Too Many Songs, Not Enough Hits: Music Is Struggling to Create New Stars

[Complexion]

Oh I don’t care about rap like I used to
I’m talking about r&b/soul

Man, I've almost gave up on R&B/Soul ever coming back to what it was in the mainstream sense. There are flashes of brilliance here and there from some artists but when they added rap into the mix back in the 90s it ruined the genre and what we have now is just rap sanging aand sang rapping. The worst of both worlds.

Idk breh. These artists are more visible than ever before due to the internet. Which is good in some ways becuz it’s easier to market yourself. At the same time it takes the the level of mystery that the biggest stars had back in the day. We know everything about these artists so consumers will like or dislike a artist just becuz they like their online presence. For example I think Summer Walker makes dope music. But on the coli I’ve seen her written off as just another thot becuz of her personal life and social media and she’s dismissed off top. Folks choosing not to listen to the music as a result

I know I should be using the coli as an example

That mystery/accessibility artist is a very valid point and I spoke on it earlier as the net leveled the field in that sense. You'll never see an MJ level star again in our lifetimes for certain because who is going to put in all that grind to shine AND stunt for the Gram? Thats where a lot of the problem lies because they need to keep doing stuff other than being pure artists just to ensure the decimated attention spans of the public still remember them but I get the feeling it will shift and switch.

Either that or people will keep on getting dumber and the world becomes Idiocracy...

 

[BmoreGorilla]

Man, I've almost gave up on R&B/Soul ever coming back to what it was in the mainstream sense. There are flashes of brilliance here and there from some artists but when they added rap into the mix back in the 90s it ruined the genre and what we have now is just rap sanging aand sang rapping. The worst of both worlds.



That mystery/accessibility artist is a very valid point and I spoke on it earlier as the net leveled the field in that sense. You'll never see an MJ level star again in our lifetimes for certain because who is going to put in all that grind to shine AND stunt for the Gram? Thats where a lot of the problem lies because they need to keep doing stuff other than being pure artists just to ensure the decimated attention spans of the public still remember them but I get the feeling it will shift and switch.

Either that or people will keep on getting dumber and the world becomes Idiocracy...

Yea dudes like MJ and Prince not only made dope as music but people wanted to know more about them

 

[Complexion]

Yea dudes like MJ and Prince not only made dope as music but people wanted to know more about them

Yeah, that mystique played a huge part in it and MJ especially pimped that angle mercilessly but the flip is that both of these dudes lived in a studio and would spend years working on their songs to ensure they were polished to perfection. Thats the main issue because the product is all stepped on these days and people are so strung out they can't tell and don't care as long the fix keeps coming.

Those of us who've been around and know what it was like to wait impatiently for release date with next to no info, grab the drop, slide in the disc then hit play and zone out from end to end as you read the liner notes know what its like to get a real project and not a bunch of singles designed for quick consumption.

Thats the aspect thats going to change because the new cats don't know about quality as all they have is quantity and way more options than they know what to do with. What I'm speaking of isn't just music but the whole medium because the net has generated an immense agglomeration of uselessness because the tech is more advanced than the awareness of those using it ergo it sets the tone and they follow when it should be the flip.

Watch. When that happens people will look back on this era with its digitalbaseheads like 80s era fiends, better yet that 1970s heron flow where people were still convinced it was cool and not a problem as it was happening but the problem was clear in retrospect. Only downside is if that doesn't happen before subdermal/always on net implants become the wave because then its a wrap.

 

[Cladyclad]

I did not think this many people would comment on that post

What’s up man?

 

[Monsanto]

I did not think this many people would comment on that post

What’s up man?

I thought the song was lazy, well the writing anyways. Just posted some songs that are similar but carry atmosphere, tone and lyrics more seriously in my opinion.

All subjective at the end of the day, that broad's music may hit for you in a way it doesn't for me.

Even this song is quite similar but more convincing to me

 

[Cladyclad]

I thought the song was lazy, well the writing anyways. Just posted some songs that are similar but carry atmosphere, tone and lyrics more seriously in my opinion.

All subjective at the end of the day, that broad's music may hit for you in a way it doesn't for me.

Even this song is quite similar but more convincing to me

Take all them songs and shove them up your ass

 

[Monsanto]

Take all them songs and shove them up your ass

Guess we not being cordial

 

[Monoblock]

I've been feeling this way and saying this shyt for the longest. It's way too much damn music and I can't even keep up and then when I listen it's just not all that good or memorable. Really disposable at this point and no memories attached to the point its just white noise.

