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What are some Pop Cuts that the Hood Embraced, unexpectedly? For my Social Studies class, kind of like a reverse of Street N's getting Pop Love (Drake, Cee-Lo Green, Gucci) I'm doing a case study of Pop Songs that earned a "ghetto pass" without even trying.
Here's what i got thus far:
2004 - Vanessa Carlton 1000 Miles - I admit this one was a little before my time, but after seeing the music video, it's apparent that DRAM/Yachty flipped the MOVING PIANO concept for Broccoli (or else very coincidental). The reason I started researching her by the way, is because I saw a video of her and Irv Gotti chillin...Low key, I believe if Kanye West never became successful, IG would probably be recognized as the G.O.A.T....Jay-Z wouldn't have been able to reinvent himself without 'Ye, and there would of been ample room for both Ja Rule and 50 to exist harmoniously
2009 Kings Of Leon "Use Somebody" - So my dad does alot of Real Estate Developing/Constructing and lets the workers blast the Radio all day long. I noticed whenever this joint would come on, even the most thugged out/tatted up fools would start singing along. It's kind of bizarre cause the first 30 seconds are unbelievably terrible/corny, this has got to be the first song I've heard where the hook pales in comparison to the verse? But anyways, the singer on this has a very gruffy sounding raspy voice with a remarkable amount of soul.
2011 - Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks -Folks in the hood are usually trendy and shun nostalgic 60's psychedelic Rock swag (nobody in the hood listens to Jimi Hendrix), but FTP took it to the next level, and the instrumental is simply ethereal. I usually dislike freestyles, but Jaden smith did a great job.
2012 Zedd "Clarity" - I dont know for sure if this crossed over, but this was one of the few EDM tracks that captured my attention - the singer FOXES voice is so soothing and beautiful, I was shocked when I found out she was British. Also, the Beat is a force of nature...it starts off like elevator music, and gradually transforms into an Epic Club Banger. I had never heard anything like it before in my life.
2013 Miley "Wrecking Ball" - So between 2010-2012 Miley popped up on my radar with tracks like "Party In the USA" and "We Cant Stop", and everybody and their brotha in the hood was checking for her. But everybody was waiting for her to drop a serious Ballad to truly showcase her vocal skills. Though most dudes in the hood walk around with ice grills and act hard, they really appreciated the elegance and layers of carefully crafted instrumentation in this track.
2014 Sia "Chandelier' I've seen alot of young girls sing this at the top of their lungs - in my opinion it is probably one of the first empowering anthems, regardless of whether you are male or female. When the hook kicks in, Sia's voice strikes a chord within your soul and uplifts you no matter where you are in life. Interestingly, I think alot of brotha's in the hood could relate when she said "Like Tomorrow Doesn't Exist' - it's basically a more classy way of saying "YOLO..." Even if Drake himself was in a room with Quentin Miller, PND & Weeknd, I don't think they'd of been able to come up with a masterpiece like this track. It's crazy Sia started pumping out these hits in her late 30s and being a recovering alcoholic/drug addict - fools like Big Daddy Kane and Craig Mack were already finished by 25 and lived a straight edge lifestyle as their careers began to wane. It's almost like Sia is the female version of Mick Jagger/Steven Tyler. It is a truly baffling set of circumstances?
2014 Paramore "Aint It Fun" - Alot of dudes in the hood have always thought Hayley Williams was cute in a "baby gurl" type lil sista kind of way, but most of her music was slightly too goth/emo/punk and hood N's only appreciate Rock that comes from the soul and has a semblance of swag (Jason Derulo, Bruno Mars, The 1975) .. I think the band got it right this time - I loved the end of the song when Hayley took it to the church with the "Dont go Runnin Home To Momma" part. Aside from the music stuff, Hayley really developed her sex appeal, switching the colors in her hair like E-V-E, if you look up the performance of this song on Good Morning America (6-13-14), her dance moves are incredible. And Near the end of the song she starts letting loose some incredible R&B riffs reminiscent of Mid 90s Mariah Carey...
