The Death Of Auto-Tune - The Revival Of Hip-Hop
Jay-Z Declaration Causes Friction In Hip-Hop Realm
Jun 30, 2009
If D.O.A. is a pacesetter for what is to come on the Brooklyn rapper's much-anticipated album, The Blueprint 3, people should expect one of the most controversial releases of the year.
But why should anyone expect anything less?
Although Jay-Z is notoriously private when it comes to his personal endeavors, the music/business mogul has been a clear trendsetter for most of his mainstream career, specifically during this decade. Here are a few fads that he has influenced:
Luxury Cars
- Jay was one of the first to widely publicize Maybach in hip-hop and drove the extremely limited edition, Maybach Exelero in his 2006 music video, Lost Ones.
- He also called for the maturation of himself and hip-hop by acknowledging when and when not to put rims on tires, [2006 - 30 Something].
Fashion
- Jay popularized wearing fitted caps low and especially, the original blue New York Yankee cap, [1999 - Do It Again]
- When wearing Mitchell & Ness throwback jerseys was a popular trend, he was at the forefront of it, but when they started becoming excessive -- he put everyone on notice that it was time for change, [2003 - What More Can I Say].
Musical Production
- Jay-Z first signed and introduced Kanye West Roc-A-Fella Records on Jay's album, Dynasty Roc La Familia [2000]. West gained the bulk of his acclaim as a producer on the Brooklyn rapper's following album, The Blueprint [2001].
- Today, it seems like everyone who's anyone in the hip-hop/r&b genre has a beat produced by or featured with Kanye West.
So it should come as no surprise that Mr. Carter is leading the revolt against the popular voice machine, which was originally created to correct pitch and tone problems of singers and performers. However, some, including Carter himself, would argue that no singular artist is solely responsible for the promising demise of the latest fad in hip-hop music. Instead, it's more of a general public consensus than anything else. The artist is simply serving as the voice of the people, similar to how Congressmen and women are elected to be.
Yet, although the track has gained a huge amount of support from fans, critics, and other artists, there have been plenty of those who don't necessarily agree with Jigga's stance.
Fellow Brooklyn rapper, Maino, who plainly said that the song was "cool" offered his own criticism of hip-hop, specifically in New York, suggesting that it's harder for up-and-coming New York rappers than others to make it become monstrously famous because of the public's love affair with moguls like Jay-Z.
In an interview with SOHH.COM on June 26, Maino said that it's more about New York's infatuation with "old stars" than it is about actual musical talent, "The problem with New York is that we don't produce stars no more we still stuck on the old stars," he said as he continued to implicate, without being deliberate, that it's time to give other, younger, artists a chance to make the kind of money that the more high-profile acts are earning.
Harlem rapper Jim Jones shared a similar sentiment. Jones, who has been featured on songs that used auto-tune and has a public on-wax strife with Jay-Z, said Jay has had his time to shine and give someone else a chance, he also said that Hov was 'knocking our hustle.' (Jay-Z had a song off of his first mainstream studio album, Reasonable Doubt called Can't Knock the Hustle.)
Jones's conglomerate, DJ Webstar, was a bit more outspoken. Webstar, who felt like the song was partially directed at him, he said via Twitter just a few days after the song was first premiered, "just 'cause you a legend don't mean you take out my family's mouth. At the end of the day he's a human just like me, he ate already enough for everybody..." Yet, Webstar then admitted to only having two songs with the auto-tune effect added to them.
Shortly after the premiere of the track, Hov said via an interview on WQHT (NY) Hot97, that the track wasn't intended for everyone who uses autotune, just for those who ise the voice-correcting device as a musical crutch, "I'm not saying Auto-Tune is wack. But leave that for them [T-Pain, Lil Wayne and Kanye West, the artists Jay said used it artistically]; it's not for everybody. That's how you stagnate hip-hop. You listen to the radio, and every single has Auto-Tune. So we have to get rid of that part."
Ironically, Jigga's latest smash was praised by T-Pain, the unofficial king of modern day auto-tune, he said, "'D.O.A.' is the best song I've heard in a couple years," via Twitter. Also, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z have a mutual respect for one another, and Kanye West is the co-producer of the track and is credited for most of the production on Jay's upcoming Blueprint 3.
The album is slated for a September 11, 2009 release -- which would be exactly eight years after Hov's first installment of The Blueprint, dropped and is widely looked upon as a classic. The release also shares the day with the 9/11 Terrorists Attacks, which isn't being overlooked by Carter, who told Hot97 (NY) that he has big plans for that day.
There is speculation that Jay-Z will have a free concert at Ground Zero on that very day.
Even more ironic is how remarkable the rhythm and melody of the supposed farewell song to ringtones and auto-tune...sounds as a ringtone.
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