Disappearing Acts Part 2

“And you know I had to do the remix right?”  (In my Ludacris voice, cues “Gettin Some Head remix!”)  It is easier for us to notice when female artists struggle in the music industry because either a blog points it out or a random male puts them on blast.  However, the music industry does not discriminate when it comes to failures.  Here are a few artists that have fallen off the face of the earth. 

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself, when is the last time that Ray J put out some good quality music?  Ray J is talented in many ways: the bedroom (don’t act like you haven’t seen the sex tape), trash talking (remember how he knocked out Fabolous), as a club promoter, as a reality TV star (For The Love of Ray J Seasons 1 and 2), and actor (Moesha and One on One).  But when it comes to singing….that’s a different story. 

Ray J hit the scene in 1995 with his debut single “Let It Go.”  It wasn’t until 2001 when we all took notice of Brandy’s brother with his unforgettable single “Wait A Minute.”  I was too young to club then but everybody knows that this was a club and radio smash!  Ray J got his R&B thug on in the video and showed us how mannish he was by fondling Lil Kim.  Then came 2005; Ray J wasn’t too proud to beg on “One Wish.”  This song won ladies hearts all over the world and made Ray J a sex symbol.  Therefore, it was only right that he connected with Yung Berg for the 2008 summer anthem “Sexy Can I.”  And then….nothing.  Reality TV called and his music has suffered ever since.  He tried to make a comeback with his single “Last Wish” circa 2010 but that was short lived.  Fast forward a couple years later and Ray J is an attention whore who is struggling to remain relevant.   

Remember J. Holiday?  He was the “it” artist from 2007-2009.  As a solo/unknown artist he carried R&B on his back and made being a newcomer look easy.  Back of My Lac spawned a couple of singles.  The lead single “Bed” had everybody wanting to take a nap in order to receive some special attention.  Due to the success of the single J. Holiday had everyone trying to sing “Eh” in falsetto.  On his second single, “Suffocate,” J. Holiday managed to describe exactly how it feels to be away from the person you love.  In both “Bed” and “Suffocate” the lyrics were honest and relatable; I think that is the main reason why we liked him.  In his songs and his videos he never came across as trying too hard or trying to be something that he was not.  He stuck to this same strategy on his second studio album Round 2.  Its only single was “Its Yours.”  I remember the song being well received but the album lacked promotion.  Fast forward three years later…no word if he is working on a third album or if he has given up on the music industry. 

Both of these artists made me think that new age R&B was making a comeback.  To me, Ray and J. Holiday were the last of a dying breed.  Nowadays R&B singers want to appear hard and want to be rappers.  What part of the R&B game is that?  I would hope that both of these male artists could get it together and release some quality music.  Honestly, it’s not looking promising.   (Follow me @eyediditmyway)

Disappearing Acts

If you’re like me there has been a time when your favorite artist has pulled a Dave Chappelle.  They were everywhere but now you see them out-and-about as much a groundhog.  Whether it was a bad relationship, drug and alcohol problems, family drama, record label disputes, or a mental breakdown; these few artists left us asking “Where’s Waldo?” 

Who can forget the sultry and mind-blowing voice of Jazmine Sullivan?  Her first smash, “Need You Bad,” hit the scene in the summer of 2008 and instantly took the world by storm.  With production and vocals from Missy Elliott, Jazmine gave us hit after hit on her debut album Fearless.  Let’s not forget the bold “Bust Your Windows.”  Though the title sounds a little crazy, there is a part of every woman that wants to do something reckless when they are cheated on.  Playing on those emotions Jazmine followed up with “Lions, Tigers, &Bears.”  This is one of my personal favorites! Who has not experienced the dangerous waters of falling in love?  Then….2010 came; Jazmine gave us “Holding You Down.”  Another one of those life situations that everybody has been through but rather not discuss.  Similar to “Need You Bad,” “Holding You Down” was another track that we could dance to while Jazmine’s vocals described every ounce of our pain.  Fast Forward two years later: Her label has morphed into RCA Music Group, she has publicly mentioned her disdain with the politics in the music industry, and she is currently “working on her next album.”  Yeah…sure! We rarely see her on a red carpet or any event with random celebrities.  Two years ago she was on tours, her songs stayed in rotation on the radio, and she was doing several interviews.  Where is she now?

