Ah, so here we have it. The toppermost of the poppermost. Somewhat. I talked to the only 3 friends that I have today (I actually only have 1 friend, and I just found two random people on Facebook to (s)talk to.), and they all agreed on one thing: Music in 2009? slump. How could I even argue that there were 10 great things in anything in music this year? Well, because I'm a supreme bullshitter. And one that loves music. But I also believe my own bullshit, so I buy everything I write. And let's be clear, I could squeeze TWENTY things that made music great out of 2009. And I can hopefully make the more cynical understand that yeah, this year was a bit of a downer after a fantastic 2008, but man. The good? It was fantastic.
The top 5 things that made music a wonderful place to be in 2009.....
5.) The Blackroc Project: No, You're Not The Only One That Didn't Think It Would Work. - First off, Akron is the third greatest place in Ohio, next to Columbus and Tiffin (Yeah. Tiffin. What up, Jolly's root beer?), so that means that in my mind, Akron is the third greatest place in the world. Even before the Black Keys decided do turn the lights out on '08 with the KILLER album Attack & Release, Akron birthed Chrissie Hynde, Devo, John Lithgow, and my buddy Steve. So I loved it. That said, I was a bit shocked, and mostly confused, when I read that the Keys were hooking up with Dame Dash and Jim Jones to record a collaboration, I was all like, "Dude...." I mean, we're talking about The Black Keys, right? And we're talking the same Jim Jones who thought THIS song was a good idea to leave the cutting floor??? (seriously, take in how ridiculous that video is for a second. I don't drink, but I just see all of that as an EPIC waste of alcohol. Tiger Woods' wife could be using that.) Plus, look, I'm no prude. But I don't want your rock in my hip-hop anymore. And I DEFINITELY don't want your hip hop in my rock. That never works, and no amount of Limp Bizkit records could suggest otherwise. But this worked. It worked fantastically, and see, I'm an idealist. I have a Martin King-esque dream that one day, there'll only be one genre, so that we can get away from generalizations, negative stigmas, and REALLY get back to music. Now, I know this Itunes generation won't let this happen, but this is a step. And it's not a joke, like T-Pain mashing up with Taylor Swift, this is seriously good music. I had people that never even LIKED rap come up to me and tell me they loved this record, and where oh where could they get a copy of the last Mos Def album? Look at what this does. We're using music to break down barriers, and I'll spare you the "music can save the world" crap, but don't underestimate how the quality of this record helps everyone. When you take people out of a musical comfort zone, and convince them that there's good to be had in other mediums....you've done well.
4.) Mixtapes: Not The Ones That YOU'RE Making. The Ones That THEY'RE Making. - I'm not into mixtapes, let me say that right now. I usually don't want to hear throw away rhymes over recycled beats, it's that simple. But what Drake did with February's So Far Gone was unheard of. Unsigned artists don't release mixtapes that get so much buzz that they not only get said artists signed, but then get the mixtape re-released as an ALBUM? and the record was that good, look, Drake is the future. Whether that's immediate, or it will take time and the downfall of some of the larger rappers on the food chain, Drake is the future. And I didn't want to cop to that at first, mostly because, well.....Drake was in Degrassi. And while shit got real on Degrassi, I didn't buy him crossing over from Canada to America so smoothly. But after the mixtape, he crushed any doubt, sparked a (albeit pretty inexpensive...) bidding war, and had a deal by summer. So, rappers stepped up the mixtape game. Gucci Mane got out of jail just in time to release what seemed like 12 mixtapes this year before going right back to jail (Though I'm not a fan, it must be commended.) Young Dro and Lupe Fiasco put out mixtapes that were two of my favorite of the year, and the would-be mixtape king, Lil' Wayne released the best effort since Da Drought 3 with the somewhat scattered No Ceilings. Even rock artists considered the mixtape game, and after this, how could they not? As long as mixtapes are used properly, and don't become avenues to use your best lyrics to get street appeal, it's perfect for building anticipation for a release. Can I not wait to hear Lupe's new album now even more? You bet. He's aiming to release another one on Christmas. Joy to the world.
3.) Animal Collective Are Probably The New Beatles: Thank Goodness You All Are Finally Taking Notice. - My feelings on Merriweather Post Pavilion aside, it served as the light bulb album for the music listening public. It's got the sound of Brian Wilson trying to be Paul McCartney, and if you think that's unintentional, then you're not paying attention. I want a band that's shamelessly trying to be OUR beatles. Yeah, your generation had Beatlemania, and I'm really happy for you (resisted the urge to type "And I'mma let you finish" right after that. I know I just typed it there, but that was more for informational purposes, and not to capitalize on that worn out gag.), but we don't need it. What WE need is a band that listened to Beatle records over and over and isn't ashamed to blueprint their sound. Yeah, I know the Panic at the Disco guys gave it a good run, but they're over, and Animal Collective does it far better. This is everything. This is psychedelic folk, straightforward rock, bubblegum, fun for the kids, scary for the parents, makeout music, save the world music, and Idon'talwaysgetitbutdon'tstopmenow 'cause I'm on a roll and these guys are fucking geniuses. Period. They're not going to have the world in the palms of their hands like the Fabs, but they probably don't want that. They'll never be bigger than Jesus, but if you listen close enough, you might find him in their music anyway. And I love the Gaslight Anthem more than them, but so what? I love Springsteen more than the Beatles. This is no longer about what I love, it's about what blows my mind enough to make me feel good about where music is right now. And if these dudes want to shamelessly rip off the Fabs, then do it, and screw all that tell you it's not worth it. Merriweather is the best pure pop record America has produced in some time. And that's all we've ever wanted.
