lil’ Wayne are perpetuating hip hop’s sorry demise from the days of De La Soul and Public Enemy. Where have all the soul samples gone? What’s wrong with using James Brown, instead of “pussy, money, weed”? And speaking of the Godfather of Soul, where the hell has soul and funk music gone? It seems that genre has all but died commerically.

While the third side to the soulful black music triangle, R&B, is experiencing a joyous time in the charts, it has nothing on this decade’s predecessors. For example, let’s look at Shontelle’s T-Shirt. Okay, so you’re wearing your boyfriend’s T-shirt. And he’s away a lot, so it makes you feel close to him. That’s fine. Not really worth spending hours in a recording studio mixing the song though, is it? I mean, it’s something you may tell your girlfriends, but not what I’d call musicworthy. But apparently it was, and it seems 4.5 million views of its video on YouTube pays testament to the song’s lyrical genius. Now, no disrespect to Shontelle, I’m sure she’s very talented, but the song isn’t good. I was talking to my friend about it and I was saying how I coulsn’t imagine anyone going to their local music shop and actually physically looking for the single and putting their hand in their purse/pocket to take out money to pay for it, and leave thinking they’d made a good purchase. For once, the music critics agreed with me on the whole album, some calling it “forgettable”.

For those who have gotten this far without thinking “this guy is chatting shit” or anything to that effect, you’re entitled to your opinion, as am I, but the fact remains, and it is a fact: older music is better than music from today, and that doesn’t mean music in the 00s will be better than music in 10s, it means music from 90s and before is and probably always will be better than music that’ll be made from now. That is, until consumer’s take note of what older music sounded like and realise the stuff you hear today just isn’t that good. I’m not saying, that all music from 2000-2009 is rubbish; we’ve had some very good songs and albums from this decade and new genres like funky house and grime, but the operative word there was “some”.

And I’ll leave you on this final sombre note. My favourite music shop in Nottingham (and the whole world), Selectadisc is closing down at the end of the month, due to low sales and high rent costs. It was one of those indie music shops where you knew you’d find a hidden gem. The owner and former employee, Phil Barton, who only bought the shop a couple of years ago when it was facing extinction, believes “there is no one under the age of 25 buying music anymore”. While there’s some truth to that statement and there are many debates towards that viewpoint, I can see where he’s coming from. But if he was stating pure fact, could you blame them, with the utter dross churned out every month? Then again, I’m sure he didn’t stock such rubbish while in charge, nor did the previous owner.

Live and Unplugged Top 40 Chart – Week #1

Welcome to the first week of the L&U Top 40 Chart! All chart entries are based on the songs I’ve listened to over the past week, uploaded to Last.fm. There will be a Top 40 Singles Chart, Top 40 Album Chart and Top 40 Artists Chart.

Rules and guidelines:

• Should any artist top all three charts in the same week, they will be certified with a Tristar Award.
• 50 Artist or Album plays equates to a Gold certification
• 100 Artist or Album plays equates to a Platinum certification
• 10 track plays equates to a Gold certification
• 20 plays equates to a Platinum certification
  
  

Top 40 Singles Chart

Somersault by Zero 7 becomes L&U’s first Number 1 with 17 plays. Little L by Jamiroquai comes in at number 2, with N*E*R*D’s Everyone Nose debuting at number 3.

Top 40 Albums Chart

Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation just misses Gold in her first week, but manages to take top spot in the Albums chart, followed closely by her 2004 album Damita Jo. Seal’s Human Being enters at number 3 and When it Falls by Zero 7 enters at 4.

Top 40 Artists Chart

Janet Jackson becomes the first Number 1 Artist of the Week, thanks mainly to her showing in the Albums chart. Her brother, Michael comes in at number 2, with Jamiroquai and Seal at 3 and 4, respectively.

Inductee #8 – Janet Jackson

 

(Taken from Wikipedia)

Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in Gary, Indiana and raised in Encino, California, she is the youngest child of the Jackson family of musicians. She first performed on stage with her family beginning at the age of seven, and later started her career as an actress with the variety television series The Jacksons in 1976. She went on to star in other television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including Good Times and Diff’rent Strokes.

