Sambalada
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Founder of Rankdown ca. 2016
Mmmmmmmm....
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Post by Sambalada on Dec 6, 2020 20:20:04 GMT -5
ROUND FOUR - THE SONGSBrothers Osborne - "Stay A Little Longer" Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - "If We Were Vampires" Rascal Flatts - "Life Is A Highway" Songs: Ohia / Magnolia Electric Co. - "Farewell Transmission" The Chicks - "Cowboy Take Me Away" The Chicks - "Gaslighter" The Chicks - "Not Ready To Make Nice" The Chicks - "Travellin' Soldier" The Highwaymen - "Highwayman" The Highwoman - "Crowded Table" The Wreckers - "Leave The Pieces" Zac Brown Band - "Bittersweet"Judges, you have 3 days to judge! ----------
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2020 20:58:59 GMT -5
Not Life Is A Highway being here
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anthony11554
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Post by anthony11554 on Dec 6, 2020 22:16:37 GMT -5
Life is a highway clear winner tbh
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born
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can't come to the phone right now
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Post by born on Dec 7, 2020 5:25:13 GMT -5
and there’s a lot of cool chicks out there...
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kamala 2024 truther
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Pulse’s #1 Conan Stan
Best Country Poster 2023 and 2x Woman of the Year!!!
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Post by kamala 2024 truther on Dec 7, 2020 8:51:32 GMT -5
Four songs from The Chicks and they're all amazing. Taste was sent!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2020 16:50:07 GMT -5
Perched for these results, the Smash character reveal tonight, and Evermore aaaah
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2020 18:39:20 GMT -5
Not Life Is A Highway being here is that the song from Cars or...?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2020 18:49:19 GMT -5
Not Life Is A Highway being here is that the song from Cars or...? Ding ding ding
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2020 18:52:27 GMT -5
is that the song from Cars or...? Ding ding ding plssssss who sent this own up now 😭😭
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anthony11554
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Post by anthony11554 on Dec 10, 2020 20:19:35 GMT -5
I don't get it are ya'll trying to act like it aint fire?
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Sambalada
8x Platinum Member
Founder of Rankdown ca. 2016
Mmmmmmmm....
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Post by Sambalada on Dec 10, 2020 20:43:48 GMT -5
I don't get it are ya'll trying to act like it aint fire? It's iconic I'll give you that
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Sambalada
8x Platinum Member
Founder of Rankdown ca. 2016
Mmmmmmmm....
Joined: June 2016
Posts: 8,687
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Post by Sambalada on Dec 11, 2020 15:16:20 GMT -5
ROUND FOUR - RESULTS
Welcome to the fourth elimination ceremony! To be completely honest, I was a little…not excited when I see the song’s lineup but after listening to the songs, I can conclude this is actually a pretty cool set. Sadly, due to personal reasons, Matt and Violet are unable to judge this set. However, I’ve invited recordyear as a guest judge for this round! Along with Jamesflame of course. One person has successfully impressed the five present judges and secured their first win of the season, and that person is...WALT91!Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - “If We Were Vampires"You’ve been steadily climbing up to the top. With your current track, you might have a solid chance of winning the season for the second time!Sambalada: "Nothing short of beautiful. I've always been a fan of Isbell's instinct of writing gorgeous melodies, and the stringing guitars give a nice touch of melancholy to the song. Nearly flawless tune." (9.4)Fearless: "I love the sincerity in the song and it’s really beautiful. Jason Isbell’s vocals here aren't my favorite here especially when he goes into the higher ranges and it bothers me a little but I can look past it for the most part." (8.8)Matt: -Violet: -Willapted: "This song is just beautiful. Jason Isbell is definitely one of my favourite modern country singers from what I’ve heard, and the combined harmonies here with his wife (afaik) lead to a great track." (8.5)Jamesflame: (8.2)Recordyear: “When I listened to this as instant grat of The Nashville Sound album it hit me. More than three years later and it still hits me. The power of love is really its fleetness so that it will be treasured more. Also the atmospheric part in last minute or so is appropriately haunting. Well done.” (9.7)TOTAL: 44.6 | AVERAGE: 8.92The second best is...NICK PERKINS!The Highwaymen - “Highwayman"Your run thus far has mirrored your performance on Season 1. Now you just have to make sure you have enough fuel to match your initial placement or even higher!Sambalada: "What a legendary lineup, and the result is obviously good. However I feel like each one of them doesn't bring something special to the song. I'm more interested in the instrumental. What a damn good instrumental though." (6.8)Fearless: "Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash in one song, now that is just a legendary collaboration! But what I actually like the most about the song