Hurricane Lee
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Post by Hurricane Lee on Mar 18, 2015 13:07:40 GMT -5
, cremated and scattered to the four winds. That is the funniest thing I have read in months.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2015 13:07:34 GMT -5
I don't know that we could really guess where Aaliyah would be put now. She was positioned as a contemporary act when she was alive and probably would have continued to be viewed that way if she were still here. But if we're pretending she would be a new artist coming out today, who knows how a label would treat her. FWIW most of the females put in that PBR&B category are usually credited with having at least some Aaliyah influence in their music or vocals, so it feels as if Aaliyah is being used to set the tone for this supposed counterculture. but then if we go with the 'if she were a new artist in 2015' route we then have to imagine an industry where Aaliyah herself didn't create the precedent we're trying to evaluate, so would she be seen as left-field at all? Still counterculture? Ahead of her time and innovative? Would she even sound the same? And now my head hurts. Too much speculation. Back to Tinashe, RCA is not trying to push her as a PBR&B kind of artist, which normally I would say makes sense given the commercial aspect of things. But for T I think it's actually to her detriment that they don't play up the critical acclaim aspect more and position her as different from everyone else that is out there right now. There will always be an artist of the moment to give us another 2 On, but how many are going to immediately follow that up with a Bated Breath, Cold Sweat, Wildfire, Wanderer, Just the Way I Like You, etc. They're selling her way short and that is frustrating for me to watch. ETA: at that tweet
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2015 13:13:32 GMT -5
^Completely agree.
At first I thought that she wanted to go into a more commercial, accessible direction by working with big producers, toning down some of the more off-beat elements of her music and making big party songs, and I'm sure to some extent she did. But the fact that she put out this mixtape, which seems way more in line with her first 3 projects than with the bulk of Aquarius, makes me think that maybe the label is pushing her to be positioned as a more mainstream star. Obviously Aquarius was amazing but I do hope that for album #2, she goes back to the overall sound of her mixtapes.
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allow that
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Post by allow that on Mar 18, 2015 13:20:15 GMT -5
I don't know that we could really guess where Aaliyah would be put now. She was positioned as a contemporary act when she was alive and probably would have continued to be viewed that way if she were still here. But if we're pretending she would be a new artist coming out today, who knows how a label would treat her. FWIW most of the females put in that PBR&B category are usually credited with having at least some Aaliyah influence in their music or vocals, so it feels as if Aaliyah is being used to set the tone for this supposed counterculture. Thing is when Ciara exploded in 2004, many were quick to draw comparisons to Aaliyah as well. Was Ciara seen as being part of counterculture then? Of course not. And she's not! But what's happened in the meantime is that blogger types from neighborhoods such as Brooklyn's Greenpoint and London's Dalston have suddenly woken up and realized, hey! we like female R&B all of a sudden! This coupled with urban radio's lack of interest in breaking new R&B stars clears the path for some of these ridiculous labels and comparisons between individual acts that really don't have toooo much in common. 110% agree with this, but why can't they frame the critical acclaim aspect without boxing her off as a subculture? Why do commercial reach and critical authenticity have to be so separated in today's R&B world?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2015 13:51:01 GMT -5
^Completely agree. At first I thought that she wanted to go into a more commercial, accessible direction by working with big producers, toning down some of the more off-beat elements of her music and making big party songs, and I'm sure to some extent she did. But the fact that she put out this mixtape, which seems way more in line with her first 3 projects than with the bulk of Aquarius, makes me think that maybe the label is pushing her to be positioned as a more mainstream star. Obviously Aquarius was amazing but I do hope that for album #2, she goes back to the overall sound of her mixtapes. I don't know why, but I am getting the feeling that Tinashe thought she wanted it, but is now realizing that maybe she doesn't. Or at the very least, what being a more commercial star doesn't really align with what she prefers to do as an artist. And RCA in general doesn't strike me as knowing or caring much about how to manage its urban division properly, so you get messy treatment like this. I don't know that we could really guess where Aaliyah would be put now. She was positioned as a contemporary act when she was alive and probably would have continued to be viewed that way if she were still here. But if we're pretending she would be a new artist coming out today, who knows how a label would treat her. FWIW most of the females put in that PBR&B category are usually credited with having at least some Aaliyah influence in their music or vocals, so it feels as if Aaliyah is being used to set the tone for this supposed counterculture. Thing is when Ciara exploded in 2004, many were quick to draw comparisons to Aaliyah as well. Was Ciara seen as being part of counterculture then? Of course not. And she's not! But what's happened in the meantime is that blogger types from neighborhoods such as Brooklyn's Greenpoint and London's Dalston have suddenly woken up and realized, hey! we like female R&B all of a sudden! This coupled with urban radio's lack of interest in breaking new R&B stars clears the path for some of these ridiculous labels and comparisons between individual acts that really don't have toooo much in common. 110% agree with this, but why can't they frame the critical acclaim aspect without boxing her off as a subculture? Why do commercial reach and critical authenticity have to be so separated in today's R&B world? Agreed on all points, so much. Funny thing is, Ciara hardly gets any comparisons to Aaliyah now. At the time that she did, I think it was still really soon after Aaliyah's death; r&b hadn't changed much yet and it felt less like influence and more like they were rushing to find a replacement. Now r&b is in a very different place. And I don't know why acclaim and commercial appeal have to operate as two separate ideals these days. IMO Tinashe is exactly the type of artist who could and should bridge the gap between the two, but...I don't know. I don't know why r&b is so screwed up right now. It's not like the 'commercial' side of it is actually holding up its end of the bargain, anyway. Hipsters tend to like what isn't popular; their entire ethos is defined by counterculture for the sole sake of being counter. PBR&B, as a label, is frustrating b/c even the guy who started the phrase as a mere joke doesn't agree with how other people ran away with the phrase and defined it. It was supposed to be less a definition of the music and more a term slapped on the type of crowd that eventually gravitates to it. 20 years ago 'neo soul' could have been considered PBR&B; by the year 2000, not so much. And ten years from now 'PBR&B' will probably be completely different from what people think it is today. But that crowd basically imposed their ethos on a group of artists who don't necessarily share the same POV or air of pretentiousness, and would gladly embrace more exposure if someone would give it to them.
