Final Exam (90s - 2000s) (Part 2) Flashcards
21st Century Retro Trend
References to the past popularized:
- Mariah Carey
- Lady Gaga
- Adele
We Belong Together (Mariah Carey)
Gospel/soul influenced
- Simple piano chords which follow a 70s progression
- Molisma = one syllable, many notes
Poker Face (Lady Gaga)
Synth pop/EDM ancestry
- Modern Madonna
Rolling in the Deep (Adele)
50s/60s girl group influenced (backup vocals)
Bruno Mars
Quintessential retro consciousness
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars)
Retro throwbacks:
1. Ballad style (sentimental, folk narrative)
2. Intimate vocals
3. Hip Hop inspired verses
Just the Way You Are MV (Bruno Mars)
Retro choices include:
- Clothing
- Use of walkman/cassette tape
- Record scratches in background (adds nostalgia)
Uptown Funk (Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars)
- “Minneapolis Sound” (funk & synth-pop)
- Soul vocals
- Disco beats
- Lawsuit with The Gap Band (“Oops Upside Your Head”) forced Ronson to list them as co writers (and receive royalties)
Uptown Funk MV (Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars)
- Clothes & Dancing = Nod to Prince, MJ, James Brown
- Hair perm! - Dancing in front of 1985 Lincoln Town Car
Sound of 21st Century
Technology!
- No one style, gradual evolution > breakthrough
Digital Audio Workstation (Recording Software)
Allow unlimited alterations to songs
- Assembly approach (layers) takes over composition (one shot)
Cons from DAWs:
Dehumanizes music?
- Ex. Erasing intake of breath
Tempo fluctuations?
- Ex. result only from human-played instruments
Autotune?
Pros from DAWs:
Inexhaustible archive of music
- Ex. Natural Blues (Moby) = sampled Trouble So Far (Vera Hall) from 40 years prior!
- Dance track (texture builds, repetition)
MPEG (follow up to WAV)
Digital file compression algorithm
- Gives rise to MP3
Napster
First centralized server for sharing music files
- Did not violate copyright laws (music was not ‘stored’) but still infringed upon them
- RIAA shut it down
iPod
1st generation held 1,000 CD quality tracks + shuffle
iTunes
Storage → store
- Hold Outs: Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, The Beatles
Pandora
Pioneer streaming service
- Radio station-like designed according to listener preferences
- Limited capabilities (cannot hand select songs)
Battle of the Streaming Services (Spotify VS AppleMusic VS Tidal)
Different ways of assigning royalties:
1. Spotify = what % of songs are streaming relative to total songs
2. AppleMusic = per # of streams
3. Tidal = low royalties, but some exclusive tracks
Part owners are Beyonce, Jay Z, Ye, Rhianna
Subscription VS Free Music Services
Artist annual revenue is $4 compared to $100
YouTube Breakout: A Million Ways (OK Go)
$5 video lip-synching in backyard garnered 9 million views
Google Buys YouTube
Price = $1.65 billion
- This after Warner Music makes entire MV catalog available on service
YouTube Breakout: Next To You (Justin Bieber)
Posted a Chris Brown cover at age 14 → was flown to Atlanta by music executives
YouTube Breakout: Lady Gaga
Built international fanbase by using YouTube as a modern ‘MTV’
YouTube Breakout: Gangnam Style
First international hit created by YouTube
Changes to Rock in the Digital Age
- Cutting out the middleman = music provided directly to audience
Planet Earth (Prince) = released for free
- In Rainbows (Radiohead) = made available for any price
Songs of Innocence (U2) = iTunes automatic purchase fiasco - Royalties from concert promotion companies
- Ex. Madonna deal with Live Nation = profits from concerts, merch, ‘brand’ - Flexible release timelines (eliminating time for physical production)
- System of a Down, Green Day, Justin Timberlake, Prince, Future - Boundaries no longer determined by record companies