is the songwriting, how we see four different people across time and space all tie into the theme of reincarnation." (9.3)Matt: -Violet: -Willapted: "This is very solid, yeah I like it it’s good." (8.0)Jamesflame: (10)Recordyear: “Who would have thought the title song of supergroup from mainly outlaw country artists would be country pop? Even if you know the writer wrote for Glen Campbell a lot it will probably still surprise quite a few people. Anyway the production is top-notch as expected, and outlaws are really a state of mind.” (8.1)TOTAL: 42.2 | AVERAGE: 8.44The third best is...BB!The Chicks - “Travellin’ Soldier"Congratulations you’re back in the top 3 again! Keep it up!Sambalada: "This is the fourth The Chicks song I have to judge this round so to keep it short, I definitely like this more than 'Gaslight' but not as much as the other two. This is the best one lyrically though." (7.8)Fearless: "Another one of my favorite Chicks songs. I seem to be a sucker for country songs about death - so many of them I love (I think “Just a Dream” might be one that’s thematically similar to this one and that’s one of my favorite Carrie Underwood songs) and this one is no exception. The instrumentation is beautiful here as well." (9.6)Matt: -Violet: -Willapted: "Another good one from this group, the lyrics here are interesting and a solid instrumental to go along with it." (7.7)Jamesflame: (8.4)Recordyear: “I will gladly say they owned this song. It's a really touching song with a great story and bluegrass instrumentation (imagine bluegrass on mainstream country radio!). I say people should have seen their anti-war stance coming judging from the lyrics though.” (8.1)TOTAL:41.8 | AVERAGE: 8.36Next...SLAYER!The Chicks - “Cowboy Take Me Away"Sambalada: "Yo this is my favourite of the sent The Chicks songs here. The vocals really get my attention from the start, and the musical instrument is calling for a good vibe." (8.5)Fearless: "A country classic and one of my favorite Chicks songs. Beautiful fiddlework all through the song and the chorus swells so beautifully." (9.4)Matt: -Violet: -Willapted: "Oh, this one is really good actually. I’ve been quite mixed on The Chicks’ music, but this is probably the strongest song I’ve heard from them – cool song." (8.1)Jamesflame: (8.0)Recordyear: “Ah one of the most recognizable choruses from 90s country. Very tight country instrumentations, especially the fiddle parts.” (7.4)TOTAL: 41.4 | AVERAGE: 8.28Next...
ZEDD!Brothers Osborne - “Stay A Little Longer"Sambalada: "One of the best country radio hits from the last decade. It's incredibly catchy and the lyrics weren't as cliché as other popular country songs. Nice instrumentations as well." (8.4)Fearless: "Brothers Osborne is great, and “Stay a Little Longer” is one of their many great songs. I love the instrumentation on it and that outro is great too. Also TJ’s voice >" (9.1)Matt: -Violet: -Willapted: "I feel like usually I’d dislike this chorus melody, but for whatever reason it works here. The main thing about this I like is the instrumental though, particularly the guitars towards the end of the song." (7.8)Jamesflame: (8.6)Recordyear: “While I'm more and more tired from this song recently because of its too frequent mentions in best guitar solos of mainstream country singles or something like that, it's really hard to argue otherwise. Also gimmicks in lyrics such as "not in love" and "not enough", "the last time was the last time" just kinda work.” (7.4) TOTAL: 41.3 | AVERAGE: 8.26
Next...
MOD!Songs: Ohia / Magnolia Electric Co. - “Farewell Transmission"
Sambalada: "This is good in theory. The instrumentation choice is awesome but as a whole, this song doesn't 'grip' me as much as I would like to think it does." (7.0)Fearless: "I like the lyrics and the instrumentation in the back, but the song plods along a bit too much for me.” (7.3)Matt: -Violet: -Willapted: "This was the song I would’ve chosen for this round. Everything about this is just brilliant, particularly the vocal performance and the instrumental." (9.6)Jamesflame: (9.5)Recordyear: “I listened to this in disassociative's country rankdown and I didn't get this song. I listened to this today and I still don't get this song tbh. It has a good story but the guitar riffs are so repetitive.” (6.9)TOTAL: 40.3 | AVERAGE: 8.06Next...HAMED!The Chicks - “Not Ready To Make Nice"Sambalada: "This is the third The Chicks song I have to judge this round so to keep it short, I like it almost as much as 'Cowboys' but that one has a slight edge for me." (8.4)Fearless: "I can feel the anger and perhaps even a grudge that The Chicks had towards country radio that blacklisted them after the anti-Iraq War comments that Natalie Maines made. It’s a bit different from their material up until that point, but I love it regardless. Sweeping three of the big four categories (ROTY and SOTY with this song, with the parent album winning AOTY) must’ve felt like some type of revenge." (9.3)Matt: -Violet: -Willapted: "It’s good, quite anthemic in a way and it’s ultimately that strong chorus and melody that is the main appeal of the song for me." (7.6)Jamesflame: (7.9)Recordyear: “I appreciate the message a lot, particularly the bridge. I don't particularly like the overtly pop sounding verses though.” (7.0)TOTAL: 40.2 | AVERAGE: 8.04Next...WRIP!The Highwomen - “Crowded Table"Sambalada: "A definite standout among other country songs I've heard from the last year. Aside from the great structure songwriting, each lady also brings their own magic to the harmony of the