You know I had to do it….

Keyshia Cole is that one artist that I like to call a homie-lover-friend.  No disrespect to her, but she is everything wrapped up in one person.  Homie: being from Oakland she knows the streets and also the church.  Lover: she had a two year romance with Young Jeezy and found the man of her dreams in Boobie Gibson.  Friend: Not only has she been best friends with Monica for years, she convinced Monica to leave her dead-beat baby daddy and want to be rapper Rocko.  In turn, Keyshia introduced Monica to NBA Stud (Shannon Brown) and of course he wasn’t afraid to put a ring on it!

Musically, Keyshia Cole can SAAANNG!  Not sing, not carry a tune, but SAAANNG!  (I’m tearing up just thinking about it.  For goodness sake she sang an apology to Mary J. Blige at the end of The Game’s single “Game’s Pain.”)  I recommend that everyone fall in love at least once so you can witness what it is suppose to feel like via (my favorite Keyshia Cole song) “Love.”  The soulfulness in her vocals on that track makes you feel everything she is saying.  And heartbreak never felt so honest until you’ve heard “I Should Have Cheated,” “Last Night,” or “I Remember.”  If that is too much for you, Keyshia remains your favorite homie on the club/radio smash “Let It Go.”  Whether you are a Keyshia Cole fan or not (remember her brief beef with The Queen of Hip Hop Soul: MJB) you have to give credit when it’s due.  Keyshia Cole can sing me a death threat and it would sound “Heaven Sent” to me!  Fast Forward a year or so later: she’s married and has a son, cut ties with her erratic extended family, and is seen out occasionally.  She is currently “working on her next album and taping a new reality show called Family First.”  Is that so? 

These artists have the potential to be legendary.  Their careers already remind me of Divas such as MJB and Missy Elliot.  However, the worst thing an artist can do is pull a Lauryn Hill or Dave Chappelle.  I understand that life happens but their music is like chicken noodle soup, it’s good for the soul!    

Bonus: Fantasia Barrino

(Follow me @eyediditmyway) 

Another Day, Another Female Rapper

Everybody is their own boss on YMCMB.  Drake has OVOXO, Nicki Minaj has MAC and OPI, and Tyga has Last Kings.

Honey Cocaine is an Asian female rapper from Canada, and is the first signed artist to Tyga’s Last Kings record label.  Just like her name, Honey Cocaine is sweet and dangerous.  Similar to her female predecessors, she wants to be recognized as a female who can spit with the best of them (even if “them” are really men).

In the last eight years it has become standard procedure to release a mixtape in order to create a buzz. You can only imagine my surprise when I discovered the title of her debut mixtape is Fuck Yo Feelings Vol. 1.  At first glance I thought the title was very abrasive and grimy.  However, after 1:06 of the first track, I understood her decision.

Honey Cocaine has a few stand out tracks: Heisman, Heisman Part 2, Feel Shit, Too Pussy To, and Fuck Yo Feelings. After listening to the mixtape’s 15 tracks two things are undeniable: ALL 15 beats are fire, and she can definitely rap.  However, the problem is that her raps are so shallow; they lack content. Not every artist is going to rap about growing up poor and social/economic problems but REALLY?  How many tracks can a person make about being heartless, careless, and hard? Secondly, she tends to curse too much. At times it is just unnecessary.  Lastly, the choruses to her songs are basic and repetitive at best. This reconfirms that her raps lack substance.

In her defense, she is another female rapper that gives us what we have been missing since Nicki Minaj decided to go Pop. Hopefully, in the near future Honey Cocaine can invest in a ghostwriter so she can put out a stellar debut album. Even though she is better than Kreayshawn and V-Nasty, she has a tough road ahead of her.  (Follow me @eyediditmyway)

The 54th Annual Grammy Awards

Let’s just start out and give the crew of the Grammys a round of applause for all of their hard work and effort.  I know receiving news that Whitney died the night before the Grammys must have rocked their world.  Putting the Grammys together is no easy task, but having to incorporate a tribute in 24 hours..whew…commendable!

