I’ve gotta hand it to the Universal Music Group’s approach to marketing its newest artist Lady GaGa. Among so many more rights than wrongs, their most telling may be the project’s title itself. “The Fame” fulfills its own prophecy, promoting GaGa (real name Stefani Germanotta) as a jet-setting, international celebrity– when in reality she runs the risk of being confused with Gwen Stefani or even the lesser-known Aubrey O’Day than being chased by paparazzi (at least at this point).
Bragadocious tracks like “Paparazzi”, “Fame”, and “Beautiful Dirty Rich” seem to carry the same credibility as if Miley Cyrus were singing ballads about failed marriages, but nonetheless, the bisexual former NYC club-performer hits her mark, turning out an album that’s almost as cohesive as it is addictive. Lyrics like “All we care about are runway models, cadillacs and vodka bottles,” and “we like boys in cars, who buy us drinks in bars,” even bring the possibility of the album having a theme to the table– socially criticizing the elitists– if only it weren’t so damn glamorous sounding!
Behind every party girl these days though, (or rather, inside of ever party girl?) exists a tortured heart. Rihanna switches from begging to not stop the music, to vindictively telling a cheating ex to take a bow. Fergie boasted fergaliciousness, only to switch it up and claim big girls never cry. Taking little chance at being different, “The Fame” balances its party records with songs that showcase Germanotta’s songwriting abilities, like “Again Again” and “Brown Eyes” shine through, proving why she’s quickly-becoming an in-demand writer in her own professional right (having penned tracks for the Pussycat Dolls, Britney Spears, and The New Kids on the Block).
If only the music industry wasn’t the way it is today, we’d be hearing GaGa (and a lot of artists like her) on radio, but unfortunately, this album’s going to have some hurdles to overcome–most remarkable, that of finding its spot in between club kid house parties, and Perez Hilton’s iPod.
NOTICEABLE HEAT: The RedOne-produced lead single “Just Dance” featuring fellow Akon-mentee Colby O’Donnis, and the very-similarly-produced “Poker Face”
Self-proclaimed “best friends” Rihanna and Chris Brown hit nearby Ocean City, MD this past week, taking in some jet-skiiing, along with some improvised…dermatology?
I’ve been on vacation for the past week-ish in Myrtle Beach, so suffice it to say, I’m not happy to be back to the daily grind. But anyways, maybe getting lost in some blogging is the best means of escapism.
Not that the musical prowess behind Bad Boy signee Cassie is anything too-impressive (and I’ve had this debate many a time), but neither is (or was) that of either Janet or Madonna, so I’d say gimmicks-aside, we shouldn’t underestimate the consumer appeal that this chick heralds. With that said, lying on the beach, I had the Danja-produced track “Official Girl” come across my shuffle a few times–and couldn’t help but say to myself how beautifully-produced this track was… almost too well-done to get lost among the “buzz track” shuffle.
So I’m glad to see two things — that it’s “official”ly (I know, I’m lame) the first single, and the addition of the world’s biggest rapper Lil’ Wayne guarantees a video and some kind of club-play.
Harriet Tubman would be so proud! Khia, everyone’s favorite female-rap-reality-show reject has released a video for her new single, that which I forgot already in the time it took me to copy and paste the embed code, and log-into my admin panel.
So if you remember (most probably don’t) a rumor that Rick Ross used to be a correctional officer shortly before making it behind the mic, you toyed with the delicious idea that maybe… just maybe it was true… and that all this jib-jabbin’ about “dealin’ weight” was faxer than a Foxy Brown hair clump. Well, thanks to the folks at the Smoking Gun, you’ve got your Christmas morning 5 months early!
Speaking of Foxy, how insanely dope is the irony behind this new match made in heaven? An actual convict living with a former correctional officer. Did he even tell her the truth, or is she finding out now, consequentially throwing bottles of hair glue at her laptop?
Just when you think a bitch is lookin’ ontop of her game again, she’s gotta go and pull this tom foolery!
My soul mate Lil’ Kim hast done it once more with that damn “am I farting or about to shit my draws” pose, and a wig that’s crawling off of her scalp. Oh yeah, and her mugging with one-cameo-wonder Queen Penn isn’t helping the situation either.