song, more so than the other supergroup in this set." (8.8)Fearless: "It’s funny how both The Highwaymen and The Highwomen were submitted for this round. If you liked “Highwayman”, make sure to check out “Highwomen” by The Highwomen which interpolates “Highwayman” but turns it into a song about powerful women. Anyways, onto this song. I think the message is beautiful and the instrumental is nice. The harmony sounds a little disjointed, but that’s my only complaint with the song." (8.6)Matt: -Violet: -Willapted: "I was hoping this one would get sent, love the vocals here & overall one of the better recent country songs I’ve heard." (8.2)Jamesflame: (7.7)Recordyear: “Interesting that title song of the group is not sent instead of this overrated song. The four women don't have suitable vocals for unison, and Dave Cobb's production is so dry. It's quite sleep-inducing.” (4.7)TOTAL: 38.0 | AVERAGE: 7.60Next...JAMES!Zac Brown Band - “Bittersweet"Sambalada: "My favourite discovery of this round. Really good songwriting here, either lyrically or structurally, and the instruments work well as a complement to the great vocal performance. Also love the twist near the end of the song." (8.5)Fearless: "I think the songwriting is solid here - you don’t get songs that capture the emotions of losing a loved one as “bittersweet” that often. I enjoyed the switch in the tone of the song in the middle too. ZBB used to be solid but now… (granted “The Man Who Loves You the Most” was pretty good)" (8.5)Matt: -Violet: -Willapted: "I don’t have a lot of thoughts about this, there’s nothing wrong with it but it didn’t interest me much either." (5.8)Jamesflame: "ZBB is always such a hit or miss group, but in this case, it's a hit.” (8.1)Recordyear: "Okay I don't expect the one ZBB song in this list to be this one, from their most polarizing album as well. I really wonder why the poster chose this song! After revisiting this song after a few years, I feel the first 3:30 are more boring than usual (possibly because the song before this in the album is Heavy is The Head which is heavy metal), but when the twist comes it's really heart-wrenching, like I suddenly remember why this band stands out so much from other country groups to begin with. It's Jimmy de Martini's fiddles and the powerful harmony from this group. Also do you know Niko Moon can write like this and not like that GOOD TIME crap?” (7.0)TOTAL: 37.9 | AVERAGE: 7.58The last person to escape the bottom two is...INDULGE!The Wreckers - “Leave The Pieces"Sambalada: "Great vocals." (6.5)Fearless: "Flashback to when I ranked this in the 50s in the 2006 country rankdown and it won the whole thing lol. Since then I’ve come to love the song - it has a beautiful country instrumental and Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp harmonize pretty well in this song. They’re releasing new material for the first time in years next year so I’m intrigued to listen to that when it comes out." (8.9)Matt: -Violet: -Willapted: "Like the vocals on here, instrumental is nothing too special but it’s overall a pretty enjoyable track." (7.3)Jamesflame: (7.4)Recordyear: “Quite cool that I got to rate their most famous song after the reunion news. However it's not my favorite song from them because it reminds me of The Chicks' materials too much (particularly Cowboy Take Me Away)” (6.7)TOTAL: 36.8 | AVERAGE: 7.36
You nearly avoided the bottom two this time because your song faded into the background. We hope you will pick up your game in the upcoming rounds. Which means the bottom two are... MAYMAN & WOODS
Mayman, after having a near spotless run so far, you freefall all the way to the bottom two this week, and in danger of being eliminated. This just further proves to everyone that you have to stay on your A-game every round. Woods, you’ve been someone who keeps getting lost in the shuffle. That was such a shame especially after you wow’ed (and surprised) everyone with your first few submissions. Maybe your fuel is running out.
One of you will be eliminated.
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Sambalada
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Founder of Rankdown ca. 2016
Mmmmmmmm....
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Post by Sambalada on Dec 11, 2020 15:31:45 GMT -5
The last person to advance to the next round is...MAYMAN!The Chicks - “Gaslighter"Sambalada: "Probably the weakest of the The Chicks songs here. Once again, I like how the vocals sound but I'd say the melody isn't as memorable as their other songs. I do remember this song as one of a few country songs from STM that is actually good though." (6.7)Fearless: "Probably the weakest of The Chicks’ songs here, but that doesn’t mean the song itself is a bad song. In fact, I like it quite a bit but I think the melody could be stronger. Another thing I like about the song is all the sass on it, the parent album as a whole has so much sass." (8.0)Matt: -Violet: -Willapted: "This is one where I can appreciate the lyrics quite a bit, but musically it does nothing for me." (6.4) Jamesflame: "Not a bad return for The Chicks by any means, just not quite up there with their earlier work imo.” (6.2) Recordyear: "As far as country songs in 2020 are concerned this is definitely a better one, but I wished there are fewer pop elements such as the "lie-lie-lie-lie-lie"s and marching band drums.” (6.2) TOTAL: 33.5 | AVERAGE: 6.70
You survived this time due to the simple fact that you didn’t send “Life Is A Highway”. Congratulations you’re still in the running!Which means...
