un-mute.com

Adapted from Ann Powers, A Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 12, 2008 Article

THERE are two ways to listen to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” 25 years after its release. Scandal addicts will find trace evidence of the obsessions that would sink the greatest pop star of his generation into Hollywood Babylon: the repressed, explosive sexuality in his breathy vocals; the racial ambivalence he’d encode on his body, evident in genre-busting songs such as “Beat It”; the innocence fetish that made ballads like “Human Nature” sparkle but led the singer into a shadowy life among paid-off children in his own Neverland.

The dirty stuff is all there. But so is wonder, pure and complex, and some willful forgetting can bring you back to it. Put aside Jacko, the tragic example. Return to Michael, the musical prodigy who filtered a host of cross-cultural and intergenerational influences through his own weird radar to create music as surprising as it was definitive.

Enjoy that Michael, at play in the fields of new technology with producer Quincy Jones and the best team of studio pros since Brian Wilson roped in the Wrecking Crew. At 24, that Michael embodied the vertiginous power of being young — his love songs were all longing and playful innuendo, his angry songs half bluster and half nightmare. That Michael believed that pop songs could have the effect that classic tales have on kids, coloring their dreams and staying forever in their memories. “Thriller” was the first Neverland he built — the one he’ll never lose in bankruptcy court.

The just-issued 25th anniversary of “Thriller” includes remixes by will.i.am and Kanye West and guest appearances from Fergie and Akon. But the classic content is what still resonates, even if younger listeners need to be lured in by names they associate with the Hot 100. Here, nine Calendar staff writers and contributors offer their views of the album’s original tracks — a trip back into “Thriller” that we hope readers will follow.

“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ “: Hot as Jackson was after the quantum leap that 1979’s “Off the Wall” brought his solo career, few expected him to match, much less dramatically surpass, those heights so quickly. But “Thriller’s” leadoff track immediately established the new album as another giant step forward. It connected to “Off the Wall” with an irresistible Afro-Caribbean funk dance-floor pulse and peppery horn accents akin to “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” then rocketed to new heights with even more sinewy bass and guitar lines propelling his impossibly nimble vocals. If “Off the Wall” demonstrated that Jackson was a kid no more, “Somethin’ ” signaled the full maturity of his musical acumen. All the more impressive for a song built on just two chords. (Randy Lewis)

“Baby Be Mine”: Imagine if this weren’t the better of the two non-singles from a monster album but a one-shot single by an unknown artist. The sweet midtempo glide of “Baby Be Mine” would have likely bubbled into the R&B Top 20 and gotten lots of roller-skate play, been included on recent mix CDs by cutting-edge European DJs and been remade as a slow jam at least three times. We’d have wondered at the bionic singer, the effervescent synth arrangements, the popping groove. In short, it would sound like the hidden classic it remains, even in plain sight. (Michaelangelo Matos)

“The Girl Is Mine”: Treacly, insipid, weak, embarrassing — that’s how detractors describe Jackson’s gentle sparring match with his then-favorite Beatle, Paul McCartney. Borne forward on a beat light as hair mousse and synth flourishes supplied by the guys from Toto, it’s a long way from the paranoid funk of “Billie Jean.” But its spun-sugar vocal line is like the G-rated version of “Unchained Melody,” and the cornball lyrics (I know, “doggone”) invoke a show-tune Arcadia that both MJ and Macca fought to preserve as pop got ever filthier. The lift Jackson gives the word “endlessly” midsong can still make a listener feel like she’s swimming in a sea of Love’s Baby Soft. (Ann Powers)

“Thriller”: If ever a video killed the radio star, “Thriller” was it. The song was adequately groovy — funked-out beat, lyrics seemingly lifted from some little kid’s “scary storybook” — but the video was legendary: bearing a price tag of $800,000, the 14-minute mini-film was the most expensive video of its time. Back then it was over the top; to today’s viewer, jaded by bloated-budget videos, it still looks epic — and deliciously campier than ever. That dialogue (”I’m not like other guys”)! That Vincent Price rap interlude! And, most of all, those choreographed zombies, dancing in a style that — thanks to Usher, Ne-Yo and Chris Brown — still gets its close-up on MTV. (Baz Dreisinger)

“Beat It”: A secret not closely guarded: The uncredited guitarist who whipped out the fluttering, squealing solo on this ode to macho cowardice was Eddie Van Halen, whose extracurriculars ranked among the provocations for singer David Lee Roth’s 1985 departure from the megalithic rock band Van Halen. Along with the contributions of jazz and soundtrack legend Quincy Jones as producer, Van Halen’s aerodynamic metal flight pumped crossover fuel that would boost the success of “Thriller” — a gimmick Jackson would later flog with spots from Slash and Carlos Santana. Without the Van Halen precedent, there might have been no collaboration of Run-DMC and Aerosmith on the 1986 rap/rock version of “Walk This Way.” (Greg Burk)