 

[Ol’Otis]

Too much of something is never a good thing

 

[Killer Instinct]

Girl in red is fire with her weird looking gay ass



I love this song man

 

[Lonj]

Dope thread and discussion but I've all but given up on modern music with rare exception.

I'ma just keep on listening to the classics.

 

[Shadow King]

Sidebar convo:
Toni came to LaFace with four of her sisters in a group.


In your opinion, why didn't LaFace sign the group?

TLC was originally Tionne, Lisa, and Crystal.
In your opinion, why did Pebbles give Crystal the boot?
Why was T-Boz the lead singer? Why not put a girl who could blow in the third slot?

Fun fact: T-Boz sang Wanna Get With U by Guy at their audition.

re: the group, i'm sure there's real interviews on why - i've never read up on them. but i'll assume it's because toni had the most unique voice, i remember the braxtons when they dropped in like 96, tamar has a nice voice, but it's not unique, and a huge personality maybe it was too much for execs back then, i can see her being divisive, so i can see why she didn't get the solo deal, one of them was weird looking, and the other was prettier than toni IMO, but i'll assume she wasn't special outside of that

crystal is another two sides, one side said she couldn't sing (pebbles), crystal said it was the contract. i don't know. as for the third slot, chili can sing really well IMO, so they did add a real singer to round things out. t-boz being the lead, no clue why other than again, going for the unique vs traditional sound (like pam fronting total or slim fronting 112). it's also the early 90's and pebbles in charge, there may have been colorism at play

As far as the Braxton's, the label did sign them or at least offer a deal. I know this because my mother was a big fan of their reality show. I think the deal fell through or if they signed, nothing materialized because of 1 or both of these things: Traci got pregnant and Tamar was too young/still in school.

I have to agree with Dora, true stardom is not as simple as "a hit is a a hit".

 

[Shadow King]

You think so? The way I see it everyone is rapping about the same handful of topics so the game is wide open for anyone who can be creative enough to do something different whilst still appealing to the masses.

There has to be a renaissance, simply has to be. This stale recycling, style biting, genericism and overall lack of skills feels like fast food compared the home cooked meal style projects of yesterday and the replay value shows because its all disposable now.

Someone will come along and flip the script and then the rest will follow because they see he moved the crowd and they'll start doing the same thing in their own way just like Rakim did back when. Only difference is the signal to noise ratio now means that its got to be something undeniably spectacular, make the whole world sit up and pay attention kind of movement that just grooves through the pocket and hits the soul with a flow spitting vicious lines from a mean pen. Even then it'll be a combination of talent and timing but I've got faith and think we'll see it real soon because its always at times like this an iconoclast steps on the scene and there was the game before him and then after.

Wait and see... The novelty will wear off because the net is still in its infancy in that sense and the current model isn't sustainable.

Thats why its called a renaissance. Even if the consumer hasn't noticed the true artists have and they're the ones that will change the Game.

Not happening.

 

[Regular_P]

right, but in the old paradigm ella mai would've been 99-02 Mya, Summer Walker would be 01-04 Ashanti....sure these women aint working a 9-5 but their overall success, sales, impact, etc is greatly diminished in this new world that's flooded with 40+ ways to consume music and access to literally thousands of artists in their lane. there were merits to having gatekeepers and fewer paths to getting music out in the past, consumers appreciated music more (now it's disposable), the quality was higher, and there was a more collective/communal experience of music.

I've had conversations with my daughter about this a handful of times over the past few years. I'd ask who were artists that everybody knew and she couldn't name anybody besides Drake and Beyonce, two older, established artists. Beyond that, everybody listened to their own thing.

I explained how things were back when I was her age. In the 90s, there were a lot of known acts from all genres of music. Even if all you listened to was rap, you knew about Korn, Limp Bizkit, Metallica, the boy bands, Britney Spears, Garth Brooks, Jagged Edge and dozens of other acts.

I told her I thought she was missing out. There's something to be said for having certain songs connect people for a moment in time; that collective/communal experience as you said. If "Country Grammar" comes on, anybody 30+ can relate to that song in some way. These kids today won't really have that same experience.

 

[FS4LFE]

Mainstream music been cooked. Too many artist. No gatekeeping. Bloated albums. You have artist with one hot song out performing at large festivals.