At age sixteen in 1982, Jackson signed a recording contract with A&M, releasing her self-titled debut album the same year. She faced criticism for her limited vocal range, and for being yet another member of the Jackson family to become a recording artist. Beginning with her third studio album Control (1986), Jackson began a long-term collaboration with record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Her music with Jam and Lewis incorporated contemporary R&B with elements of rap music, sample loop, triple swing and industrial beats, which led to crossover appeal in popular music. In addition to receiving recognition for the innovation in her albums, music videos and choreography, Jackson was acknowledged as a role model for her socially conscious lyrics.

In 1991, she signed the first of two record-breaking, multi-million dollar recording contracts with Virgin Records, which established her as one of the highest paid artists in the recording industry. Her debut album under the Virgin label, janet. (1993), saw Jackson develop a public image as a sex symbol as she began to explore sexuality in her music. That same year she appeared in her first starring film role in Poetic Justice; since then she has continued to act in feature films. By the end of the decade Jackson was named the second most successful recording artist of the 1990s. All for You (2001), became her fifth consecutive studio album to debut at number one the Billboard 200 album charts. In 2007, she changed labels, signing with the Island Def Jam Music Group and released her tenth studio album Discipline the following year.

Jackson is ranked by Billboard magazine as one of the top ten best-selling music artists in the history of contemporary music, having sold over 100 million albums worldwide. The Recording Industry Association of America lists her as the eleventh best-selling female artist in the United States with 26 million certified albums. Jackson’s longevity in the recording industry has rivaled that of several entertainers and her musical style and choreography have influenced a number of contemporary pop and R&B artists.

Being an enormous fan of her brother, it would be foolish of me not to appreciate or acknowledge his sister’s work, but I was unaware of just how big she was, and still is, in the music industry, even being bigger than her brother in the 90s. Her career is ever more remarkable, considering her start not being the best; her second album Dream Street peaking at number one hundred and forty-seven on the Billboard 200 in 1984. From there, she went from strength to strength, amassing Number 1s left, right and centre and evolving musically, spiritually and emotionally. It’s a shame her new album hasn’t performed as well as she and her fans would have hoped, but that doesn’t take anything away from the near god-like grip she has had on pop, soul and R&B over the past 20 years. Janet, your place is firmly cemented in the Live and Unplugged Hall of Fame.

Billie Jean, resung?

http://www.givememyremote.com/remote/david-cook-singing-billie-jean-watch/

I haven’t been watching American Idol, nor have I heard David Cook’s rendition, but from the phrase “power ballad”, I can tell it was massacred. If you heard it, tel me what you thought of it.

EDIT: I’ve just heard it, and it’s a good attempt. Gave me flittering goosebumps. He’s got a good voice.

Inductee #7 – Prince

Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning American Pop , Hard Rock , Funk, Rock, R&B musician. He performs simply as Prince, but has also been known by various other names, among them an unpronounceable symbol () “The Artist (Formerly Known As Prince)” and “The Prince Of Pop” (actually “disputing” this title among the critic with Justin Timberlake.

His career has spanned several styles: from his early material, rooted in R&B, soul and funk, he has consistently expanded his musical palette throughout his career, absorbing many other genres including New Wave, pop, rock, jazz, and hip hop. The distinctive characteristics of the early-to-mid 1980s work that brought him to super-stardom–including sparse and industrial-sounding drum machine arrangements, and the use of synthesizer riffs to serve the role traditionally occupied by horn riffs in earlier R&B, funk and soul music–was called the “Minneapolis sound” and has proved very influential.

Prince is a prolific artist, having released several hundred songs both under his own name and with other artists. Well known as a perfectionist, Prince is highly protective of his music. He produces, composes, arranges and performs nearly all of the songs on his albums. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

I couldn’t have Michael Jackson in the Hall of Fame without adding his arch rival, Prince, as well. While both are legends in their own right, Prince has the advantage of having a more rounded sound, genre-wise, with his music being able to be categorised in a myriad of styles. One thing I feel is sometimes neglected about Prince, is his amazing guitaring, almost Hendrixesque. He’s rarely seen without his famous Love Symbol guitar, whether it be in yellow or purple. A truly immense talent in the music world for the past 30 years and never short of controversy, Prince deserves to hold a place in any music Hall of Fame, and has certainly warranted his place in this one.

2,500 and counting…

Great news; we’ve managed to pass the 2,500 mark, a quarter of the way to 10,000 hits, which is fantastic. I never expected the blog to be so successful in such a short amount of time, considering the life span of my previous blogs. It seems you all like Seal and Michael Jackson, which of course is brilliant, so stay tuned for more news on them, including updates on Michael’s elusive new album. Thanks again, and keep reading!

