This baseball season has been awesome! In celebration of a great season of trials, tribulations, and triumph of the San Francisco Giants ultimately winning the world series, I found it very heartening that the entire Bay Area has been standing up big time for our favorite boys in orange and black in music. Below are some of more noteworthy selections of music to commemorate this great time in baseball and SF history. It goes to show how great this fanbase really is!
...what a great time to be living in the Bay Area!!
Hey what's going on everyone? Sure has been a while since my last post. Either way, I'm back and will try and post more often. There's been a lot of events I've been to lately and haven't really had a chance to catch up on all of the amazing energy that's been happening around the bay area and San Francisco. But let's get down to the gritty... Now I know I'm REALLY late on this one...but the VMA's...oh what to say about the VMA's. Really there isn't a whole lot to say about them except they were boring, superficial, and slightly awkward as usual. No surprise in the random pairing of award presenters, underwhelming pop acts performing songs we've had millions of times on the radio, and of course Lady Gaga trying to out-do herself in the "I dress worse than anyone else but I'm a visionary for it" department. And Jesus, how awfully boring was Chelsea Handler? I swear, the VMA's did better the year that they actually had no host. To me, Chris Rock in 1999 and Russel Brand the previous years were teh ones that stood ut. HOWEVER...there was one big element that changed in this particular year. That big element was the house DJ actually being an electro house artist: DEADMAU5!
Now before I continue, it should be known that I have mixed feelings about Deadmau5, as I'm sure many in the EDM community do as well. He's arrogant, considers himself above his class, rude to fans (in some occasions), rude to interviewers, and overall doesn't seem like a nice guy sometimes. Despite all this, the fact remains that the man is a visionary and his talent for music and stage production cannot be denied. He has created a sound, an image, and a brand that has blossomed out of the dance music scene and into the mainstream. While he has garnered a few haters, his fanbase is nothing less than overwhelming. Good for him. Overall I think he is a positive thing for electronic music because of what he represents: not going with the flow. He hasn't really "sold out" in terms of making radio friendly songs or collaborating with big pop acts like David Guetta has. He's a computer nerd who doesn't really like fame or traveling, and just happen to get famous making the music he believed in. This interview might shed some light into the type of person that he is. Keep in mind its part 1 of 2:
So now I get to thinking why did MTV choose him as the house artist for the VMA awards show? I think it's pretty simple: 1) His popularity is blossoming at a huge rate. Since he's started he reached the upper echelons of the EDM scene within the matter of a couple years. To the point where his popular tracks can actually be heard on the radio! 2) The popularity of dance music as a whole is blossoming; especially house & electro house. Listen to the radio. It's EVERYWHERE! Even Usher using electro pop beats? you kidding me? 3) "Ghosts N Stuff" was a huge hit. It's been played on MTV before. 4) His stage act is reminiscent of Daft Punk-esque visual stimulation. Probably enjoyable for all in attendance and those watching at home. Actually looked really cool in HD. 4) He's cheap. While he is in the big leagues of electronic music, he is still a small fish in the bigger pond that is the global pop music world. At this point, he isn't in the position to demand a lot of money for this opportunity. I'm willing to bet MTV didn't shell out too much for his fees.
How well do you think he did? In my opinion, I think he did rather well. Many criticized him for not really doing much at all...which is exactly what he was supposed to do. The house artist has always been meant to provide as background noise. The few couple of times he got to shine, he kept it lowkey to his hits. Why play anything else? I'm sure all the famous people in the audience don't care about his newest track or what direction he's going in musically. They want to hear fun and upbeat popular tracks. He didn't over do it, and that was a BIG key to have the famous audience grooving along to his jams without really feeling like "what is this techno music crap"? I also think the work he had to do was underrated. For the show he had to create a whole slew of remixes and put together the performances that he got with some guest spots. I think it was horrible who he was paired up with to be honest. Travie McCoy? Jason DeRulo? Robyn?? Wow...what a melting pot of pure fail, musically. None of those artists, except for Robyn, had any chemistry with Deadmau5. Just didn't seem to work well at all. He did what he could though, and managed to walk away with himself intact. MTV should have known better. Overall, I give his performance a 4 out of 5 stars. Nothing extravagant, which is what was necessary, while at the same time not failing completely at being molded by MTV. He showed what he was about. Kudos.
WHO FOR NEXT YEAR???
Now all this begs the question as to who should be the house artist next year? Should MTV continue in an electronic music direction? Will electronic music still be as relevant in the pop world at this time next year? Or will music be in a completely different direction? For all intents and purposes, let's assume that electronic and dance music continues in its sky-rocketing boom. Who do YOU think that opportunity/burden should fall upon? Who would be well suited to take on the pop masses? I happen to have a suggestion...
I think the house artist for next year's MTV VMA, assuming music will continue its trend, should be none other than the dance music legend: TIESTO. Now I may have my personal bias in this as I am a very big Tiesto fan, but consider the facts: 1) Tiesto is already in the ears of the pop masses, whether they knew it or not. 2) He already has established working relationships with many popular artists including Tegan & Sara, Nelly Furtado, Three 6 Mafia, Bloc Party, and others with collaborations. 3) His musical direction as of late has taken a drastic shift from full blown trance to a more "radio friendly" sound that incorporates progressive house, electro house, and electro pop. He has become a jack of all trades; able to please whatever crowd he steps in front of. 4) He understands and loves all forms of music, not just the trance heavy sound he creates. He could spin anything at the award show and make it blend perfect. 5) He understands the US crowd and knows not to overdo it. 6) He is already a household name to much of the rest of the world outside of the US. 7) My own personal bias again, but Tiesto has earned his legend status through his years of endless hard work. He deserves it.
