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Whycome theres no more big men crooners and blind musical geniuses?

woodchuck said:
Had this discussion with one of my friends. By today's standards, bands like Steely Dan, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Pink Floyd, and Parliament/Funkadelic probably wouldn't have made it. They're some of the greatest bands ever, but didn't have a hit right out the gate. Back then, labels gave acts room and time to develop. These days, they can't do that. If an act doesn't hit on its first single or album, A&R cats are scared that they'll lose their jobs, so they cut and move on to the next. Look how long it took the Temptations to break. Do you think a label today would've ridden it out? Maybe, maybe not.
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What do you think about the PUBLIC knowing SO MUCH about an artist and their music nowadays?

DO you think the lack of EASY accessibility, lyrics not being READILY explained and samples and bass lines and chords being something only a TRUE fan would discover or appreciate

ADDED something to the entire genre of popular music as a whole?
 
tallblacknyc said:
puff is the ultimate promoter.. plus he had the rite beats that moved you with the rite flow that went with it.. remember we actually still danced at parties in the 90's so it didn't matter what he looked liked..that beat hot we like what you saying cool you get a pass..lyrics got you crazy props back in the days..remember men was still buying music like that to.. now a days prob more chicks
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I'm 51, and if you throw on "Treat 'Em Right" by Chubb Rock, I'd lose my shit!
 
respiration said:
Two words:

"Music Videos"

They changed the visual standard for artists' physicality. Before videos, people were more locked into the music than what someone looked like. Sometime around 1984, the release of a song's video became as big of a deal as the release of the single itself.

Before the music video age began, relatively plain sistas like Patti Labelle (with the group Labelle), Jennifer Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack and Evelyn "Champagne" King were able to have monster hits. Same goes for blind people and fat folk.

Nowadays, for the most part, artists have to look like models. If Evelyn "Champagne" King came out today for the first time, she wouldn't make it based on her not fitting the current beauty standard for female superstar singers.
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Only white soul singers are allowed to be fat or ugly...Adele and Ed Sheran
 
woodchuck said:
I don't think it helps or hurts. IMO, being able to tell a good story or invoke a feeling within an audience is more important than all of that.
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Reason I asked is that many thought RZA production suffered first because of the Great Flood

and secondly because he really wanted to LEARN music and it seemed he lost the dirty grimy dusty sound that made Wu Tang iconic once he "formalized" his sound
 
playahaitian said:
What do you think about the PUBLIC knowing SO MUCH about an artist and their music nowadays?

DO you think the lack of EASY accessibility, lyrics not being READILY explained and samples and bass lines and chords being something only a TRUE fan would discover or appreciate

ADDED something to the entire genre of popular music as a whole?
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knowing about an artist can help and hurt.. if you an overall cool person and actually seem like you have things in common with reg people lot of people mite like you and support you juss cause.. as cam said the direct artist to fan connection thanks to social media gives him the ability to make more money now than ever b4..he get more deals now cause of that
 
playahaitian said:
What do you think about the PUBLIC knowing SO MUCH about an artist and their music nowadays?

DO you think the lack of EASY accessibility, lyrics not being READILY explained and samples and bass lines and chords being something only a TRUE fan would discover or appreciate

ADDED something to the entire genre of popular music as a whole?
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I think there's good on both sides. Having access makes them feel that they're part of the process. Not having access could make them want to learn more, like it did for the fans back in the day. When you figured out that Shock G and Hump were the same person, you felt like you were "in the know".
 
woodchuck said:
I'm 51, and if you throw on "Treat 'Em Right" by Chubb Rock, I'd lose my shit!
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DAMN RIGHT

hell I LOVE this remix



Why is that?

what is about those specific beats that just hit and are TIMELESS.