WOODS, I'm sorry but you've been eliminated.
Rascal Flatts - “Life Is A Highway"
Sambalada: "This is honestly nostalgic for me. The memory this song brings up every time is that my sister had to go to DVD rental place so we can watch Cars, lol. Aside from the nostalgia, I don't really have anything to say. It's pretty corny to hear nowadays but I still enjoy it." (6.3) Fearless: "Rascal Flatts has some great songs and some terrible songs (“Bob That Head” and “Payback” anyone?), this one is basically in the middle of the pack. I like RF’s version more than the original; they really made the song their own in their version, but melodically it’s lacking for me and the production isn’t my favorite." (7.0) Matt: - Violet: - Willapted: "I didn’t even like this when I was 4." (2.3) Jamesflame: "While I have a soft spot for a lot of Rascal Flatts songs which leads to me liking them a bit more than most, this is one song I honestly can't defend. It just exists, and it has no real reason to.” (3.8) Recordyear: "As an Eric Church fan, it's easy to treat Rascal Flatts and their songs as punching bags, not to mention their poppiness in contemporary country scene at that time. However, even though the ties to Cars may be more embarrassing for this group, Life Is A Highway still achieved its purpose which is an uplifting song for an upbeat scene in a movie. It fits definition of a decent song, and Gary LeVox doesn't sing too terrible here.” (6.1) TOTAL: 25.5 | AVERAGE: 5.10
Welp. All good things come to an end. I have to give you credit for your unexpected submissions for the first few rounds but maybe you haven’t been exposed enough to other genres, and I’m sorry to say that you have been eliminated from the competition. Thank you for participating :’(
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2020 15:34:07 GMT -5
Yeah that wasn't even close lol, rip woods
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anthony11554
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Post by anthony11554 on Dec 11, 2020 15:38:05 GMT -5
This was HIGHWAY robbery
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Post by Rose "Payola" Nylund on Dec 11, 2020 15:39:06 GMT -5
Epic set of songs! That top 4 is *chef's kiss*! If We Were Vampires might be the most heartfelt song I've ever heard. There's a line from it I legit want a tattoo of for my next tattoo. If I were a judge, that would have been my top choice too. Good job judges!
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woods
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Post by woods on Dec 11, 2020 15:42:56 GMT -5
Lol only one song from my 1,300+ song Spotify library fit the criteria of this round. (Mayman stole it from me.) I'm not surprised I got eliminated. Country is a genre I want to dig deeper into next year, though.
This is a game that you need an eclectic music taste across several genres to succeed in, so it was not in the cards for me to win. I'm glad to have sent in songs that show another part to my music taste, and I'm grateful to have been a part of this game and survive a few rounds.
I'm interested to see what I'll be judging next round!
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Sambalada
8x Platinum Member
Founder of Rankdown ca. 2016
Mmmmmmmm....
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Post by Sambalada on Dec 11, 2020 16:29:14 GMT -5
ROUND FIVE - TRAP GENERATIONFeatured Song: Lil Uzi Vert - "XO TOUR Llif3"
So we're trying to make this game as hard (and exciting) as possible for the contestants. After a country theme, we're gonna take a sharp turn to the furthest genre from country. For this round, send a trap song.
As a reminder, you cannot use any songs in the Hall of Fame below;
Alice Deejay - "Better Off Alone" Amy Winehouse - "Back To Black" Ariana Grande & The Weeknd - "Love Me Harder" Big Star - "Thirteen" BROCKHAMPTON - "BOOGIE" Charli XCX & Christine & The Queens - "Gone" Coldplay - "Don't Panic" Daft Punk - "Something About Us" Dua Lipa - "Don't Start Now" Earth, Wind, & Fire - "September" Foo Fighters - "Everlong" Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - "If We Were Vampires" Johnny Cash - "Hurt" Kanye West - "Through The Wire" Kanye West feat. Pusha T - "Runaway" Kendrick Lamar - "The Art Of Peer Pressure" Lana Del Rey - "Venice Bitch" Lauryn Hill - "Doo Wop (That Thing)" Lauryn Hill - "Ex-Factor" Lorde - "Ribs" Marvin Gaye - "What's Going On" Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - "Ain't No Mountain Enough" Michael Jackson - "Billie Jean" OutKast - "Rosa Parks" Patsy Cline - "Crazy" Public Enemy - "Fight The Power" Sigur Rós - "Hoppípolla" Taylor Swift - "Enchanted" The Cure - "Lovesong" The Flamingos - "I Only Have Eyes For You" The Ronettes - "Sleigh Ride" The Smiths - "How Soon Is Now?" The Supremes - "You Keep Me Hangin' On" Ultravox - "Vienna" Due Date: December 14th 4PM EST
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2020 17:22:48 GMT -5
7 rings time, yessssssssss 💅💅💅
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born
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Post by born on Dec 11, 2020 17:54:48 GMT -5
7 rings time, yessssssssss 💅💅💅 Smh we're talking pure trap, not this faux urban the pop girls are putting out.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 11, 2020 18:22:29 GMT -5
7 rings time, yessssssssss 💅💅💅 Smh we're talking pure trap, not this faux urban the pop girls are putting out. Damn Jim I thought we were friends I didn't ask to be personally attacked like this 😭
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Sambalada
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Mmmmmmmm....