There are so many highlights on the Grammys. Bruce Springsteen kicked off the show in true Rock & Roll style; that is how you open up a show! Bruno Mars followed; surprising the hell out of me with his performance. He is a great singer and songwriter, but what a hell of a performance. He danced and sang live, and he managed to keep the crowd entertained…true pop star. Other incredible performances include Foster of the People with Maroon 5 and The Beach Boys, and Coldplay and Rihanna. I knew Rihanna had some moves, but she really impressed me with her dancing and choreographed routine. The illumination of Coldplay’s set was fantastic; eye catching at the very least…and the vocals of Chris Martin leave Rihanna’s yodeling in the dust! And speaking of yodeling, that’s what Taylor Swift usually does when she performs live. Not this time, Taylor made such a statement in her own little quirky way: take that Kanye! (Side note: I like a lot of Taylor’s music).

There were some misses though. As talented that Chris Brown is, his performance was lackluster. We have seen Chris Brown sing and dance live plenty of times; I have no idea why he chose to lip sync. Was he channeling his inner Ashley Simpson? He jumped around on some blocks, did some typical (do not try this at home) Chris Brown moves and that was it. His set was full of rainbow colors and I liked that shout to the gay people, but still it left me wanting more. Oh, and let’s not forget Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt’s tribute to the late Etta James. The intent was good, but the performance was flat, dry, and not needed. Other misses, Lil Wayne’s outfit. Some college students aren’t allowed to wear pajama pants to class anymore, he should not be allowed to wear stupid outfits. And the ABSOLUTE WORST performance of the night belongs to Nicki Minaj! I thought that it couldn’t get any worse than her “Stupid Hoe” music video. Somewhere in Nicki’s twisted little mind, she thought it was a good idea to introduce the whole world to Roman via an exorcism….on live TV….at the Grammys. It was really a WTF moment, especially after such a fantastic, powerful, and simple tribute to Whitney Houston. Whitney was known to embrace all young artists, and I am pretty sure she would have been confused at the performance. As I blogged before I am always pro non-conformist and I dig expressionism; but seriously Nicki do better. I will never question her spirituality because it is not my place to. It was just too much. Know when to censor, know when less is more, know when it’s not always a good idea to think all the way out the box.  The only positive thing about her performance was that it was  great promo for her because it has the world talking. Mission accomplished?

Overall, the 54^th Annual Grammy Awards was great. Where else can you get such a diverse selection of great music and learn some new artist at the same time? I wonder what they will have in store next year. (Follow me @eyediditmyway)

Madonna's Super Bowl Show

Now that the dust has officially settled, it is time to discuss Madonna’s 2012 Super Bowl Half Time Performance.  Who does not love and respect Madonna? Her music is trendy, diverse, and timeless.  With decades of hits that includes favorite songs such as, “Virgin, “Vogue”, “Music,” and “4 minutes,” she is truly the Queen of Pop. 

Sunday night Madonna put on one hell of a performance.  When you think of a Super Bowl Half Time show you want to see sort of a theatrical performance. Lights, pyro, dancers, glitz, glamour, costumes…as the audience we want a mini concert.  It was all there, Madonna delivered in so many ways.  Also, she had several surprise cameos in her Half Time show: the party-rocking LMFAO, the world-famous Nicki Minaj, and the rebellious British rapper/singer-songwriter M.I.A. 

M.I.A…

Apparently M.I.A thought that it would be a good idea to flash her middle finger while performing her part in Madonna’s new single, “Give Me All Your Luvin.”  Too bad, this was a LIVE performance for the SUPER BOWL! The Super Bowl is one of the most viewed programs every year; football is THE All-American sports game.  It brings families and friends together every week to root for their favorite teams.  So, why on earth would it be a great idea to do something sinister during a Super Bowl performance? Have performers not learned anything from Janet Jackson’s 2004 Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction? The whole world freaked over a nipple (although it was inappropriate).  Granted, in M.I.A’s defense she has a reputation of being artistic, creative, outspoken, controversial, and rebellious.  She is a leader of the new school; a trend setter.  These are the things you expect with an artist like M.I.A. In fact, this is why she signed a contract with NBC to not do anything controversial during the Half Time performance; rumor has it that at least she conformed to these terms during rehearsals. 