2015 Justin Bieber "Where Are U Now" -So I think it's safe to say JB earned his street credibility when he dropped his "Journals" magnum opus back in 13', but to be real, the album didn't really have any bonafide undeniable hits per say. Son knocked it out the park with this track - I used to hate on EDM producers bastardizing Trap and using Mannie Fresh snare rolls, but I can't lie Diplo and Skrillex earned my lifetime respect. Whether it's Fashion, Cars or Music, Hood culture emphasizes flashy, brand new, cutting edge-ness and that's a perfect way to describe this masterpiece.
2016 Lukas Graham "7 Years" This one reminds you of how your life can slowly spiral downwards, but seemingly in what feels like the blink of an eye. You feel helpless and know its gonna be a long climb before you're able to pull yourself up
2016 Chainsmokers "Closer" - This track had so many quotables and unusual phrases most Pop Dudes would never use "That Blink 182 song we beat to death in Tucson" "The Mattress that you stole..." etc. The Production is genius and sounds like a SUPER UPGRADE of the "New Jack Swing" style that dominated the late 80s/early 90s. Alot of people were praising Bruno Mars recent album, but to me it was kind of corny and OD'ed on the retro theme - he didn't really innovate, build upon or break ground in the way the Chainsmokers have been doing.
Honorable Mentions: Jason Mraz "I'm Yours',Sara Bareilles "Brave", Passenger "Let It Go", James Bay "Let It Go"
2017 - I've been listening to albums that came out the past two months, trying to figure out where the sound of the radio will turn, and if any songs will pop off next year? Lady Gaga "Million Reasons" seems to be getting alot of attention, but IMO she shoulda gave it to Sam Smith, besides being a better singer, he also would of found a better Producer to lace it -Lady Gaga has been kind of rubbish since she cut RedOne out of the picture - she can't really find any good production any more. It seemed like when Gaga stopped pandering to the LGBT community, SS picked up where she left off and got the Fame.
Also I notice Childish Gambino "Redbone" has been getting great reviews, Kind of curious to see what Niall from 1D drops for his 2nd singlet...I think Zayn's success might've been a "fluke"? Pillow Talk was everywhere and he didn't really have a strong follow up. It looks like Niall may have a shot at "Slow burn" success and gradually become a contender in the game...
Here's what i got thus far:
2004 - Vanessa Carlton 1000 Miles - I admit this one was a little before my time, but after seeing the music video, it's apparent that DRAM/Yachty flipped the MOVING PIANO concept for Broccoli (or else very coincidental). The reason I started researching her by the way, is because I saw a video of her and Irv Gotti chillin...Low key, I believe if Kanye West never became successful, IG would probably be recognized as the G.O.A.T....Jay-Z wouldn't have been able to reinvent himself without 'Ye, and there would of been ample room for both Ja Rule and 50 to exist harmoniously
2009 Kings Of Leon "Use Somebody" - So my dad does alot of Real Estate Developing/Constructing and lets the workers blast the Radio all day long. I noticed whenever this joint would come on, even the most thugged out/tatted up fools would start singing along. It's kind of bizarre cause the first 30 seconds are unbelievably terrible/corny, this has got to be the first song I've heard where the hook pales in comparison to the verse? But anyways, the singer on this has a very gruffy sounding raspy voice with a remarkable amount of soul.
2011 - Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks -Folks in the hood are usually trendy and shun nostalgic 60's psychedelic Rock swag (nobody in the hood listens to Jimi Hendrix), but FTP took it to the next level, and the instrumental is simply ethereal. I usually dislike freestyles, but Jaden smith did a great job.
2012 Zedd "Clarity" - I dont know for sure if this crossed over, but this was one of the few EDM tracks that captured my attention - the singer FOXES voice is so soothing and beautiful, I was shocked when I found out she was British. Also, the Beat is a force of nature...it starts off like elevator music, and gradually transforms into an Epic Club Banger. I had never heard anything like it before in my life.
2013 Miley "Wrecking Ball" - So between 2010-2012 Miley popped up on my radar with tracks like "Party In the USA" and "We Cant Stop", and everybody and their brotha in the hood was checking for her. But everybody was waiting for her to drop a serious Ballad to truly showcase her vocal skills. Though most dudes in the hood walk around with ice grills and act hard, they really appreciated the elegance and layers of carefully crafted instrumentation in this track.
