Kanye's new album...

Great.

"Trade the Grammy plaques, just to have my granny back..."

And so, it was that Kanye's verse didn't make the cut for Sunday's live performance of "Forever". My theory is that the Grammy team didn't think Kanye's ambiguous message (e.g. this post's title...) would fly.

I'm not usually a fan of live hip-hop for two reasons: hip-hop beats' oft-complicated texture rarely translates well to live performances,* and the rappers themselves often fail to produce stunning on-stage output. So it was great to see a fantastic (if heavily-censored) performance by Drake, Wayne and Em. Eminem in particular was stunning. That man may be a hip-hop bit player right now - relegated to guest-verse status, not quite capable of carrying a whole track or album - but, damn, he can rap.

Reading over the full list of Grammy winners here, I was struck by the breadth and diversity of the world's music - and by how much of it I simply haven't experienced. Just look at all those categories. Maybe in 2010, I'll find the earworms in places besides the old stand-bys of rock, rap, R&B and pop.

What'd you all think of the Grammys?

* The same's true of rock, but less so; in my opinion, there's better translation. Plus, rockers can compensate with embellished solos -- and live performance (touring, shows, etc) is firmly embedded into rock and roll culture.

A return to the return of beauty

I've made fleeting mention of Maxwell's newest nine-tracker, that of the irregular title of BLACKsummers'night.

I'd like to use "Pretty Wings" (Bsn's lead-off single) as an opportunity to contrast the old and the new in production styles. Kon, we've both been proclaiming the need to celebrate not only the author and singer of a pop song, but also the individual that produced the song. (Great example - GaGa and RedOne.) Here's a chance to walk down that road again.

Now, "Pretty Wings" ain't really "pop" - it's much more in R&B territory. But in the chorus, there's one of those hooks that nips at the bottom edges of the Earworm Level. Definitely a great song.

It (and the rest of the album) stands out because of producer Hod David's stripped-down, old-school approach. Listening to the album puts me in a place where... I feel like I'm in a smoky New York jazz club, with Max & a full band blasting out these tunes.* I'm not hearing the distinctive sheen of AutoTune, or any kind of toppings that a guy like Timbaland (below, his "My Love") or RedOne might throw on top of one of his creations. It's organic, not electronic. It's refreshing.

My question is, do you see such an "old-school" style catching on in mainstream pop? I could never see someone like Britney doing something like this. In the pop-rock realm, John Mayer is likely capable.

* Maxwell, in an interview: "I wanted it to be pure like that, you know."

Songs

Justin Timberlake - "My Love" (f. T.I.)
Maxwell - "Pretty Wings"

Re: "Forever"

I had something else in mind to write today, but I just watched 8 Mile last night, so I feel the need to say more about this. Drake's rise to fame was fairly unique: although usually it goes get signed, record a huge hit, make it big, Drake was discovered by Lil Wayne and recorded a few songs with him before even being signed! And that's what "Forever" is about: making your own fame and the respect you get for it. It's a bit easier to talk about this kind of thing now that they're on top, but it's getting to that point and remembering how they got there. Marshall Mathers sure as hell remembers "establishing a name as he goes." And as long as those guys are on top, you can be sure "rap will never be the same as before."

"Forever"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afKsssTPfyw&feature=player_embedded

Good to see that the most talented basketball player in the world is observant of hip-hop's hierarchy.

Re: "Go shawty. It's your birthday..."

I don't know if I agree with you on the "silly" bridge there. When you think about the song being fittingly called "In Da Club," that bridge is KEY. It breaks up the song, giving it that short downtime (but not really downtime) that is much needed in a club setting: that 10 seconds of switching up the the flow (but not the beat), breaking up the repetitive motion of the usual grind (some double meaning in there somewhere). Dropping a beat is important, so are the lyrics. But if you want a song that's here to STAY, one that outlives the usual few months of fame, and is played in clubs for years on end, just ask Fiddy and look at "In Da Club" (2003-) to see how important balance is.

"Go shawty. It's your birthday..."

50 Cent may be a sniveling, oddly insecure loony right now. And maybe he always was. But for a two-year run or so, he - in Chris Martin fashion - "used to ruuuuuuule the woooooooorld..." Or the rap game, at least.

"In Da Club" was his inescapable hit. Dr. Dre served Fiddy up a beat so mammoth that sabre-toothed tigers were trying to rip its guts out. And Curtis puts in yeoman's work, laying down a soon-to-be-ubiquitous sing-song chorus and a few memorable couplets. Wisely, he doesn't overstay his time on top; "In Da Club" clocks in at a lean and mean 3:13. There's no third verse... nothing, really, to dilute the atmosphere of determined menace. (Well, maybe that silly bridge... Fiddy really had a thing for nursery rhymes.)

Still, though... it's all about that beat, which made "In Da Club"'s title incredibly fitting.

Songs

50 Cent - "In Da Club"