So there you have it...my wrap up on a lot of opinion on MTV, the Video Music Awards, and just the nature of EDM in the popular music scene. I'm sure the same case I made for Tiesto could be made for David Guetta...but let's be honest, David Guetta just recently boomed. I'm still yet to be convinced he's the real deal. He isn't as prolific of a producer as Tiesto and his popularity push came at expense of his house roots. What do you think? Any opinions?? Who do you think should be the one to spin at the next MTV VMA's?? Leave a comment!!
Can't we all just get along in the music biz? Apparently not, and that sentiment especially applies when it comes to women. More importantly, divas with egos bigger than Jay-Z's. I've been noticing some specific divas haven't been getting along lately, so let's break them down...
Battle for the Supreme Blonde Diva: Christina Aguilera vs. Lady GaGa
This feud has been carrying for quite some time now from what I understand. The most interesting part about it is how entirely fabricated by the media it is. Neither lady acknowledges that any sort of rivalry exists when they get asked in front of a camera or microphone; but we all know what's going on. The roots of those seem to have been started ever since Lady GaGa began to emerge and Christina Aguilera came out with her "keeps getting better" single that pretty much took the up and comer's music style and fashion almost to a T. What gets me on this one is Lady GaGa is doing exactly what Christina Aguilera did so many years ago, only at a more extreme level. Wacky fashion, danceable tunes, singing chops, showing all kinds of ass in little to no clothing on stage...yep...Christina did all that before. What gives GaGa the edge? The fact that Christina took time off to be a mom and vacated the spot for a little bit. GaGa has done big things ever since Christina has left the music industry for a while and used the Aguilera formula to cement herself into stardom simply by doing it bigger, louder, and crazier than Christina did. Now that Christina wants to come back and reclaim her spot, it seems like a much harder task now that GaGa has gained so much steam. Not to mention Christina's new music sounds suspiciously like the electro dance beats that Lady GaGa songs have popularized recently.
Winner: Lady GaGa
Battle for the Baddest Bitch in Rap: Lil Kim vs. Nicki Minaj
This one wasn't too hard to foresee. You can't really be a female rapper in the game and come nasty and raw without biting the style that Lil Kim originated. There's just no way around it. Lil Kim wasn't the first female to start rapping, but she definitely brought the sex element into it and had a style all of her own. Ever since then, we have seen Foxy Brown, Trina, Shawnna, Jacki-O, Gangsta Boo, and now Nicki Minaj. From the sex ridden raps, skimpy outfits, and colored wigs, Nicki Minaj might as well be Lil Kim Jr. But what's Lil Kim's problem with Nicki? She says Ms. Minaj has snubbed her in the past and hasn't paid the proper respect to the Queen Bee that is deserved. I hate to say it, but I think Nicki has the upper hand in this feud. Lil Kim has been washed up for days with lackluster material and poor attempts at media attention (this one included). Nicki has taken the high road and pretty much ignored all the bad press that Lil Kim is trying her best to throw towards the Young Money MC. Let's put it this way...Drake is on stage supporting Nicki Minaj while Ray J is on stage supporting Lil Kim. Not hard to see who has more relevance. Sorry Queen Bee. That day might be done. Winner: Nicki Minaj
By looking at both of the winners of these battles, its apparent that the "out with the old, in with the new" phrase really holds its own when it comes to these female artists. Sorry OG Divas, but times have gotta change. Unfortunately, it's not your time anymore.
Now...I understand pop music. We all should. It should have good production, a catchy melody, inspiring or interesting vocals, and some sort of substance that really makes us feel into the song even though we know it could be about nothing. Pop music used to mean something. However, somewhere along the timeline, it got raped and now we get results like this:
Yeesh! I know we aren't to judge a book by its cover, but I think this picture pretty much sums it all about this particular artist I wanted to diagnose: Ke$ha. A San Fernando Valley native who had her dreams and sights set on music stardom; at ALL costs! Ever since we had the boy and girl band explosion of the 90's, it became pretty apparent you didn't need actual singing talent or skill of any sort to become a pop sensation. Britney Spears broke the mold and let everyone know that any pop sensation dream is possible as long as you have a connected family, good looks, money for a boob job, squeaky clean image, and record label backing. As much as I hate to do it, I have to give Ke$ha a lot of credit for her ability to break all the rules. If you've ever heard a Ke$ha song, seen a Ke$ha video, or witnessed a Ke$ha "performance", you would know that this chick falls into neither category. Except for one actually, and that would be record label backing. The musical bubblegum juggernaut producer Dr. Luke saw fit to give this Tennessee bumpkin (where she grew up) girl an opportunity to be what nobody else could. Simply put ladies and gentleman...Ke$ha: a "pop singer" who has no talented singing voice, no particular good looks, no dancing skills, no connected family, AND happens to present an image to kids of a constantly trashed party girl (which she actually seems to be) shot to #1 on the charts when her album Animal hit the shelves and became an overnight pop sensation. God Bless America. I can't really begin to wonder where to point fingers. Any help? Well my first finger will be pointed at Dr. Luke for giving this chick a record deal first of all. His next strike for me is the niche he found for her using electro-dance-pop beats; using the flawless theory that girls really don't care how bad the music is as long as they can dance to it. I want to say, yet another rape of the electronic music scene for the teeny boppers. Best part of this is Ke$ha's pretty obvious lack of a genre preference. No matter what she could do to make it, she would do it, regardless of substance or class. Let's all get drunk and dance y'all! In her own words "Don't be a little bitch with your chit chat just show me where your dick's at." We can all hope all girls at the club are so intelligent.
***Diagnosis: Delusional! Whack! Crap! Fail! Cancer to the music industry. I'm looking at you too Dr. Luke
***Prescription: Surgical removal. A smack to the face and plane ticket back to Nashville.