2.) Clipse : Virginia's Cocaine Kings Get Humble, Get Remorseful, And Save Rap. Again. - There has maybe never been a more critically acclaimed rap group than Clipse. The Thornton brothers have released 3 albums, all 3 have been lauded by everyone....EVERYONE in the press. I mean, Christgau LOVES these guys. So why have they never even gotten so much as a grammy nod? Why are they not world famous? Here's the thing. To say that they're gritty....well, that's an understatement. Christgau said it best when he said, "The way they paint it, music is just pocket money to them...", they're no secret to the lucrative life of drug dealing, and unlike Jay-Z's drug dealer made good, they spent their first two albums playing the drug dealer gone into reality, not liking it, and fighting with getting the life back. These dudes? they're raps Lou Reed. But grimier. Yeah, even more street, even MORE grimy than describing a heroin trip. They're not talking about taking a needle and putting it in you, shit, they're not even talking about taking a BULLET and putting it in you. They're talking about taking a PRODUCT and putting it in you, and your community, and tearing everything down for the almighty dollar. And not being remorseful for it. Did I condone the content? No, but I, and every other critic worth their salt, loved the honesty, the feeling of needing a shower after hearing one of their albums. And then the life caught up to them. Their friend and ex-manager was arrested, and charged with leading a $10 million drug ring, tearing Virginia's streets apart, and getting some more of the duo's peers put away for a long time. So we catch up with the Clipse guys on the release of this month's Til The Casket Drops expecting more horror story lyrics about the violence and greed of the drug underworld. But what we get instead? Guilt, remorse, honesty. In the first track, "Freedom", Pusha T spits, "I guess I don't feel nothin'/I've been numbed by the will to gain", and his brother Malice has some regrets of his own...."How was I to know, I was happier when I was piss poor....", and after the end of the guitar drenched track, Pusha yells. Oh, does he yell. "What more do you want from us??? We lost love, we lost family behind this shit!!! what you call music, we call life! DO I ENTERTAIN YOU MOTHERFUCKER?!?!?! WELL DANCE, THEN!!". And normally, I'd cast off such rap bravado as annoying posturing. But you can hear something in his voice. This isn't "my Dad can beat up your Dad"....this is "Wow....we're deep into this, and look at what we've done, and I'm a fucking mess, because I don't know how to make any of this right". Rap has been void of this kind of honesty for a long time. And yeah, there's stuff like "Doorman" where it's boasted, "Cocaine bought me everything I ever had", and you roll your eyes a bit, but it's so few and far between. This is the sound of a group coming to terms with life after going through their version of hell. All 13 tracks are a release of anger, you can hear the tension, the frustration...no, the unbridled rage, at one point Malice growls out the line, "I miss my man, I hope those snitches burn in hell"....and you believe it.
Look, I'll never condone the content, but I'll take the passion. They've got it in spades. No one in rap has done what they've done. And with this album, they're finally getting it. Anyone can be the king of the streets if they're on the right block. But when that crown gets heavy, and boy, it gets heavy....do you take it off? Or do you lighten your burden by taking some of the weight (literally and figuratively in this case) off of you, and put it behind you? Having the courage to do the latter is what makes Clipse worthwhile. Grammys, you paying attention?
1.) R&B Is Back: Robin Thicke, The Dream, Trey Songz, And The Return Of Babymaking. - It's official. The Dream, in this writers estimation, is a genius. Not only did he have the album of the year, he knows when to fall back and admire his work. R&B hasn't gotten critical acclaim like it's gotten this year since....when? 1999? I mean, I went so far as to declare the genre dead. It mixed so much with hip hop, and not in a fun way. The Thong Song killed all chance that R&B may ever be taken seriously again. But this year, it all came back together. Maxwell came back, and blew everyone away with an album, only to likely vanish again by this time again next year, Robin Thicke's wife is incredibly, incredibly hot, which has very little to do with this, but needed to be said, and Alan's kid has been having the kind of output the past few months that will make sure that some children will be born next summer. Trey Songz took the tasteful hip-hop/R&B route, taking handfuls of rap beats, and putting his own rap/sing mix over them, which, was shockingly impressive. And The Dream...oh, The Dream. He's got the vocal range, the production ability, and the pen. He's probably written your favorite song, but he saved the best for his gem of an album. Hey, what has soul and/or R&B been all about since the dawn of Motown anyway? dressing slick, talking slicker, and having the audacity to walk in and steal your girlfriend, because you won't mind losing to a guy that cool anyway. We got back to the basics. Sure, we could dial down the sex just a bit, not in quantity, but in lewdness. But we're building the genre back up, sure, Boyz II Men aren't walking through that door (at least not ALL of them, though they were in Dublin this year for the fireworks. Sick.), but R&B is back. I mean, FULLY back. It went from life support, to the top. Because these new R&B artists all started out as songwriters. So they've got the chops. They just needed the platform. And I like where we're going from here. Lock up your daughters.
(Your sons will probably be cool, they might get a girlfriend, but The Dream, or some other R&B star will just steal her at the end of the day, so everyone wins. Kind of.)
Thanks for tuning in to the series, and I can only hope that 2010 is as exciting and thought provoking as THIS year in music was.
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