“Billie Jean”: Twenty-five years later, “Thriller’s” central chamber has lost none of its fevered mystery. This is where the album’s material plane gives way to a haunted interior, excavated by that remorseless bass line and shaped by a taut interplay of instruments — the arrangement is ingenious, so lean and spare that it’s hard to accept that there are three synthesizers at work. Jackson finds a new voice here, a victim’s voice that shudders in the shadows of this remarkable sonic space, lashing at his own naiveté and at the false accusers who were just starting to gather at his door. (Richard Cromelin)

“Human Nature”: Jackson is a sensual vampire flying over the city looking for juicy necks to bite. A template for new jack swing and hip-hop soul ballads, “Human Nature” is comparatively slower and more intimate than “Thriller’s” other songs. “If this town is just an apple, let me take a bite,” quivers Jackson’s voice over a cascading synthesizer and percolating bass line. Though written by John Bettis and Steve Porcaro of Toto, the lyrics resonate with Jackson’s yearning to break free from his tower of celebrity and mingle with young people in a “city that winks its sleepless eye.” (Serena Kim)

“P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”: It’s all about the chipmunk. The production has a compelling charm already; it’s not as forceful as “Beat It” or as slick as “Human Nature,” but those squiggly synths and chewy bass lines do their work well. But besides the robo-accented “P.Y.T.” hook, what seals the deal is that helium-pitched voice after the bridge. Honestly, to this day, I still can’t decipher what line is blurted out, but just the chipmunk effect has been enough to imprint the song in my head for the last quarter century. Given that Kanye West looped the exact same passage for his Grammy-winning “Good Life” only confirms I’m not alone in my infatuation. (Oliver Wang)

“The Lady in My Life”: And the ’80s pop big bang ends with a . . . whimper? So it might have seemed at the time, this Rod Temperton-penned and arranged trifle closed “Thriller” on an unconvincingly romantic note — even pre-scandal. Yet today, “Lady” shines for its classic simplicity and nuanced craft, a verse melody straight from vintage Burt Bacharach (the muted trumpet early on leaves no doubt) topped with a chorus that’s almost a Stevie Wonder homage. And Jackson’s delivery is refreshingly unaffected — not until shortly before the final fade does he even let out an ooo! No, not a whimper. A sigh. (Steve Hochman)

She kept on playing it. Or rather, I thought, she keeps on playing it. By her, I mean one of my coworkers. I had no idea who the album was by; suffice to say that my inclinations moved from indifference to intrigue to admiration and finally devotion.

From the first lines of “Evergreen” on The Modern Tribe, Celebration invites the listener to embark on a journey that seems quite different then what was previously attempted. The melodies are soft, harmonic and even sweet as Katrina Ford sings throughout the first song. But the listener won’t easily be confused, as the album progresses into “Pressure”, a low, yelping manifesto that as a writer, incites the sort of urgency I crave when trying to produce any type of work, whether fiction or non-fiction. For a week or so, this was the only song I downloaded off of the album and I played the song on repeat through the deserted streets of Ashland at night, through the throngs of students on my way to class, trying to conclude my thoughts for a dissertation-like final exam. It enthralls the listener to embark on a journey that is overwhelmingly familiar. I only wish people recognized and appreciated Celebration on the same caliber as their frequent collaborators, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio, so they can experience the revelation in true form.

“Heartbreak”, the next single is reminiscent of Love is All (another band that needs to make a second album, and quick) in its eloquent use of trumpets to otherwise score a rather down tempo song. It is a wonderfully crafted sprite of rhythmic joy that further drew me into The Modern Tribe and truthfully, the band itself. Singer Katrina Ford breaks away from her signature, earthy and bluesy growl to sweetly croon about the demise of a relationship and the inevitable stage of denial that it is finally over. It is the “heartbreak we ignore, heartbreak we do store,” that is surprisingly, the most accessible and at many instances beautiful song on the record. The repeat of “heartbreak” during the last chords of the tune are uplifting in the way only the most intriguing and melodically interesting pop songs can be. In a different time, perhaps when the sales for records were not down and the major music industry still welcomed fascinating choices to break apart the chart-topping norm, Celebration could themselves break through and others could, easily, be a part of the highs and lows that resonate well after the song has completed.

Another song, “Fly the Fly” produces a sort of rejuvenation after a series of quieter tunes, letting the audience become reacquainted with Celebration’s roots of rhythmic, urban and often tribal-oriented drums and powerhouse vocals. For me, it is the sort of song that you want to hear in the morning, getting ready for the day, pumping yourself up for the inevitable quips and quandaries among the mass population of life in the city. It’s a body shaking, head flailing tune that is quite obviously in due part to their friendship with the previously mentioned Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Ford channels Karen O’s vocals but on a more subdued and beautiful temerity that is missing in most YYY records.