Nickelback
Traditional commercial approach (radio and TV promotion)
- Grunge band, country leanings
Photograph (Nickelback)
From All The Right Reasons album, which sold 7 million copies
- Grunge = metallic guitar
- Country = rhythm guitar, vocal inflection
Linkin Park
Blurred genres approach (traditional publicity less relevant)
- Rock band with hip-hop elements (turntables, electronic instruments)
In the End (Linkin Park)
From Hybrid Theory album, emblematic of rock/hip-hop hybrid
- Rock chorus
- Hip hop verse
“Holla If Ya Hear Me” vs. “Eye of the Tiger” (Mike Shenoda of Linkin Park)
From Rock Phenomenon album (in collaboration with DJs Rock Rayada + DJ Vlad), hip hop song combined over existing rock track
Radiohead
Experiments in sound (sampling, electronic techniques) and economics (In Rainbows, name your price album)
- Blend of punk and arena rock
15 Step (Radiohead)
From In Rainbows album, features gradual layering of electronic techniques
Arcade Fire
Thematic exploration approach
- Indie band which pulled on a diverse repertoire of styles
The Suburbs (Arcade Fire)
From The Suburbs album, music mirrors text
- Theme: suburban decline, isolation felt up suburban youth
- Musical depiction of good old days (70s country rock) → dissonant strings guitar riff build
Hip-Hop Characters in the 21st Century
- The Hustler
- The Artist
- The Genre Blender
Jay Z
- The Hustler
Sold first single ‘In My Lifetime’ out of friend’s car → used money to found his own record label (Roc-a-fella Records)
- Clothing line (Roc-a-wear)
- Def Jam Records → Roc Nation
- Tidal Owner
***Most $$ had to go to sample clearance!
Kanye
- The Artist
Brought back the sampling of 60s/70s soul hits that had gone out of style in the 90s
- Unpredictable “spirit” (prone to public outbursts)
All Falls Down (Kanye)
On College Dropout album
- R&B ostinato (repeated pattern)
- Lyric is egocentric, yet self-deprecating
***Co-written with Lauryn Hill
On Sight (Kanye)
On Yeezus album
More abrasive, acid house
Eminem
- The Artist/Genre Blender
Brought white working-class mid-western angst perspective to hip hop
- Respected (first rapper on rock radio) yet divisive
- Blended rock with hip hop
Stan (Eminem)
Story of an obsessive fan named Stan who is writing Eminem a letter (pencil scratches)
- Blurs genre lines by sampling Dido’s “Thank You”
Outkast → Andre 3000 + Big Boi
- The Genre Blender
Embody southern rap
- Rap
- Live instruments/samples
Hey Ya (Outkast)
From The Love Below, the Andre 3000 half of the Speaker Box/The Love Below dual album
- Southern rap (so did not fit in any genre) but still successful!
- ‘Live’ persona reflected in arena rock antics and ‘fake’ count in
Hey Ya MV (Outkast)
Take on the Beatles Ed Sullivan show performance; invokes many ‘throwbacks
- Call & response (James Brown)
- Instrumental break reduced to drums (disco)
- Synth (80s technology)
Current State of Hip Hop
- Streaming affects creation
- 1,500 streams = 1 album
- Artists increase album length –> Beerbongs & Bentleys, Culture II, Scorpion - Digital distribution allows editing post-release
- Ex. Kanye edits “Wolves” off Life of Pablo; added new vocal performances but cut out Frank Ocean ending - Autotuned Sound
- Rappers ‘sing’ their own hooks - SoundCloud Rap/Mumbled Rap
- DIY approach allows anyone to produce music (w/o industry)
- Post Malone, Travis Scott, Lil Uzi Vert, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
Drake
- Hustler
Business endeavors include:
- OVO Sound (own record label)
- Apple Music ambassador
- Toronto Raptors ambassador
- Virginia Black (whiskey)
U Wit Me? (Drake)
From Views album, trap influenced (rap)
- Theme: emotional games of modern relationships do not end when the relationship does!
