Kings of A&R

“My teef are mind blowin givin everybody chillz
Call me George Foreman cuz I’m sellin everybody grillz?”

Rags to riches, that’s the American Dream. Pulling yourself out of the gutter by your bootstraps and getting a feature on Cribs where you can show everyone your solid gold, diamond encrusted toilet is what everyone seems to strive for. Now, I am the last person that would ever ‘knock someone’s hustle’, but the emergence of whoring out to the highest bidder in rap music has reached offensive levels. Many hoped that ‘Pimp rap’ and ‘Bling rap’ would have fizzled out a while ago, but it seems to be stronger today than ever. The industry has capitalized on ignorance and the ‘artists’ don’t seem to mind. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but personally, I am tired of being sold things in the form of rap videos. There you’ll find more product placement than the Super Bowl, and promotion of a lifestyle that is inadvertently setting African Americans back about 50 years. The phrase ‘Pimpin Ain’t Easy’ would be more appropriate coming from the industry executives pulling the strings than these unfortunate low level cogs in the machine. Rappers have mistaken money for power and respect, and as a result are simply rich. Perhaps this is what they wanted. Perhaps they had no designs on writing music with a genuine impact or message. Perhaps getting rich was the one and only goal, and being a faceless marketing tool is fine by them.

Like with any trend in music, there are multiple sides to this coin. There are, of course, the rappers with genuine talent who have made a career out of being an artist and then parlayed that success into other profitable ventures ranging from fashion, to cars, to even airplanes and wine. There are also rappers whose sole interest is in the art of making music, who use their success to pull up other artists they feel need a break and then act as a producer. Then there are the ‘Pimp Rappers’ and ‘Studio Gangstas’ who are all about promoting a lifestyle full of drugs, violence, objectifying women, and being taken advantage of by a predominately white industry. While they may feel empowered as they roll their Caddy into the bizank, they’d be well served to take a look at who is cutting the check. Like Ho’s to a Pimp, these guys are only getting a small fraction of what their whoring is bringing in. While I am sure no one involved in this Capitalistic dreamland would complain, who is going to take responsibility for the shitty music?

Unsigned Florida rapper, Swordz, chimed in on the subject, describing this current arrangement as ‘sick,’ and then explains “You can’t be mad at executives for doing their job. Artists need to be responsible for their own fate. There are business artists and artists, you need both kinds to keep things going, although it does make it harder for real artists trying to come up. It’s up to the artists to keep their ART their ART. Rappers need to bring substance to the table and not just fake imagery, but at the end of the day, you can’t knock anyone for trying to better their situation.��? As an unsigned artist making waves in his own region, independently selling over 5500 copies of his WRNR mixtape, Swordz faces an uphill battle in an attempt to compete with integrity in an industry where a low quality of music with a gigantic budget is the norm. “I believe in my talent’s ability to keep me relevant. I plan on being here for a while and proving that talent will prevail.��?

While I agree that in the end, the artists willing to sell out in this manner are responsible for their own actions, the high price placed on becoming a puppet is undoubtedly appealing. What labels are offering is essentially the answer to all of your problems. Very little effort invested for an astronomical profit. Unfortunately, this clamoring for cash has negatively impacted the quality of music in this genre. Urban Music Specialist for Mediaguide, Michael DiBella describes the negative effect, “I’m not a fan of the mainstream; the gross commercialization, using hip-hop to sell Big Macs and whatever else. I’ll say as someone who’s been listening to hip-hop religiously since the 6th grade, the rush is harder to find. Only at select live shows do I get the feeling back. You do have to consider, as I do, that hip-hop is the voice of the disenfranchised. At least it was at first. Now, it’s a nouveau riche thing and record labels capitalize on that.��?

Mainstream hip hop artists are selling themselves short. This belief that the only way to the top is to whore your art to anyone with a checkbook is turning a genre once filled with political outrage and stark social commentary into simple mindless raps about shoes and bling. That’s not to say the true art no longer exists, it’s simply being drowned out by 3 and a half minute long cell phone commercials. Nearly every mainstream genre has gone through a phase of musical inadequacy paired with debauchery and an excessive lifestyle, however it seems to have a stronghold on hip hop mainstream with no end in sight. Similar to what grunge did to glam metal, its going to take a unified movement of musical ingenuity combined with a clear message to overthrow the reigning hedonistic empire.

AJ, KOAR

“The Infinite Dial: Radio’s Digital Platforms (Arbitron and Edison Media Research), says the monthly audience age 12+ for Internet radio now tops an estimated 52 million, which is up from about 37 million people in 2005. The weekly Internet radio audience also increased by 50 percent over the past year, with 12 percent of the U.S. population age 12+ having listened to Internet radio in the past week.� (FMQB)

Anyone who has surfed MySpace lately can tell you with some level of certainty that nearly everyone on the planet is actively online. Young people especially have embraced technology to the point of dependence. Labels have recognized this activity to a degree and put a little more effort into their new media departments, however what they’re investing is nowhere near what they invest in off-line marketing. Indie labels have taken note of how affordable and effective new media is and have thrown the majority of their money in online marketing and it has proven successful with their ‘hype bands’ being snatched up by majors at a startling pace.