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Post by Sambalada on Dec 13, 2020 17:07:18 GMT -5
ROUND FIVE - THE SONGSA$AP Rocky feat. Skepta - "Praise The Lord (Da Shine)" Bryson Tiller - "Exchange" Charli XCX - "claws" Denzel Curry - "ULT" Future - "March Madness" Future feat. Lil Uzi Vert - "Patek" Kendrick Lamar - "Backseat Freestyle" Playboi Carti feat. Lil Uzi Vert - "Shoota" Roddy Ricch - "The Box" Young Thug & Travis Scott feat. Quavo - "pick up the phone" Yung Lean - "Kyoto"Judges, you have 3 days to judge! ----------
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2020 17:10:50 GMT -5
Claws is trap?
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Sambalada
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Post by Sambalada on Dec 13, 2020 17:12:55 GMT -5
both "claws" and "Backseat Freestyle" has a secondary label as Trap on RYM so I allow them
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2020 17:14:38 GMT -5
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born
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Post by born on Dec 13, 2020 17:19:03 GMT -5
Already picked a strong top 3 though I have only heard like half of these.
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matteeeb
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Post by matteeeb on Dec 13, 2020 17:22:08 GMT -5
... jesus
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Sambalada
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Founder of Rankdown ca. 2016
Mmmmmmmm....
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Post by Sambalada on Dec 16, 2020 21:54:36 GMT -5
ROUND FIVE - RESULTS
Welcome to the fifth elimination ceremony! This was admittedly a great round, with several judges giving perfect scores like they're candies. And for a good reason too! Most of the songs sent are bangers. Zach is here to be a guest judge for this round, and looking at his reviews, he's also very pleased. So good job to all of you.
One of you does stand out above the others with three perfect scores from the judges. That person is...MOD!Playboi Carti feat. Lil Uzi Vert - "Shoota"Finally a huge improvement in performance for you! This song got the most perfect scores of the season so far!Sambalada: "I've heard this like once or twice before and I have to admit, I wasn't feeling this then if I remember it right. But now, I've come to appreciate what a banger this is. The performances are top notch, and they are matched with the hard knocking production which combined make it the single best thing I've heard from both credited artists. Also the introduction to the beat drop!" (9.2)Fearless: "The beat is catchy on this one and I don’t mind Playboi Carti’s voice here that much." (7.9)Matt: "The best of the "new" school at the top of their game, making a track that is pretty much perfect in every way. my favorite moment is when the strings come in on Uzi's verse hyping up the track, and then the whole city goes wild when carti comes in. f**king god tier beat drop man." (10)Violet: "Literally no words to describe how much i love this song." (10)Willapted: "Whilst short in its run-time, Shoota never falters once. Every note, word and sound here is executed to perfection. The beat is simple but rewarding and both Carti & Uzi fit so well over it. There’s probably about 5 or 6 songs I would’ve given a perfect rating to in this genre, and this is one of them. Phenomenal song. Shoutout to the beat switch especially." (10)Woods: (6.0)Zach: “Carti at his best. The chemistry between these two on this track is undeniable. Shoota’s found itself a permanent place on many of my mood booster playlists." (9.4)TOTAL: 62.5 | AVERAGE: 8.93The second best is...MAYMAN!Kendrick Lamar - "Backseat Freestyle"Welcome back to the top of the bunch! I hope this means last round was clearly just a fluke.Sambalada: "Banger. As is most of what Kendrick has offered on this album. His experimenting of his flow and tone in this song work to its advantage." (7.8)Fearless: "I enjoy this song quite a bit (partly thanks to some parts being used for the remix of Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood”) - the beat is good, Kendrick’s beat is good, and the song makes a lot of sense in the context of the entire good kid, m.A.A.d city album." (8.8)Matt: "Sometimes kendrick is at his best not when he's tryna be lyrical but when he goes sicko mode over a wild beat for 3.5 minutes. dick eiffel tower line is the best of the decade, don't sleep." (9.5)Violet: "This song is enough to sell the idea of having a dick the size of the eiffel tower to me." (9.7)Willapted: "Whilst not one of his most impressive lyrical performances or production choices, this s**t goes very hard. The chorus in particular is one of the strongest in the last decade. Like Jesus that’s catchy. But yeah it’s GKMC Kendrick I obviously love it lol." (9.3)Woods: (8.3)Zach: “Once upon a time, GKMC was my favourite album… and this was one of my least favourite tracks in Kendrick’s entire discog. Yeah not sure what was wrong with me, this song bangs." (8.6)TOTAL: 62.0 | AVERAGE: 8.86The third best is...NICK PERKINS!Yung Lean - "Kyoto"Ok, Mr. Consistency!Sambalada: "This song slaps nations. The gloomy warped production is immaculate. The beat, the flow, and everything else are altogether very solid too." (8.3)Fearless: "Probably my favorite discovery here. I enjoy the production on this one (whatever was going on in the back of the beat was great) and the rapping was good too." (8.6)Matt: "Simple on the surface but so much more underneath. The distorted intro feels like a potion you might drink to transport to a new world like alice in wonderland, and as you get closer the picture gets