One Dance (Drake)
From Views album, Jamaican dancehall influenced (singing)
***First Drake song to surpass 1 billion streams on Spotify
Nicki Minaj
- Hustler
- The Artist
Hustler: deals with Pepsi, Adidas, Barbie
Artist: fashion icon, stage persona with alter egos
- See Pink Friday album cover
Super Bass (Nicki Minaj)
From Pink Friday album, embodies pop rap
- Unlike other rap songs, takes a chorus/verse form
- Chorus is uptempo, catchy
- Verses are clever, humorous
Frank Ocean
- The Artist
Originally a ghostwriter (Bieber, Beyonce) who made it big → think Carole King!
- Broke down hip hop heteronormativity with Channel ORANGE album
- Inspirations include Beatles, David Bowie, Andre 3000
Super Rich Kids (Frank Ocean)
Embodies avant-garde hip hop and R&B blend
- Theme: Mocks the rich, entitled youths during financial crisis
***Drum machine beat with ‘Bennie and the Jets’ chords
Kendrick Lamar
- The Artist
Creator of socially conscious concept albums, often featuring stylistic diversity
- Juxtaposes atmospheric music with strong themes (depression, fear of failure, survivor’s guilt)
To Pimp a Butterfly Album (Kendrick Lamar)
Name a reference to 2Pac’s well-known acronym, To Pimp A Caterpillar
- The album representative of music’s future!
U (Kendrick Lamar)
Disturbing musical atmosphere (jazz saxophone with screams, siren samples) plays background for Kendrick berating himself in hotel mirror
- Admits to depression, letting family down
Alright (Kendrick Lamar)
Contemporary R&B/Jazz plays background to young African American men trying to keep faith despite challenges faced
I (Kendrick Lamar)
Depicts a like Kendrick concert → fight breaks out during song → Kendrick stops concert to admonish fighters against black on black violence
- Discusses reappropriating N word
Mortal Man (Kendrick Lamar)
- Final track, 12 mins length
Atmospheric sound plays background for the culmination of album themes
- Contextualizes journey with that of Nelson Mandela
- Features a fictional dialogue with Tupac
- Kendrick reads his poem “To Pimp a Butterfly” poem → Tupac falls silent
Adele
Big break came during SNL performance (host = Sarah Palin)
- Won a Grammy for 19 two weeks later
- Sealed the deal with 21
Adele’s Style
Pop with 60s/70s soul influence
- Colorful, gravelly voice → power ballad queen
Rumour Has It (Adele)
- Slowed bridge style contrasts rest of the song, builds tension
- Energy added to chorus with claps that subdivide the beat
Taylor Swift
Confessional singer-songwriter who transitioned from country to pop
Mine (Taylor Swift)
From Speak Now album, showcases country roots
- Acoustic guitar, steel guitar, fiddle, twang in voice
Red (Taylor Swift)
From Red album, the country influence
- Steel guitar, light kick drum
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor Swift)
From Red album, the dipping of the toe into pop ‘waters’
- Acoustic guitar = pivot
- Deep strong beats
Shake It Off (Taylor Swift)
From 1989 album, marks the transition into pop
- Heavy synth, electronic beat
Beyonce
Symbolic of black, female empowerment
- Like other great R&B divas (think Diana Ross), began career in girl group called Destiny’s Child
Beyonce’s Style
Fusion of R&B, Hip Hop, Pop (catchy hooks)
Beyonce Album (Beyonce)
Released suddenly with no marketing
- Ultimate independence move!
Lemonade Album (Beyonce)
Visuals made to stand alone (one album length music video, divided in 11 sections)
- Had the effect of strengthening fan relationships (think Tina Turner’s biography!)
Hold Up (Beyonce)
From Lemonade album, plea with an unfaithful lover that she still loves him
- From MV: plea turns to warning! –> Reads poem called ‘Denial’ before song starts