American Idol has done more than subconsciously force the unwitting public to drink more Coke and buy Fords. The Idol phenomena has turned well over 30 million average citizens into somewhat informed music critics. Despite the boos and hisses at the notorious Simon Cowell’s comments, the public votes generally seem to echo his opinions, thankfully because if Paula Abdul were the barometer, American Idol would be similar to the Special Olympics where everyone gets a gold just for trying. Ignoring the irrelevant judge banter and disagreements, America has done a surprisingly good job of recognizing not only who can sing, but who has talent worthy of a career. By far one of the highest rated shows on television, American Idol has involved the public in the music business more intently than just purchasing albums. What probably started out as a ploy to push more records has somehow changed the public perception of singers and how we hear their music, introducing words like ‘pitchy,’ ‘off-key,’ ‘vocal tone’ and ‘performance quality’ into American vernacular alongside clear definitions and examples.

The most unexpected thing about American Idol is that the public selection tends to shy away from run-of-the-mill Barbie doll pop-tarts. Since it is genuinely a singing contest, lacking autotune and airbrushing, a contestant stands out purely on ability and personality. Season 1 winner, Kelly Clarkson, a chubby 20-something waitress from Texas took home 2 Grammy’s this year in the broadcast that had about half the viewership of the show that launched her career, proving that while they support their selections by buying the albums, the public interests are in selecting new talent. 2003 proved to be a good season for American Idol with heavy-set winner Ruben Studdard and effeminate country boy runner-up Clay Aiken, selling well over 5 million albums combined. 2004’s soulful songstress and single mother Fantasia Barrino has filled the gap in R&B, pun intended. Last year’s winner, Carrie Underwood, probably the most ‘Barbie’ finalist yet, took home a number of country music awards recently showing that she’s not just fittin’ in, but being respected in her chosen genre, although put there by a completely different demographic.

This year’s Idol is probably the most fascinating yet, with the finalists sharing little in common outside of a brilliant talent from a niche background. The average age of the remaining contestants is 24, with all of the remaining male contestants over the age of 25. The finalists are certainly unique, ranging from the classically trained beauty Katharine McPhee to the snaggle-toothed, diabetic, car mechanic with an inspired voice, Elliot Yamin. This year is also a first for rock music. Last year’s soft rockers, Bo Bice and Constantine Whateverhisnameis were embarrassing to rock fans, however this year Idol has struck gold with Chris Daughtry, who could have easily reached fame without the help of this show. Bumpkin Kellie Pickler, prodigy Paris Bennett, soulman Taylor Hicks and disturbingly pretty Ace Young round out the remainder, each putting their talents on display each week, despite the ‘theme’ curveballs that are thrown at them.

Idol’s effect on the American music consumer is a significant one and one that should be paid attention to by anyone working within the industry. The public is learning how to hear music. They are being taught what is good and what is bad. They are figuring out who is worthy of their respect, and more importantly their money. To the surprise of many, age, background and physical attributes are playing little part in selection and support. Elliott, with his jacked up grill actually stands a better chance of winning than pretty-boy Ace Young for the simple fact that Elliott has an incredible voice and a ‘realness’ that Ace can’t touch. Husband and father, Chris Daughtry has been a fan favorite, simply because he is a better rock singer than half the artists currently on the rock charts. For A&Rs, I think this is interesting. Perhaps the public isn’t putting the same level of importance on the superficial attributes record labels have come to hold so dear. Idol gives the public the opportunity to see aspiring artists exactly as they are, flaws and all, and the public has been overwhelming in their support, pulling in around 35 million votes every week.

AJ, KOAR

It seems odd to me that a Christian message is more accessible on mainstream rock stations than on AC or Hot AC. Not to stereotype Christians in any way, but knowing that the majority of what is available in the Christian music scape fits in perfectly with the style of music normally found on AC stations (soft rock, pop), it is surprising that the successful crossover bands are mostly in mainstream rock. POD, Chevelle, Evanescence, Creed, Mae, Anberlin, Flyleaf, Killswitch Engage, Dead Poetic, As I Lay Dying, Norma Jean, Switchfoot and many more have all made their impact on Active Rock and Alternative radio, as well as the more indie-leaning college stations, without compromising their clearly Christian themes. While a couple of these artists have also popped up on AC stations, the bulk of their listenership is coming from the rock world. I don’t doubt there are Christians in other genres, but it seems their messages must be veiled and vague to achieve the same level of success available to them in rock music. Why is this? Is there room for a clearly Christian artist in other formats?

AJ, KOAR