Other standout songs on the album include the back and forth vocals of Ford and Tunde Adebimpe of TVOTR on “Hands of My Gold”, the rhythmic sorrow of “In This Land”, and the beautiful, though relatively different closer “Our Hearts Don’t Change.”

I’m falling in love, is what I want to say to everyone. It’s just that good. Celebration is, at times, refining their now signature sound not to better appeal to a wider audience, but to feverishly grow as a dynamic trio worthy of the praise oft forgotten.

That’s not necessarily a good thing either.

Read more »

According to Yahoo News, Jay Z is stepping down as Def Jam President effective by the end of the year.

Carter, 38, has been president of the rap label since 2005, and has signed acts including R&B singers Rihanna and Ne-Yo.

Universal said Carter, a top-selling rapper who performs as Jay-Z, will continue recording for its Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam label. But the company did not give a reason for his decision to quit the executive suite.

“Now it’s time for me to take on new challenges,” he said in a statement. “I am pleased to have had the opportunity to build upon the Def Jam legacy,” he added.

Carter will focus on his expanding franchise of 40/40 Nightclubs over the next year and other businesses, according to a source familiar with his plans.

Carter regularly tops the lists of richest hip-hop moguls, and was No. 9 on Forbes’ Celebrity 100, the annual roster of the world’s most powerful — and best paid — celebrities, with an estimated compensation of $83 million.

Carter, who has said he was a street hustler growing up in the Marcy public housing project in a tough section of Brooklyn, New York, has sold millions of records and launched an array of media and fashion businesses.

Though known for his cutting-edge rap lyrics and rags-to-riches story, Carter often is mentioned in local gossip columns because of his romantic relationship with R&B singer Beyonce Knowles. Last week, he denied rumors that the couple had married in secret.

The rapper joined Def Jam as president to help turn around the fortunes of the then-struggling seminal rap label. His move to management followed his 2003 retirement from recording. His albums, including “Hard Knock Life” (1998), “The Blueprint” (2001) and his classic debut “Reasonable Doubt” (1996).

He returned to recording last year with the album “Kingdom Come” and this year followed up with an album inspired by the movie “American Gangster.”

Def Jam’s successes during his tenure as president, included Rihanna and Ne-Yo, who this month racked up 11 Grammy nominations between them.

“Jay made it clear to us that he feels the time has come to take on different challenges in his life. While we regret his decision to move on, we certainly respect it,” said Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid,” chairman of Island Def Jam.

Universal Music, a unit of French media and telecommunications group Vivendi, is the world’s largest music company with 30 percent of the worldwide market share.

Text Courtesy of Reuters/Nielsen and Yahoo.com

I often wonder how it must have felt to give birth to Hip Hop - to watch it crawl to the mic and take its first steps on stage. To raise it from inner city basement parties to 5th avenue soirées. Damn. Who would’ve ever thought Hip Hop would be living thanks to its fair skinned consumers and dying thanks to its dark skinned producers? It saddens me to watch Hip Hop continue to be puff puff passed on to its latest set of 21st century guardians who with or without knowing feed it only the best in recycled abuse.  

Will the real parents of Hip Hop please stand up? 

Sure, many will say that Hip Hop lives within today’s current roster of so-so MCs, but it’s only so long that Hip Hop can continue to breathe within another dying body. The idea of Hip Hop as a culture is quickly being eclipsed by its growing presence as a brand, cultivated and exploited by the greed of its franchise developers (Crunk Juice anyone?). Where’s a doctor when you need one? Yeah we’ve got some, but the lyrical and musical PHDs poised to revitalize Hip Hop are placed underneath a stack of unqualified applicants skilled in producing the freshest in baked facades. 

And we love it. 

Our longstanding relationship with Hip Hop has been traded in for a glamorous affair with rap’s wam bam thank you mams ready and willing to give us the quickie of our lives. 

Can we remain faithful to Hip Hop?  

Or will we continue to get fucked by look-a-likes, moaning until it feels like something real. And all the while, Hip Hop waits. Because the money needs to be paid, and the profit needs to be gained. And not too far down the block, a 7yr old proudly hollas “superman that hoe”, but we still tell Hip Hop to hang tight. That we need to get this out of our system…just a couple more years of acting a fool and it’ll be just like the beginning – the good ‘ol days. 

Time is tickin’ and Hip Hop keeps sittin’, waiting for your return. 

But…will you return?

We’ve waited all year to see whose brilliance, lyricism, and creativity would receive enough praise and acknowledgments from the Grammy Awards Committee. Now the nominations are in.
Read more »

With his second exhumation from retirement, the self-proclaimed (and publicly supported) god-emcee, Jay-Z, is back with his much anticipated concept album, American Gangster.
Read more »

First thing’s first. This is an unofficial review. I don’t have any pictures, and I don’t have any reference notes, because I didn’t plan to go to this show.
Read more »

I am writer. Yet, I have no prose or poem in response to rapper, Lupe Fiasco’s new single, Dumb It Down.
Read more »