I got mad respect for Puff

but he took hits and flipped (incredibly well b y the way)

but it wasn't the same as a Primo or Pete Rock or Large Professor or Dre or Beat Nuts.
 
woodchuck said:
I'm 51, and if you throw on "Treat 'Em Right" by Chubb Rock, I'd lose my shit!
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see that beat was crazy and if you a person that love music and dance motherfuckers gonna feel the track.. hell a few yrs me and my boys were riding all through harlem blasting mad 80's shit.. than we through the fat boys can u feel it on repeat and all ytou saw was mad people bobing their head everywhere cause that beat was crazy..young and old was feeling that shit

 
playahaitian said:
Why is that?
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Because that song takes me back to Club 112. Back when people danced and sweated out their alcohol. When a chick asked me to dance, I took that shit as a challenge and so did the women. Ah, fun times! I still remember the mix. They'd play C&C Music Factory, and as it was fading out, you'd hear, "Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!", and I'd look at the chick I'm dancing with and say, "I'm 'bout bust yo' ass out here!", and she'd be like, "Bring it!"
 
tallblacknyc said:
see that beat was crazy and if you a person that love music and dance motherfuckers gonna feel the track.. hell a few yrs me and my boys were riding all through harlem blasting mad 80's shit.. than we through the fat boys can u feel it on repeat and all ytou saw was mad people bobing their head everywhere cause that beat was crazy..young and old was feeling that shit

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I was riding through the city blasting "Who You Wit?" and had heads bobbing.
 
woodchuck said:
Because that song takes me back to Club 112. Back when people danced and sweated out their alcohol. When a chick asked me to dance, I took that shit as a challenge and so did the women. Ah, fun times! I still remember the mix. They'd play C&C Music Factory, and as it was fading out, you'd hear, "Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!", and I'd look at the chick I'm dancing with and say, "I'm 'bout bust yo' ass out here!", and she'd be like, "Bring it!"
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see diff times
 
woodchuck said:
I think there's good on both sides. Having access makes them feel that they're part of the process. Not having access could make them want to learn more, like it did for the fans back in the day. When you figured out that Shock G and Hump were the same person, you felt like you were "in the know".
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Ok really

I need to moderate a podcast with @woodchuck & @tallblacknyc !!!!!!!!!!!

I REMEMBER when I was young getting into DAMN NEAR a SHOUTING MATCH with my sisters and cousins INSISTING they were the same person

Some thing with Biggie Gimmie the Loot!

That was so much FUN

and we CARED about this hip hop.

I remember back then my MOM would come into the living room and do the latest dance and embarrass the hell out of while we watched Video Music Box!

Just Uncle Ralph interviews were GOLD just a little bit extra.

But I feel like now

the ENTIRE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

Music Movies TV et

is RUINED

because the public is simultaneously smarter and dumber

the know so much about marketing and sales and grosses and advertising etc..

but then these same sheep like morons still FALL for bullsh*t publicity schemes and miss out on good quality music.
 
woodchuck said:
I was riding through the city blasting "Who You Wit?" and had heads bobbing.
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tallblacknyc said:
yeah we do test or be not giving the fuck modes where we ride through playing diff shit juss to see the reaction of the people.. this will always be timeless
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but this is a WHOLE other topic

did the new technology mess up the ORGANIC sound of music as a whole?

ESPECIALLY hip hop?

its too CLEAN now

it just don't THUMP, it don't KNOCK and it ain't got that DUST and that FUNK that GRIT that STATIC

the little hiss and pop of the needle catching the groove.

(Hiss & Pop is a great music podcast name by the way!)

It just doesn't FELL the same.

Is it JUST me?

(and is that PRECISELY why live music in a small club setting will never be replaced?)
 
playahaitian said:
but this is a WHOLE other topic

did the new technology mess up the ORGANIC sound of music as a whole

ESPECIALLY hip hop

its too CLEAN now

it just don't THUMP, it don't KNOCK and it ain't got that DUST and that FUNK that GRIT that STATIC

the Little hiss and pop of the needle catching the groove.

(Hiss & Pop is a great music podcast name by the way!)
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I still blast my Jam Pony CDs in the ride.
 
@woodchuck
@tallblacknyc

so are us old heads just hating?

Cause some would argue EDM is just the Jam Pony of this new generation?

(and those DJs getting MAJOR MAJOR BANK!)

I still feel like the SOUND and FEEL aint the same.
 
CPT Callamity said:
You can't even hear men who sing in the lower octaves anymore. All these dude sound like auto tuned punks.
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I think this is by design, you can't tell me blacks folks don't like to hear a person sing with power. How are they not out there? Are the only people trying to sing are dudes with high pitch voices? I don't think so.