What’s the news on Michael Jackson’s new album?

Well, your guess is as good as mine. Initially intended to be released in the autumn/fall of last year, no new news has been confirmed as to its release date, with only Jackson himself and closest “fellow-workers”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson’s_forthcoming_studio_album

What is known, is that will.i.am, Ne-Yo and Akon have all played a part in the production and writing of tracks for the album, which should add some much need popularity to the album, due to Michael’s somewhat unfortunate media attention over the past 2 decades. Anymore news, and I’ll keep you all posted.

Inductee #4 – The Jackson 5

 

The Jackson 5 (also spelled The Jackson Five or The Jackson 5ive, abbreviated as J5, and later known as The Jacksons) was an American popular music quintet (and briefly a sextet and quartet) from Gary, Indiana. The group, fully active from 1966 to 1990, regularly played from a repertoire of R&B, soul, funk, and later disco. Considered “one of the biggest phenomenons in pop music”^[1] during the early 1970s, the Jackson 5 are also notable for launching the careers of their lead singers Jermaine and Michael. Joseph Jackson formed the early incarnation of the band in 1964 and served as its manager, with Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and unrelated youths Reynaud Jones and Milford Hite comprising its original lineup. Within a year, however, Michael and Marlon joined the band forming the principal lineup of the group.

Signed to the Motown label from 1968 to 1975, and to Epic/CBS Records (as “The Jacksons”) from 1975 until their disbanding in 1990, the Jackson 5 were one of the most popular groups of the era and became the first recording act to have their first four major label singles (“I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save”, and “I’ll Be There”) reach the top of the American charts. Several future singles, among them “Mama’s Pearl”, “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Dancing Machine”, were Top 5 pop hits and number-one hits on the R&B singles chart. Most of the early hits were written and produced by a specialized songwriting team known as The Corporation™; later Jackson 5 hits were crafted chiefly by Hal Davis.

Significantly, they were the first black teen idols to appeal equally to white audiences. Upon their departure from Motown for CBS in 1975, the Jacksons were forced to change their name and replace Jermaine (who remained at Motown) with younger brother Randy. The group took control of their songwriting, production, and image, and their success continued into the 1980s with hits such as “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “State of Shock”, and the highly successful Victory Tour. The Jacksons officially disbanded in 1990, after the commercial underperformance of their 1989 album 2300 Jackson Street, recorded mostly without Michael and Marlon.

Just recently, I’ve really got into their music and I absolutely love it. While Michael’s voice is spectacular as lead, the backing music deserves a lot of credit. The guitar riffs in each song are different and yet ultimately catchy and in later albums, the introduction of other instruments and special sound effects added a further element to their sound. The magnificent thing about their music was that no matter when they released their albums, whether it was in the 60s, 70s or 80s, their sound was always fresh and with the times; just listening to Victory was enough to tell you it was made in the mid 1980s. If you’re a fan of Motown, or just a funk, dance or soul kinda guy/gal, I compell you to get hold of their music.

Albums worth acquiring are:

• Triumph
• Victory
• Destiny
• The Jacksons
• Moving Violation
• ABC
• Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5

Album Review: Thriller (1983)

10 years after the release of Thriller, Janet Jackson said at the 1993 Grammy Awards, if someone was to write a manual of how to become a music legend, it would be based on Michael Jackson’s (her brother’s) music career. Similarly, if someone was to make a blueprint of a legendary album, Thriller would be the example to use. Musically, commercially and professionally, it ticked all the boxes; it spawned hits such as Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller and Human Nature, it made Michael Jackson a household name, thanks largely to MTV and the Thriller video and, last but by no means least, it went on to sell more than 50 million copies worldwide, making it the biggest selling music album of all time.

After his first album, Off The Wall, much was expected of Michael. By 1983, he was 25 and had been away from The Jacksons for a while. If Off The Wall had been a disaster, it would have been attributed to the fact that he couldn’t perform as well as a solo artist. But Off The Wall went on to become, then, the biggest selling debut album. After such an accolade, many in the music industry were expecting big things, and they weren’t disappointed.