clearer. Once it's downed you enter the track, and the atmosphere instantly takes over and for one fleeting moment, 4 and a half minutes, you're high on your own supply, transported to some magical state of bliss with the beat propelling you on. the ULTIMATE vibe track brooo o o." (9.8)Violet: "" (10)Willapted: "Kyoto will no doubt go down as a classic. Its influence can already be seen with the current cloud rap trend that is at the forefront of Internet music discussion right now, and said influence will only continue to grow. Now for the song itself - it’s brilliant. The atmospheric instrumental is a thing of sheer beauty. Lean’s performance here is a masterclass. I’m usually not the biggest fan of Drain Gang vocals but good lord do they work here. This can be exemplified in the first verse which contains one of my all time favourite lines – “I’m Wario when I’m in Mario Kart”, this just brings pure joy every time I hear it." (9.8) Woods: (6.3)Zach: “I’m a huge sucker for the atmospheric production here. Just mesmerizing. This is a standout track in Lean’s early discography and remains one of his best to this day.” (8.7)TOTAL:61.5 | AVERAGE: 8.79Next...WRIP!A$AP Rocky feat. Skepta - "Praise The Lord (Da Shine)"Sambalada: "As far as my memory went back, this was the first Rocky song that totally clicked with me. The beat is immaculate, and the flow goes so smoothly with it. Could probably be my favourite ASAP song at the moment." (8.7)Fearless: "The beat is catchy, I love how they turned something from GarageBand into this song. The flow is pretty nice too." (8.2)Matt: "Such a masterful example of taking a beat and making it your own, with rocky and skepta taking this simple flute instrumental and floating over it perfectly, with rocky's smooth voice in the verses and skepta's booming chorus providing a perfect contrast. probably one of the most quotable choruses of the decade, as a bonus." (9.2)Violet: "I came i came i came i came i came i came i came." (8.0)Willapted: "I’m obviously a big fan of Rocky and as far as his trap songs go – this is a great pick. The dynamic of his flow with the UK approach of Skepta is one that should be tested out more in trap music. The flows on this are really great. The beat is a little repetitive to me, but it’s a minor complaint for a fantastic song." (9.1)Woods: (8.3)Zach: “There’s nothing complex about this one. Nothing spectacular about the production, vocals or lyrics. Nothing bad about them either. That beat’s infectious and everything comes together to produce a bop." (8.4)TOTAL: 59.9 | AVERAGE: 8.56Next...
WALT91!Young Thug & Travis Scott feat. Quavo - "pick up the phone"Sambalada: "I'm aware of how this song was regarded by many as the best trap release ever, and the amount of respect it got will definitely make what I'm gonna say next controversial. I don't like it. I just... I'm not feeling it at all. I found the production veeeery annoying, and while none of the performers sound bad in this song, they're simply not enough for me to enjoy the song." (3.8)Fearless: "I like the bubbly, tropical beat - the synths that come in at the end are a nice added touch as well. The flow is good and the song is super catchy throughout." (8.0)Matt: "The tropical beat would be fantastic on its own, but it's given so many switchups and new elements throughout the track that there are simply a smorgasbord of great moments to get hyped once again in. And that's not even counting the career-best performances from travis, thug, and quavo making one of the best-constructed and most fun trap songs of all time." (10)Violet: "An absolute modern classic. thugger and trav at their peaks with the addition of a really solid quavo verse." (8.9)Willapted: "This right here is real god damn music. I could go on and on about this, but for real shoutout whoever picked it – probably in my top 3 trap songs and an easy perfect rating. The first thing I notice here is the beat, which remains to be absolutely perfect even after almost 300 listens. Then we get to the artists. Young Thug for me is the standout here, by a very small margin. His vocals really fit perfectly with the sound of the beat. Then we get to Travis, this is easily one of his finest vocal performances. Last but not least, we have Quavo’s impeccable guest verse – easily the best of his career. All in all, it’s a masterpiece. This is how you do music. Perfection." (10)Woods: (7.5)Zach: “Another chemistry-heavy colab. Both artists bring their A game here. The flows are smooth, the bars are solid and the beat is magical. That outro is everything. (9.2)TOTAL: 57.4 | AVERAGE: 8.2Next...BB!Denzel Curry - "ULT"
Sambalada: "The production is good and Denzel is spitting multiple killer bars in a row so effortlessly. Very solid but not among the strongest in this set." (7.6)Fearless: "The rapping is great here, and the chorus is catchy - his singing in the chorus is pretty grating though, so thankfully that only happens for like four lines in the chorus.” (7.2)Matt: "Hmmmm...... this is still kinda "oldhead trap" with denzel having a more conventional delivery over only vaguely trap-esque production so i don't think it's the greatest choice but he is still flowing his ass off and i respect that. i do think taboo is the better album, kind of a hot take i know." (8.3)Violet: "Denzel and the beat go off here god damn. also unpopular opinion but i love the hook." (8.5)Willapted: "In terms of rapping performance, this is obviously the best pick here. The verses on this one are exceptional and the beat goes hard as f**k. My sole issue with this is the hook, which is still good but a step down from other tracks that were sent here." (9.3)Woods: (6.0)Zach: “ULT goes super hard. I