I love the non-conformist that M.I.A. is.  I am always pro-non-conformist! However, there is a time and place.  M.I.A actually has had a really successful career overseas and in the states, in my opinion she did not need the extra publicity.  In fact, this can get her [briefly] black-balled in the states. Secondly, she took all the shine from the biggest performance of Madonna’s career.  Now what will we remember about the 2012 Super Bowl Half Time Performance:

1.       M.I.A flips the bird

2.       Nicki Minaj kept her multiple personalities in check

3.       Cee-Lo’s outfit looked like something out of a Sci-Fi movie

4.       Oh yeah…and Madonna performed 

(Follow me @eyediditmyway)

The Bad Boy Curse

I don’t care what Diddy says, Bad Boy comes off as one of the shadiest record labels in the industry.  Signing with Bad Boy automatically qualifies an artist to appear on the back of a milk carton a couple years later.  Their contracts equal life without parole, there are no plea deals.  I’m not exaggerating; many artists do not bounce back after they’re dropped from Bad Boy.  Think about it: Craig Mack, Carl Thomas, Black Rob, MASE, Loon, Shyne, Day 26, Da Band…and that’s just off the top of my head.  All of those artists FELL WAY OFF after Bad Boy.  Sure, arguments can be made that some of it was the artist fault; a few of them were on drugs...but not all of them. Some of these artists were really hot during their time at Bad Boy.  They were doing concerts, all over the radio; you couldn’t pick up Right On or The Source without seeing one the artist on the cover! Diddy is the world’s best promoter so his artists are always everywhere! Then one day, when he is done with them, they disappear.  Of course, Diddy always owns the rights to all of their music so he can create countless remixes of their hits.  In the meantime it always seems that even if the artist tried to market themselves to another label, they always flop (read: MASE, and Shyne). 

Bad Boy has reinvented themselves AGAIN. 2012 is supposed to be their year.  The reinvented label has a new focus which includes: Machine Gun Kelly, French Montana, Red Café, and (Diddy’s favorite side-piece) Cassie.  Albums for all four will drop later on this year.  In case you are wondering I did not forget Diddy-Dirty Money.  Nobody truly knows if Dirty Money was disbanded but given Bad Boy’s history I am sure that it was.  Too bad, Kalenna and Dawn are so talented.  As a singer/songwriter, Kalenna has worked with Aretha Franklin, Christina Milian, Lady Gaga, Ciara, etc.  Dawn is just an awesome singer and dancer.  We have all witnessed her dedication and passion from her days with Danity Kane.  Don’t worry.  These two ladies have the eye of the tiger. Both are working on solo projects.  Check out Dawn’s latest work here, and Kalenna’s latest promotional single and viral for her highly anticipated mixtape. Do you think they have what it takes to reverse the Bad Boy curse? (Follow me @eyediditmyway)

Ne-Yo's New Gig

When an artist career is on hiatus (or on the downfall) we usually see them venture into a new direction.  Some try their hand at acting, fashion, opening up a restaurant, or becoming an over-exposed reality star. It is rare to hear that someone is promoted to a prestigious position at a record company.  Earlier this week it was confirmed that Ne-Yo left Def Jam and signed to Motown Records.  Not only did he sign a solo deal at Motown, but he brought over his Compound Entertainment Imprint AND was appointed as the new Senior VP of A&R!

Let’s break it down…shall we.  A&R is responsible for talent scouting and artist development. Thanks to the Internet and Digital Era this position has become obsolete; everything is DIY nowadays.  Artists have shied away from record labels because they tend to focus on commercial success versus artistry.

This is such a great fit for Ne-Yo.  First of all, it is THE legendary Motown Records; they are known for having success with several Soul and R&B artist.  These two genres are seriously lacking nowadays…almost non-existent.  Soul and R&B does not get the same promotion or airplay as it use to because many record executives are not familiar with the genre(s).  Ne-Yo’s resume shows that he knows a thing or two about a hit.  As an artist he has sold around four million records, and let’s not even begin to discuss his accomplishments as a songwriter and producer!  It is going to be interesting to see if he can incorporate his talents and accomplishments into creating a great roster of artist for Motown. Now that I think about it, this move was a no-brainer for all parties involved! Congrats Ne-Yo.  (Follow me @eyediditmyway)