you’d think i have this large chip on my shoulder. perhaps i do. but do i give a rat’s arse what other people think?
rhythm ‘n’ blues was derived from a mish-mash of soul, gospel, jazz and the blues and the term R’n’B was originally coined in the late 1940’s by billboard in the ‘states. in 60’s britain, R’n’B had an entirely different connotation, basically describing the blues-infused sounds of bands like the who, the small faces and the yardbirds.
music is universal. it is right to some extent, but i have a reason why i can’t stand R’n’B.
nothing wrong with the poor-boy-from-the-ghetto-done-good image you’d see on MTV:base. R’n’B exudes pretentiousness and superficiality. the demographics of avid R’n’B listeners that i know would comprise mainly the upper middle class, as most of the themes in R’n’B music appeals to them. it’s obviously an attitude, just as much as the sid vicious sneer you’d see in punk, but an attitude that reeks of a vain “hey-look-at-me, who’s-tha-playaa” category. no wonder you’d see typical KL dudes in sleek sports cars (that daddy bought) cruising bangsar and hartamas with p diddy (i think he’s called diddy now) pumping from eighteen rear JBL subwoofers. i’m not letting hip-hop off the hook, either. same shit, different genre. i don’t listen to rap per se but no way contemporary/mainstream hip-hop is like them fcuk the police days of the NWA. the rhythm and rhyming then were all vitriolic and had something real in it.
the bottom line is i feel R’n’B lacks something earnest in them. whilst, in the past, ice cube rapped about the injustices the general, and unfortunately, stereotyped african-american youth faced in downtown los angeles, nelly would most likely sing about his latest bling and gettin’ it down with his honey at the par-tayy.
what i think is the root of this superficiality of the genre is the manufactured nature of the music. the artistes are fine – they’ve lovely singing voices, like this one who is simply one octave short of a piano and can hit notes equivalent to that heard from a dolphin. it’s more of the image and less of the substance aspect of the genre that is emphasised by the recording company suits that gets me (the suits do it to every music genre, but that’s another entry on its own). get yourself hot honeys with great booty, you’d be fine. big upping collaborators is great, but in 11 out of 12 tracks of the CD? but, hey, people love this. and millions are made out of it. to paraphrase ed vedder – “it may taste like a popsicle that has been stuck in someone’s ass, but some people dig that, who am i to judge?”.
i’ll stick to other stuff, like rock and the blues, where the artistes i dig really suffered for their art, thank you very much.
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*orang yang in je paham ni.
Aku faham aku faham. Ijun ko faham tak?
i somewhat concur with your views. the bling, biatc* and bullet culture of R&B and hip hop is so cliched, but i listen to R&B and hip hop because sometimes a certain sample, hook or vocal just grabs me. i am one of those people who consider rap an art form (it’s not easy; just ask KRU). i also think socially aware hip hop acts who champion the underclass and rage against The Man still exist if you look hard enough. nas and mos def, anyone?
i too dig acts who have suffered for their art because they seem more ‘real’ and flawed, and thus human. but in music we tend to associate suffering with rock acts and not ‘urban’ acts, who may have suffered more in their quest to get and be heard. why is that? after all most ‘urban’ acts are from the minority. what kind of tragedy, hardship or poverty does an act need to have endured in their childhood or when they were starting out before we consider them genuine and relevant artistes?
i wasn’t dissing all of hiphop/rap – as illustrated by my reverence for NWA (not that i’m a fan). also, i’m impartial to guys like 2livecrew, despite their misogynistic approach to their rap, are kinda funny (in the haha sense). it’s the perasan bagus bit of mainstream manufactured RnB and hiphop yg gua tak tahan tu.
err.. paham paham (geleng kepala)
of course everyone has their own views and taste in music. i think it all boils down to how passionate you are with it. i can see that both you and the elitist are equally passionate in music with a slight deviation in the Hip Hop area and possibly others. i mean both of you can play the guitar so it’s obvious that you have an ‘ear’ for things.
i was never into R’n’B until fate brought me together with a lady who was really into it back in the early 90s. she was, as you said, from the upper middle class and i really really had a tough time adjusting to her lifestyle. although it didn’t last very long, she did leave something behind to remember her by and that is her love for R’n’B. i still remember fondly Blackstreet, SWV, En Vogue, Allure (where are they now?)
however, i think i personally lack passion in music, which is why today i listen to fairly anything that goes on air, with a slight lean towards commercial pop. it’s also probably the main reason i was unable to pick up a musical instrument as a child despite numerous encouragement attempts by my dad (a guitar, a keyboard, a recorder, a harmonica, yes i remember them all). i would still love to be able to play a musical instrument someday, maybe drums perhaps?
Kudz,
I get the drift but please don’t offend the dolphins 😛 kesian dolphins kena compared to her 😛 the other thing I can’t stand… all those yuppified dudes in KL singing RnB in karaokes… berjingbengrama dengan those who just has to belt out *my Way* as their personal anthem 😛
being an ex-‘suit’ myself, i can totally relate to that. when emi bought positive tone, i couldn’t stand some of their acts. the people in pt are great and all but the artistes were like “kitorang ni anak tiri korang so expect some shit attitude…” who were in the said category of music… in msia, fact remains: r&b & hiphop CAN’T SELL (yes, even 2Phat – diorang menang sorak btw) . anyone want to refute? i have the sales figures…
and why did i make that statement? so i hope no one will give us that “tapi org suka dan beli dan record company buat duit = bagus apa??!” crap… kat msia mmg tak releven… rock indon and cintan leleh rules*!
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*again, according to current sales figures in msia
B2K is music. Period.
i’d like to add: this entry is simply to explain WHY i can’t stand RnB, not to indoctrinate others. just refer to the bit where i was paraphrasing ed re: popsicle. listen to what you want, i’d still love you guys!
dgn ertikata lain, jgn lah malu nak mengaku anda suka dengar lagu cintan leleh…
“mei huaaa…. mei huaaa…!”
pui aya hoi!
Word, Trabz. Nothing beats Aku tenggelaaaaaam, dalaaaaammm… lautan kasih sayang muuuu…. and those kinda stuff. Hahahahaha…
The only reason I loathe nu-RnB is this – the ultra-hot women will go out with one of those creamy, dreamy, steamy guys who wears turtlenecks and cites Boyz II Men as a major influence in their lives.
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Ultra-hot Woman 1: Oh my Gaod, the other day he, like, took me to his crib after a few Mojitos and some reaaaaaally dirrrty martinis, and we had such a sweet time fooling around while I’ll Make Love To You was, like, playing in the background. It was sooo out of this wor…
Ultra-hot Woman 2: Stop it! Don’t even say it! *jealous giggle* You’re soooo lucky… Where can I find a sensitive guy like that?!!!
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Here’s a tip, though. Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats making out while having Axis: Bold As Love blaring on your stereo. Let the whole album spin and once you get to that through-zero flanging bit during the outro of the title track, you (and your partner, hopefully) will understand what it means when people talk about climaxing. 😉
[…] most part (if you disagree with me you’re just kidding yourself). i’ve ranted about it here. and i read this in off the edge a few days ago, an interview with the late redza piyadasa: […]