fell in love with the beat on first listen and this quickly became one of my favourite Denzel songs." (9.3)TOTAL: 56.2 | AVERAGE: 8.03Next...JAMES!Bryson Tiller - "Exchange"Sambalada: "Bryson delivers a pretty good performance here but the song's most outstanding component is its deep tunnel-y production. Very solid R&B trap." (7.5)Fearless: "I don’t really understand the hype behind this song - I don’t remember it ranking this that high in the 2016 Hot 100 RD redo either. I mean the production is nice but I would prefer a less harsh beat (rather than the trap beats here) on a more otherwise mellow production if I’m being honest. The wordplay in the song is cool though." (6.5)Matt: "Beautiful vocal sample leading up to the beat drop gets me every time man, and then the song just drops into 3 minutes of beautiful vocal passages and heartbreaking lyrics while the song gets a new energy every time Bryson goes back to the simple yet relatable chorus. best of the decade material for f**king sure." (10)Violet: "I honestly always thought this song was slept on when talking about 2016 and i’m glad to see it here. the beat is fantastic and bryson’s vocal performance is great here. honestly one of the best hits in that year." (8.1)Willapted: "I mean this is clearly one of the best hit songs in recent memory. I’d say its comfortably in my top five of the past decade. The beat is literal perfection, the vocal sample on this s**t is just fantastic. Bryson’s vocal performance on this is so clear of anything else he’s done. The lyrics on this perfectly capture the feeling of down bad, a feeling commonly experienced by young people today. I think for that reason there’s a certain anthemic quality about this one, this feeling has only really been captured by this & Drake’s Marvins Room in popular music and I think that’s why I consider both to be such epics. Anyway – this song is incredible." (9.7)Woods: (6.8)Zach: “Meh. I mean this is okay. It’s chill. There’s not much to say here, just a middle-of-the-road R&B track. For what it’s worth this is one of the best things I’ve heard from Bryson." (6.0)TOTAL: 54.6 | AVERAGE: 7.8Next...SLAYER!Roddy Ricch - "The Box"Sambalada: "Cool beat and flow." (6.4)Fearless: "The repetition of “ee er” is almost iconic and it’s really catchy; no wonder it became so big." (8.4)Matt: "Man i was rooting for this to be #1 of the year because it absolutely deserved it. one of the most unique mainstream hip hop songs in years with its unique instrumental and "ee rr" s**t coupled with roddy's delicious flow switches and delivery switches, managing to sound like 10 rappers on one track. love it." (9.3)Violet: "This got kinda annoying after awhile ngl but it’s still a pretty solid song." (6.8)Willapted: "This is without a doubt a great song, certainly one of the best hits in recent memory. The two obvious takeaways are Roddy’s flows – which are super impressive for a melodic trap artist. The other is the beat which features the infamous “eee err”, not sure why exactly but this just works for me." (8.5)Woods: (7.5)Zach: “Okay, it’s catchy, i GuEsS. Roddy Ricch is still meh though. (7.3)TOTAL: 54.2 | AVERAGE: 7.74The last person to escape the bottom two is...ZEDD!Future - "March Madness"Sambalada: "So um, I'm not really a fan of Future's work in general and that's mostly because I can't stand his voice so it's gonna take a lot for me to genuinely enjoy a Future song. This is okay. The production saves this song a bit." (5.5)Fearless: "I don’t particularly care for Future’s rapping voice outside of a handful of songs - also in the chorus the part about where he talks about police shootings then a couple lines later talking about how he blames drugs for him cheating on Ciara sounds… weird. Using March Madness to reference police shootings of black people (shooting hoops vs. shooting) is pretty clever, I thought." (5.9)Matt: "It's hard to go wrong with Future, and luckily this is one of his absolute best from this era where he didn't drop a single bad track. The building synths leading up to the beat drop make one of the best future song moments, and then you're just enveloped by his flow and intoxicated by the atmosphere for the rest of the track. quintessential trap." (9.7)Violet: "Pretty solid pick. really not much to say here though. good beat and good performance." (7.8)Willapted: "Look, this is no ‘Codeine Crazy’ which is an easy 10 and probably the greatest thing to come out of the trap genre. However, this is still his second best song. The beat here is extraordinary, just super catchy and appealing to the listener. Future himself sounds great on this. I find that sometimes with more dull production Mr. Hendrix can just sound super dead inside, the polar opposite of his performance here. His flow is very hooky, and his voice sounds great." (9.7)Woods: (7.0)Zach: “I’ve never gotten Future’s appeal. Yeah some of his releases are sorta interesting musically but his delivery has never appealed to me. With a beat like this and such outstanding production March Madness is one of my favourite Future songs and one of only a few of his tracks that I listen to regularly." (8.5)TOTAL: 54.1 | AVERAGE: 7.73
After a very consistent run, you dropped a little this round to the bottom three. However, considering this is your first trip, I'm confident you can do better in the next rounds. Which means the bottom two are... HAMED & INDULGE
This is the second time you two landed in the bottom two. Hamed, you've been slowly building your momentum but I wonder if your improvement is perhaps too slow to catch up with everyone. Indulge, You've had a big moment in the first few rounds but right now I'm thinking that maybe you have passed your peak.