OK, so I’ve been admittedly “on the limb” with posting lately. I don’t even know precisely what that expression means all the time, but when it takes a tragic occurrence to bring me back to writing a post, I’ve realized I’ve been off the wagon for far too long (yet another expression).
DJ K-Swift was the shit. She pioneered the music subculture known as B-More (Baltimore) Club music, and literally ruled the genre for over a decade. But she wasn’t just hip-hop, as many can attest to, including Diplo (who we know and love as M.I.A.’s biggest fan, and international producer/DJ in his own right).
Diplo & K-Swift (real name Khia Edgerton) had just performed a gig so close to me in Baltimore Maryland at Paradox this past Friday.
Edgerton died early this morning as a result of a shady pool accident (shady because details still have yet to emerge).
Isn’t it funny (used loosely) how we always wish we could rewind, and go back to that lass high school class you had with someone who died unexpectedly in a car accident, to go back to that last live awards show when someone was presenting a trophy one night, and in a body bag the next. I wish I could rewind and have been at this sure-to-be-legendary show.
Truly so sad.
I’ve been covering the event on Backseat Cuddler this morning, so my apologies if I’m repeating or excluding any info. Details to follow!
I’m all about up & coming talent and in the case of Akon’s newest project Lady GaGa there’s no exception! I know other bloggers have gone “gaga” (pun gratuitously intended) and the Miss Universe pageant has been covered already to the nth degree, but I just got wind of the swimsuit montage.
Performing her buzz track “Just Dance” (albeit some pretty generic dance moves), you’ve gotta fall in love with Miss Sweden who jerks out a mighty smooth move.
Further evidence that Ursher is really taking this manhood thing to heart, the veteran R&B charter is debuting pictures of his son (Usher II) in the new issue of Essence. What’s more? He personally requested that acclaimed author Hill Harper play the role of interviewer.
HILL HARPER: In the last year, you got married and you’ve had a baby. Which has changed you more? USHER: They’re both linked—I can’t have one without the other. But the one thing that changed me the most is having a wife. Our child is an extension of that union.
HARPER: Why? USHER: Because now I represent what he is to become. He’s gonna admire me, he’s gonna look up to me. He’s gonna say, “I wanna be”—or he should say— “I wanna be like my father. I wanna be a man of valor. I wanna possess what my father has as a man.” To get married was a choice. To have a child is a responsibility.
HARPER: Does that new responsibility challenge you to make music that is more responsible? USHER: I started making Here I Stand before I had my son and before I was married. It was a deliberate choice to make music with substance, not just about the things that we’re accustomed to—music about being the celebrity, the player, or having the car, the girl and the bling.
HARPER: Your father wasn’t around to raise you. How do you plan to be different for your son than your father was for you? USHER: Just simply being there. I don’t judge my father because I forgave him for anything he’d ever done to hurt me unintentionally. My father and I had a very short amount of time together throughout my entire life, but the most valuable time was during his final days. He asked me to forgive him for not being there. He asked me to give him a chance, give him a shot because he loved me, and he had always loved me. But it was very difficult for him to be in the situation he was in and be the example he wanted me to follow. So he intentionally stayed away. And he was kept away from me too. He didn’t like it, but he didn’t fight it because he knew he wasn’t living right.
HARPER: What would you say to young men and women about what they should expect from a man who’s a father? What is living right as a father? How do you define that? How would that man look? USHER: That man would accept his responsibilities as a father, regardless of whether he was with the mother of the child. Men will leave a situation for several reasons. One, it’s not comfortable. It may be violent. The two of you may grow apart. But you should never abandon that responsibility, which is to be there, reading with your child, being supportive of your child’s growth. That is communicating. That is making the choice to put your child before your own vanity.
HARPER: If you could take your finger and touch your 9-month-old son, Usher V, on the head and impart some certain knowledge, what would you want him to know? USHER: First of all, I’d actually look inside myself and evaluate what I felt like I missed from my own father.
HARPER: What did you miss? USHER: Knowing that I was accepted. That I mattered. And hearing that he cared enough to put me before himself.
Meanwhile, his latest album continues to drop on the Billboard charts, spawning rumors that he’s patching things up with his mother (who didn’t attend his wedding to Tameka Foster b/c… well, she plain old didn’t like the bitch), asking her to manage him again. Late 2007 marked a management shift to Benny Medina who could in-part be credited with the album’s under promotion.
