News White the New Black, Soft the New Hard
posted by on December 29 at 15:47 PM
Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump, Lupe Fiasco, and Matthew Santos
Jay-Z found one in Chris Martin. Kanye enlisted Adam Levine from Maroon 5. Most recently, Lupe Fiasco recorded several tracks on The Cool with fauxhawked warbler Matthew Santos. White guy pop singers are the hiphop musical accessory du jour—part of a lineage that includes black girl pop singers, white girl pop singers, live bands, celebrity producers, “spiritual mentors,” and Lil Jon. High-profile MCs are competing to exploit the trend by penning stadium-grabbing anthems. “Superstar,” from The Cool, is the best example.
The song is flawless. “Superstar” is both triumphant and melancholic, thanks to a haunting minor-key synth melody and Santos’ bittersweet vocals. The lyrics are deceivingly universal: Santos’ chorus—“If you are who you say you are/A superstar/Then have no fear”—is aimed at everyman listeners and their everyday aspirations as much as Lupe the certified star. The crowd roar/piano vamp intro is reminscent of “Bennie and the Jets,” too.
Listening to all of The Cool, it’s clear that Lupe still doesn’t spend to much effort on choruses; most are total throwaways, subservient to Lupe’s consistently dense, masterful verses. “Superstar” is that much more outstanding because its chorus is so unforgettable. The Cool is as intellectual a hiphop album as has ever been recorded, brimming with unconventional narratives, political skepticism, ambiguous morality, spirituality, humor, and an overarching concept.
Like Blue Scholars, Lupe proves that soft is officially the new hard. The turnaround began a couple years back with the ascendance of Kanye and Common. When Kanye comes hard with “Can’t Tell Me Nothin’” from Graduation, he’s still wracked by God-fearing self doubt. Even the new Wu-Tang record relaxes into a stoned post-paranoiac acceptance; because Ghostface refuses to do so on Big Doe Rehab, his album sounds sadly dated (check out Sam Mickens’ think piece on that duality in this week’s ish). Sensitive, soulful white guys fit into the new rap game plan like a foot into a $400 sneaker.
now that i think about it, the santos/levine/martin/mayer/palumbo role (corny white guy singing on cool rap songs) ought to've been blake lewis' aim.
i'm just waiting for rappers to start getting black indie-rockers to jump on their tracks. that may be an idea a few years ahead of its time, but when it happens, i'll cash in like a motherfucker.
DUUDE!
Jay Z collaborated with Linkin Park and I was like, "WTF Hov, Linkin Park? Really?" And then with Chris Martin, that was fucking boring. Kanye thought it'd be a good idea for that Maroon 5 boner to sing on his album, and now Lupe with this Santos L. Halper d-bag.
Tell me why hiring boring, corny-ass white dudes to sing on rap albums is somehow ok.
We all remember Rock Rap, but no one really got into that shit. It died QUICK. It may have been a mainstream success for 3 months, but it wasn't a critical hit, for many obvious reasons.
Kanye, Lupe, and especially Jay-Z, all seem to have respect for there skills and production from a wide number of people. There reach goes beyond just mainstream popularity.
What if a critically respected mainstream rock band collaborated with Nelly or some other equally corny MC? It would be some serious bullshit.
I guess it just seems like Kanye and Lupe, who appear to have taste, are really dropping the ball on this shit.
Look a little bit harder you two.
Maroon 5? Matthew Santos? Fucking fail.
Tell me why hiring boring, corny-ass white dudes to sing on rap albums is somehow ok.
To make the rappers appear to be even better than they actually are?
If by "flawless" you mean "incredibly boring and uninspired" then, yes, that song is the epitome of flawless.
What if a critically respected mainstream rock band collaborated with Nelly or some other equally corny MC?
tim mcgraw stand up.
also, soft is the new hard? i don't see lupe fiasco being the next sreet single or club hit. it has it's place (maybe) for introspective nights thinking about how much you don't fit in (a 2008 replacement for rock-rap mook-ery), but it will not replace 'hard' music.
the only reason people like lupe fiasco rise above an ocean of backpackers is because the sea level is dropping - when everyone sucks, the littlest amount of cream will rise to the top. in 2007, soft is not the new hard - mediocre is the new good.
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