One of you will be eliminated.
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Deleted
Joined: January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2020 21:59:14 GMT -5
I really didn't lie back in the Poster RD that this is my theme song Keeps being relevant Indulge as much I want to wish you good luck, I'm hoping I pull through lol :kii:
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Sambalada
8x Platinum Member
Founder of Rankdown ca. 2016
Mmmmmmmm....
Joined: June 2016
Posts: 8,687
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Post by Sambalada on Dec 16, 2020 22:05:26 GMT -5
The last person to advance to the next round is...HAMED!Charli XCX - "claws"Sambalada: "First off, the production in this is killer. Terrifying but cute. Charli serves her standard performance and the song itself is a jam. This bangs." (7.8)Fearless: "Idk if the how i’m feeling now RD would finish revealing before this is posted, but “claws” is unfortunately not among my favorites from the album. I like the production, but the chorus is super repetitive and I don’t feel the verses in particular either." (7.0)Matt: "The glitch pop production is impeccable as well as the hype trap beat in the chorus, and it would contend for her best work if the melodies and vocal performances were a bit stronger. still an absolute heater though." (7.8)Violet: "This was… unexpected. but hey it’s an absolute banger so why am i complaining." (8.9)Willapted: "I was anticipating a pick like this lol & this is one of the better choices outside the traditional trap rap route. The beat here is great, probably not as enticing as some of the other picks though. Charli’s performance on this one is obviously great – not sure I’ve heard a dud from her in half a decade. The hook is a little repetitive for my taste though and I ultimately find other songs on this album stick out to me a bit more." (8.2)Woods: (8.0)Zach: "Never understood the hype here. Best thing about this is that the production’s clean, as granting as some of the beat might be. Overall I find this to be pretty repetitive and annoying." (6.2)TOTAL: 53.9 | AVERAGE: 7.7 Solid choice but in such a stacked round there's nowhere else to go but the bottom. However, you're safe and you still remain in this competition. Congratulations! Which means...
INDULGE, I'm sorry but you've been eliminated.
Future feat. Lil Uzi Vert - "Patek"
Sambalada: "Copy and paste everything I said on my March Madness "review" for this song, except the production is much less interesting and Future sounds even more annoying." (3.9) Fearless: "I don’t particularly have much to say about this song because I don’t find anything that stands out in this song - sounds like your standard trap song." (4.8) Matt: "I wish this had made the tracklist for Pluto x pluto cause i think this would have been an easy highlight on here. I also love how this was sent along with march madness as this is a rework of the melody of that track and does so impressively. Future and uzi going back and forth over this poppy beat with a lot going on is always going to be a thumbs up in my book, too." (8.4) Violet: "This song honestly just makes me want to listen to a solo song by either artist instead. goes on for way too long as well." (5.0) Willapted: "I think more than anything this pick leaves me confused. It’s not super popular within either artists’ discography and it hasn’t been particularly well received as far as I’m aware. There’d probably be over 50 Future songs or Uzi songs I’d rate higher than this. With that aside, it’s not bad. The beat is enjoyable but quite basic. They both sound okay vocally but it’s noticeably worse than many of their better tracks. And while I’m not usually one to complain about length, there was no need for this to be almost 5 minutes." (6.8) Woods: (5.5) Zach: "This was a first listen I think and I’m not a fan. Can’t find any redeeming qualities here for me. Basic and uninteresting. Legit the most enjoyable part is the last 9 seconds of the recording after the vocals drop away." (3.7) TOTAL: 38.1 | AVERAGE: 5.44
It's obvious from the start that this song is the weak link among this bunch. Ironically, the song you tried to send first end up being the winner, so you would've stayed (and collect a second win of the season!) if only you sent a few hours earlier. But for now, I'm sorry to say that you've been eliminated from this competition. Thank you for participating. :'(
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