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allow that
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Post by allow that on Mar 18, 2015 13:58:23 GMT -5
Funny thing is, Ciara hardly gets any comparisons to Aaliyah now. Except for the fact that hipsters and bloggers are quick to claim both for their own team now... which isn't a bad thing per se; it has led to some pretty amazing remixes in recent years! Still it's funny to see that many of the same people who'd complain that "Goodies" was overplayed in 2004 because it interrupted their stream of Green Day are now stanning for Ciara in 2014. Some of us were just fans from the start.
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Enigma.
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Post by Enigma. on Mar 19, 2015 2:25:38 GMT -5
She's a great performer! However I feel she needs a couple of hits (n terms of catchiness) to really break through. Hope she doesn't end up like Cassie who releases great mixtapes but basically nobody cares
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Kishi KCM
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Post by Kishi KCM on Apr 7, 2015 11:02:01 GMT -5
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#LisaRinna
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Post by #LisaRinna on Apr 7, 2015 17:21:05 GMT -5
The performance and music video are both nice.
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think pink.
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Post by think pink. on Apr 7, 2015 18:26:39 GMT -5
Fuck a Nicki/Beyonce/Rihanna duet.
I want Tinashe & Ciara. Imagine that video.
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stunnedout
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Post by stunnedout on Apr 7, 2015 20:03:26 GMT -5
Wow she can really sing!! I'm impressed!
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Kishi KCM
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Post by Kishi KCM on Apr 7, 2015 21:02:34 GMT -5
f**k a Nicki/Beyonce/Rihanna duet. I want Tinashe & Ciara. Imagine that video. That video is going to make me sweat and lose 30 pounds!
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surfy
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Post by surfy on Apr 11, 2015 23:57:45 GMT -5
OMFG this girl can saaaang!
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allow that
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Post by allow that on Apr 12, 2015 11:33:06 GMT -5
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SHOOTER
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Post by SHOOTER on Apr 13, 2015 1:09:01 GMT -5
We'll see if it's enough to get her album back on the charts.
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allow that
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Post by allow that on Apr 13, 2015 11:43:55 GMT -5
It's too bad that singing a hook at the MTV Movie Awards doesn't pack as much punch as it once did, but she killed it nonetheless.
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Kishi KCM
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Post by Kishi KCM on Apr 15, 2015 13:51:36 GMT -5
I've been listening to her mixtapes and the one song that stands out to me among all of the great tracks is "Let You Love Me" from In Case We Die. She was giving me Lana Del Rey R&B vibes.
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allow that
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Post by allow that on Apr 15, 2015 15:26:46 GMT -5
I've been listening to her mixtapes and the one song that stands out to me among all of the great tracks is "Let You Love Me" from In Case We Die. She was giving me Lana Del Rey R&B vibes. That's still my favorite song by her to this day. Also worth listening to is the XXYYXX remix of it. Some summer 2012 hotness.
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Hurricane Lee
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Post by Hurricane Lee on Apr 16, 2015 11:53:06 GMT -5
Hmm, I will need to listen to that song, it seems. Meanwhile, I am officially obsessed with All Hands On Deck. Like, it's not normal. And to think, when it first came out, I shunned it as a dated Crunk n B reject. But hey, I can admit when I'm wrong!
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Hefty Hanna
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Post by Hefty Hanna on Apr 16, 2015 13:16:39 GMT -5
Ugh. I'm so excited to get back to NY because this song is going to be everything at the clubs this summer. It probably already is. Must get back. :'(
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Hurricane Lee
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Post by Hurricane Lee on Apr 16, 2015 15:30:26 GMT -5
Ugh. I'm so excited to get back to NY because this song is going to be everything at the clubs this summer. It probably already is. Must get back. :'( Where are you?
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Envoirment
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Post by Envoirment on Apr 25, 2015 12:05:35 GMT -5
How am I so late to this album, damn. It's really great. Love the whole vibe and obssessed with "All Hands On Deck" and its video at the moment!
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tamed09
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Post by tamed09 on Apr 26, 2015 10:40:31 GMT -5
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