Line Out - Comments on White the New Black, Soft the New Hard

Comment by ndrwmtsn

ndrwmtsn — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 11:27:49 -0800

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.

Comment by douglas martin

douglas martin — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 13:44:17 -0800

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.

Comment by lar

lar — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:29:40 -0800

DUUDE!

Comment by great

great — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:50:55 -0800

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.

Comment by oye como va

oye como va — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 18:59:58 -0800

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?

Comment by Paulus

Paulus — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:13:33 -0800

If by "flawless" you mean "incredibly boring and uninspired" then, yes, that song is the epitome of flawless.

Comment by cosby

cosby — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 09:34:49 -0800

What if a critically respected mainstream rock band collaborated with Nelly or some other equally corny MC?

tim mcgraw stand up.

Comment by cosby

cosby — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 09:43:24 -0800

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.