dumbed down for my audience
no, i didn't dumb myself down for you guys ... although i suppose most of my posts aren't very intelligent. i'm referring to jay-z's verse on his "moment of clarity" off of the black album (which is a great album btw).
since i recently reacquired all of their albums, i've been listening to a lot of jay-z and eminem lately. i think most of this post will be about eminem, but jay-z's verse that i mentioned above speaks to my point well.
i dumbed down for my audience to double my dollarsthis is jay-z, one of the best mc's ever. if people were to make an all-time top 10 mc list, jay-z almost always would be included. he's the self-proclaimed "ceo of hip hop" ... and he readily admits dumbing down his lyrics in order to sell records.
they criticized me for it yet they all yell "HOLLA!"
if skills sold, truth be told, i'd probably be
lyrically, talib kweli
truthfully i wanna rhyme like common sense
but i did five mill' - i ain't been rhymin like common since
onto eminem ... eminem is an EXTREMELY talented lyricist. the reason i love pac so much is because of the passion and emotion he conveyed through his rhymes, and anyone who has ever heard a song like"kim," you know eminem is the same way. he is a very gifted mc, and i think some top 10 lists would include him as well. add the fact that he's a pretty good producer and a decent actor, and you have a talented individual. through the course of his career, he's put out some top quality songs. for example, i LOVE "renegade". amazing song ... though nas was right when he said jay-z's verses come nowhere close to eminem's on the track*. to sum up, eminem has put out some of the best songs out there (in my opinion) ...
... but he has also put out some of the SHITTIEST SONGS EVER, like "my name is" and "real slim shady" to name a few. unfortunately, these songs are the ones that the radio decides to play, and they sell well. i often wonder if eminem realizes this (i'm pretty sure/hope he does) and only makes them for the same reason that jay dumbed down his songs. i find it fascinating how eminem puts out songs along all points of the song quality spectrum, from some of the best to some of the worst. luckily, his good songs far outweigh his bad ones.
and that just brings me to the state of the recording industry today. actually, i won't start on that topic because i'm not sure if i'll be able to stop. but i definitely think something needs to happen before the music dies.
what do you guys think?
* i think need to start using footnotes and hence the asterick. although "renegade" was released on jay-z's album, it was produced by eminem, and originally, eminem's long time friend royce da 5'9" was actually suppose to be featured alongside eminem on the song instead of jay-z but record company/contract issues stopped that from happening. i have (had?) a rough version of the song with eminem and royce, and i think it's better than the one with jay-z.
8 comments:
radio music is less work to listen to... Listening to Johnny Cash, I can't do anything else but listen to Johnny Cash, but listening to Britney, I can make a call, then eat a taco, then maybe get pulled over for eating and talking while driving... but my point is, in the old day (not old like when I was a kid, old like when our parents were kids), listening to music was an activity by itself, and I feel like that's deteriorating now that we try to cram more into each day... To your point though, I hope that our weighing scale for truly good music doesn't lose standard after all the N-Syncing and Kelly Clarksoning...
I have to say though, the true measure of good music is really just what makes you click, if that's N Sync or Kelly Clarkson - more power to you!
can't wait to see the film... and cry!
sp, i agree somewhat with what you have to say. nowadays, i don't believe music is seen the same as how it was seen before. in agreeing with your point, i think that now music is no longer an end; something good in and of itself. there are often times when i just sit back and listen to music, and that's it. some of the best times i've had with people like terence, dj bozo, and jay have been sparked by us sitting back and listening to music.
... i also think that "our weighing scale for truly good music" is deteriorating simply because most people aren't as exposed to good music as they were before. it's become a business, and for whatever reason, what sells now isn't always what's best.
in the trailer for before the music dies, i love the scene where ?uest is talking about how there is music and commerce, and this is really only commerce.
i don't know where i'm going with this rant, which means i should stop now ... and i will
cash rules everything around me...and that is really what it boils down to. commercial interests are killing artistic integrity. and sp, while music listening can be a passive venture, music will never TRULY impact you unless you participate in its listening. i am still amazed at how i'll put on a song i have heard a million times in various degrees of "participation with it", and it will move me in ways i would have never foretold. so yeah...someone's got to save the music, or at least preserve a corner for those of us who want to truly appreciate it...
been reading thomas friedman's the world is flat lately (good book, btw). there are somethings in the book that are applicable to the music business.
basically, in this new flat world, individuals have a lot more power because of technological innovations and increased connectivity. this will probably allow more artists to breakthrough and gain a following without having a major record deal, allowing them to do what they want to do. myspace music for example.
hopefully that'll allow more musicians focused on the music and not the money to come up.
... and for another post, what constitutes a musician selling out?
Eminem's "Just Lose It" is f*cking terrible also!
i agree but it should not to be confused with "lose yourself" which is one of his better songs.
lose yourself is tight. eminem is tight. world is flat is a good book. friedman's comments about the music industry make sense...
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