HNIC
 
playahaitian said:
Cause some would argue EDM is just the Jam Pony of this new generation?
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I can actually see this. Think about it: it's a different with different tastes. It's not for me, but I get it. EDM Cds are just mixtapes for this generation, and I say more power to them. Enjoy your music.
 
playahaitian said:
@woodchuck
@tallblacknyc

so are us old heads just hating?

Cause some would argue EDM is just the Jam Pony of this new generation?

(and those DJs getting MAJOR MAJOR BANK!)

I still feel like the SOUND and FEEL aint the same.
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if younger heads are bobbing their head to our music or you even seeing them being curious to our music it aint hating its obvious... we was still into the music and the art of dancing... diff generation diff vibe
 
woodchuck said:
I can actually see this. Think about it: it's a different with different tastes. It's not for me, but I get it. EDM Cds are just mixtapes for this generation, and I say more power to them. Enjoy your music.
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AGREED

I try to HATE the music...

its just NOT for me

and to be fair I like some EDM music

when it comes to hip hop

CULTURALLY?

Its ALL I KNOW

I am far more protective

and I do feel the repetition and subject matter is weak

and yeah we rapped about drugs..SELLING them

we got drug USER music now!

And bad rappers too.

who REVEL in their badness and inability to rhyme.

Hell that goes for R&B too.

Look I don;t know who was the FIRST R&B artist to literally CURSE at women in a love song

but Jodeci is one of my all time favorites

and just to be honest

R Kelly was and is a genius and vulgar as hell at times

SO I am FAR from a prude

But I feel like THAT was different.

This modern R&B seems vulgar for no reason

and just sonicly bad and lazy.
 
HNIC said:
I think this is by design, you can't tell me blacks folks don't like to hear a person sing with power. How are they not out there? Are the only people trying to sing are dudes with high pitch voices? I don't think so.

HNIC
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Not only are there no good baritone singers like Bert Robinson or Barry White, but are there any good falsetto singers like DeBarge, Prince, or Dreamboy?
 
My man lost some weight but Raul Midon is a blind, bigger but most importantly... an insanely talented brother :yes:

Give it a minute to get going
 
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As a singer myself, it's about spins. We can't get them...not Black artists anyway. Stephanie Mills said it right, "they want R&B but they don't want it from us."

The record business is about money now, and they aren't putting it behind any of the type of artists you or I grew up listening to.

Shit, if Bobby Caldwell was coming up in today's days of music he'd make a killing
 
godofwine said:

As a singer myself, it's about spins. We can't get them...not Black artists anyway. Stephanie Mills said it right, "they want R&B but they don't want it from us."

The record business is about money now, and they aren't putting it behind any of the type of artists you or I grew up listening to.

Shit, if Bobby Caldwell was coming up in today's days of music he'd make a killing
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dude - throw away that crutch
spins no longer matter - radio is dead - no one gets new music from there

if you have original music you can sell it get to know who your fans are and build up enough to tour small venues or get down with an agent and do the festival "circuit"
a lot of artists you never heard of are making 6 and 7 figures off a small fan base <50k and festival bookings

everyone is a "label" now - agencies, management companies, Apple etc...

create your content - you'll be able to sell it
 
ViCiouS said:
dude - throw away that crutch
spins no longer matter - radio is dead - no one gets new music from there

if you have original music you can sell it get to know who your fans are and build up enough to tour small venues or get down with an agent and do the festival "circuit"
a lot of artists you never heard of are making 6 and 7 figures off a small fan base <50k and festival bookings

everyone is a "label" now - agencies, management companies, Apple etc...

create your content - you'll be able to sell it
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I'm just a simple guy. I do local talent shows where I kill the local talent and grab the easy money. $4000 the past 4 years (Would've been $5000 but the place went out of business before the talent show started - I saw the competition, I was gonna kill 'em).

If I was younger, I may have tried it. A couple times I blew my shot. I got backstage at an Eric Benet concert and sung for him. He gave me his managers number and I punked out and didn't call.

Another time I met Magic Johnson, sang for him and he gave me his business card and I lost it
 
geechiedan said:
we always talk about could artists today make it back then...reverse it..

could stevie wonder make it today? or any of the people I listed considering what you said?
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In Stevie's case I have to say yes. Throughout Stevie's career he's never been dependent upon some writer penning a hit song for him. The artist that write their own music have much longer careers. Having a good voice or looking good is not enough.
 

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