The album starts with from where Off The Wall left off, with Wanna Be Starting Something, a disco pop track, a song perfect for the time it was released. Not too 1970s discoesque but not too mature as to alienate his growing fanbase. With the use of African call and response in the outro and a mention of a certain Billie Jean, the track was a great starting point for the album. Thriller then mellowed out, with Baby Be Mine and Michael’s duet with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, whom he also dueted with in the hit single Say Say Say. Many stumble when trying to change the mood so quickly in an album, but not Jackson. His loving lyrics almost make you forget the imagery he portrayed in Wanna Be Starting Something (“Someone’s always trying, to keep my baby crying”). After these two soothing love songs came his three biggest hits, coincidently placed consecutively in the track listing. The first up was Thriller, which {spawned} a pioneering music video, which set the benchmark for nearly every single dance video that was subsequently released after it. The choreography was second to none with dance moves million across the globe stayed up to watch and still remember to this day; videos on YouTube pay a testament to this. The beat itself has been remixed too many times to count and featured the famous rap by the late Vincent Price. Surely after Thriller, it couldn’t be topped? Low and behold, it was. The next song on the album was the gritty Beat It. Featuring a guitar solo from the one Eddie Van Halen and a chorus that has been parodied countlessly, Beat It was Jackson’s first foray into the rock scene and started what was to become a staple in his subsequent album releases (Dirty Diana, Give In To Me, D.S and being some of the others).

By now, the album was beginning to go back to the “scary world” image first conveyed at the start and Billie Jean continued this trend. Being arguably his greatest song ever released and the track that made the album sell 900,000 a week after its release, Billie Jean without a doubt will stay in the world’s memory, for more reasons than one. The legendary song has possibly one of the most recognizable pieces of music known to man: the bassline. Just playing 5 seconds of it would instantly have anyone dancing like he/she was Michael Jackson themselves. This then leads into the infamous lyrics, based on a stalker that claimed she was carrying Michael’s child; Billie Jean, of course, not to be mistaken by the former tennis star, Billie Jean King. The video was probably the first proper showing of just how good Michael’s dancing really was. The lighting up of the tiles beneath his feet were a perfct metaphor for his near perfect liquid movement. But it was his performance of Billie Jean at the Motown 25th Anniversary concert that the whole universe will remember, as it was the first time that he did his phenomenal Moonwalk. Even if you’ve never heard of Michael Jackson (near impossiblity, but still a chance) or heard his music, you’ll know about the Moonwalk. Millions watched as he appeared to be walking backwards without his feet leaving the floor, whilst giving the audience the illusion that he was supposed to be walking forwards. A move easily learnt but never mastered, only The King of Pop himself could do the move its true justice.

Towards the end of the album, however, and we glide back into the idyllic nature of the world we live in, with songs Human Nature, PYT (Pretty Young Thing) and Lady In My Life. Such a paradoxical mixture of emotions could only have been achieved by legends such as Michael Jackson. His lyrics are so poignant for the topic in question, nobody can really dispute them. And while his words are magnificent, the music that intermingles with them has been sampled, remixed and edited for years, with songs such as SWV’s Right Here and most recently Kanye West’s Good Life and Rihanna’s Don’t Stop The Music using Thriller’s mantle as their base. You may critise his behaviour, you may even dislike the man himself, but no person that has ever lived can say his music has not influenced nor benchmarked the music industry forever.

Inductee #1 – Michael Jackson

There’s no denying this man’s immense talent. Regardless of his private life, his music has shaped the modern era and will live on until the end of time. Born August 29, 1958), often referred to as MJ and The King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon first as a member of the Jackson 5, and later as a solo artist. His successful career has been a part of pop culture for almost 40 years. Currently, his second studio album, Thriller, is the best-selling album of all time, with sales of over 50 million worldwide, although overall figures are unknown. His hits include Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, Rock With You, Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller, Bad and Smooth Criminal.

Apart from his amazing singing expoilts, Michael Jackson is well known for his untouchable dancing ability, making the phenomenal Moonwalk a move known across the globe. First performed in 1983, during the Motown 25 Anniversary concert, millions watched as he dazzled the stage with what has now become his signature move.
In November 2006, the World Music Awards announced that Michael Jackson had sold over 750 million units worldwide and given $300 million (£150 million) to charity, making Jackson one of the best-selling music artists and one of the most charitable humanitarians of all time, whose efforts on the latter front have been acknowledged with a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

If you have never heard Michael Jackson, firstly, where have you been for the past 20 years, and second, try and get your hands on some of his old music, as this will hopefully be the stepping stone to his later, more mature work. Try:

Off The Wall
Thriller
Bad
Dangerous