"Take hits from the 80's? Yeah, yeah! But do it sound so crazy? Yeah, yeah!" | | | | Lil Kim at the MTV VMAs in 1999
(Karl Feile/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) | | | | | | “Take hits from the '80s? Yeah, yeah! But do it sound so crazy? Yeah, yeah!”
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| | rantnrave:// 2018's "Song of the Summer" is unquestionably CARDI B'S PETE RODRIGUEZ-sampling boogaloo-trap heater "I Like It Like That." Impressively, this followed "FINESSE," her "In Living Color"-ish collaboration with BRUNO MARS, to the top of the Billboard charts. If I wasn't 40 years old, I'd be impressed by how quickly Cardi evolved from one-hit wonder to superstar. But, because I'm old enough, I know better. Moreover, I have had NICKI MINAJ's latest album, QUEEN, on repeat for two days now, and in hearing Nicki sample NOTORIOUS B.I.G.'s "Dreams""and collaborate with 1998's favorite hip-hop femme fatale FOXY BROWN for album closer "Coco Chanel," the replication of a notorious notion inspired me to break down exactly what was happening and why it was working so well. Indeed, I've heard it all before. Between 1993 and 1998, SEAN "PUFFY" COMBS reformatted MOTOWN scion BERRY GORDY's "Sound of Young America" concept into hip-hop-age success. Inundating middle America, and then the universe, with edgy yet party-ready New Jack rap and R&B infused by samples of ubiquitous pop singles of a decade prior allowed BAD BOY RECORDS the commercial freedom to evolve into a pop-music dynamo. One listen to my aforementioned current playlist showcases Sean Combs' strategy being borrowed and uniquely twisted to morph dynamic performers like CARDI B and NICKI MINAJ into digital age Rumplestiltskins capable of turning streams into the golden dollars that are helping popular music recoup a decade of declining income. It's an impressive twist of fate. Want a related bonus track? Check out LIL' KIM and Diddy’s turn-of-the-century hit "No Matter What They Say." Between the use of steel drums, Cheo Feliciano sample, old school breakdown, the video featuring MISSY ELLIOTT, EVE, THE LOX, and more, it’s a SMASH. And it's the connective tie between two eras. It makes it readily apparent that we've likely always "liked it like that," and we almost assuredly always will. | | | - Marcus K. Dowling, guest curator |
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| The Queen of Soul, now gravely ill, took the song written and first recorded by Otis Redding and made it her own. | | |
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| This is the culmination of a trend. Within one month after Spotify’s shares first traded publically in the United States, the labels immediately started dumping their shares. In fact, almost immediately after public trading, Independent Record Label Global Digital Rights Agency sold 100% of its shares in Spotify. What’s going on? | | |
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| Alfred Brendel’s essays about Beethoven, Schubert, and many others are deeply relevant to performers and amateur listeners alike. | | |
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| The embrace of so-called challenge videos by a rapper of his stature and social-media acumen marks a new turn for dance as an essential part of rap’s marketing and cultural mechanics. | | |
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| Trapital's recap of the latest in hip-hop business. | | |
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| Rapper and filmmaker Boots Riley discusses the negotiation and collaboration involved in making a movie. | | |
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| Dame Dash been right more than he's been wrong. It's time to shift the perception from Dame the a**hole to Dame the tireless advocate for Black culture. | | |
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| Want to reach Hispanic consumers? You may want to tune into radio. U.S. Hispanics are among the biggest users of radio in the country. In 2017, some 96 percent of Hispanics tuned into radio every week, representing a growing audience of 42 million listeners, according to Nielsen's Audio Today 2018. | | |
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| The iconic 1968 Elvis NBC television special is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, while the week of August 13 also marks the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death on August 16, 1977. | | |
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| When Solána Rowe's debut album "Ctrl" finally dropped, to universal acclaim, in June 2017, stellar reviews quickly turned into sales: by March this year, the album was certified platinum. With album sales came an international tour, which has seen Rowe traverse time zones the way most of us do subway stations on a morning commute. | | |
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| Her much anticipated album 'Queen' is here, but Nicki Minaj’s dominance as the top female rapper is in a precarious place. | | |
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| An Apple sync, a rogue radio programmer and a committed promotions expert helped a year-old song from a legendary 43-year-old rapper climb up the charts. | | |
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| The unofficial museum dedicated to Kentwood’s biggest star is a beguiling dive back in time. | | |
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| MIDiA's latest analysis on streaming music in emerging markets in africa, middle east and asia. | | |
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| Nate Chinen's new book Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century identifies the key players in the genre's resurgence. Chinen's aim with the books is to get the root of the resurgence. | | |
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| Striking a creative partnership with RCA Records, Father is ready to pull off his most ambitious plans yet. | | |
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| As the "Now..." compilation album series reaches its centenary, Getintothis' Matthew Lear reflects on the brand's ongoing appeal. | | |
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| Y'all know there's a whole world beyond BTS, right? | | |
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| With its sound collage of grime, techno and more, Janus has brought a fresh intensity to the city’s club scene -- and its partnership with Berghain means it keeps getting stronger. | | |
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| Cherry Vanilla -- former DJ, Warhol “Superstar” actress, David Bowie publicist, groupie and rock singer -- reflects on the adventure story that is her life. | | |
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| | | | | | | Aretha. And Lauryn. An underrated gem. |
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