2014 Sia "Chandelier' I've seen alot of young girls sing this at the top of their lungs - in my opinion it is probably one of the first empowering anthems, regardless of whether you are male or female. When the hook kicks in, Sia's voice strikes a chord within your soul and uplifts you no matter where you are in life. Interestingly, I think alot of brotha's in the hood could relate when she said "Like Tomorrow Doesn't Exist' - it's basically a more classy way of saying "YOLO..." Even if Drake himself was in a room with Quentin Miller, PND & Weeknd, I don't think they'd of been able to come up with a masterpiece like this track. It's crazy Sia started pumping out these hits in her late 30s and being a recovering alcoholic/drug addict - fools like Big Daddy Kane and Craig Mack were already finished by 25 and lived a straight edge lifestyle as their careers began to wane. It's almost like Sia is the female version of Mick Jagger/Steven Tyler. It is a truly baffling set of circumstances?
2014 Paramore "Aint It Fun" - Alot of dudes in the hood have always thought Hayley Williams was cute in a "baby gurl" type lil sista kind of way, but most of her music was slightly too goth/emo/punk and hood N's only appreciate Rock that comes from the soul and has a semblance of swag (Jason Derulo, Bruno Mars, The 1975) .. I think the band got it right this time - I loved the end of the song when Hayley took it to the church with the "Dont go Runnin Home To Momma" part. Aside from the music stuff, Hayley really developed her sex appeal, switching the colors in her hair like E-V-E, if you look up the performance of this song on Good Morning America (6-13-14), her dance moves are incredible. And Near the end of the song she starts letting loose some incredible R&B riffs reminiscent of Mid 90s Mariah Carey...
2015 Justin Bieber "Where Are U Now" -So I think it's safe to say JB earned his street credibility when he dropped his "Journals" magnum opus back in 13', but to be real, the album didn't really have any bonafide undeniable hits per say. Son knocked it out the park with this track - I used to hate on EDM producers bastardizing Trap and using Mannie Fresh snare rolls, but I can't lie Diplo and Skrillex earned my lifetime respect. Whether it's Fashion, Cars or Music, Hood culture emphasizes flashy, brand new, cutting edge-ness and that's a perfect way to describe this masterpiece.
2016 Lukas Graham "7 Years" This one reminds you of how your life can slowly spiral downwards, but seemingly in what feels like the blink of an eye. You feel helpless and know its gonna be a long climb before you're able to pull yourself up
2016 Chainsmokers "Closer" - This track had so many quotables and unusual phrases most Pop Dudes would never use "That Blink 182 song we beat to death in Tucson" "The Mattress that you stole..." etc. The Production is genius and sounds like a SUPER UPGRADE of the "New Jack Swing" style that dominated the late 80s/early 90s. Alot of people were praising Bruno Mars recent album, but to me it was kind of corny and OD'ed on the retro theme - he didn't really innovate, build upon or break ground in the way the Chainsmokers have been doing.
Honorable Mentions: Jason Mraz "I'm Yours',Sara Bareilles "Brave", Passenger "Let It Go", James Bay "Let It Go"
2017 - I've been listening to albums that came out the past two months, trying to figure out where the sound of the radio will turn, and if any songs will pop off next year? Lady Gaga "Million Reasons" seems to be getting alot of attention, but IMO she shoulda gave it to Sam Smith, besides being a better singer, he also would of found a better Producer to lace it -Lady Gaga has been kind of rubbish since she cut RedOne out of the picture - she can't really find any good production any more. It seemed like when Gaga stopped pandering to the LGBT community, SS picked up where she left off and got the Fame.
Also I notice Childish Gambino "Redbone" has been getting great reviews, Kind of curious to see what Niall from 1D drops for his 2nd singlet...I think Zayn's success might've been a "fluke"? Pillow Talk was everywhere and he didn't really have a strong follow up. It looks like Niall may have a shot at "Slow burn" success and gradually become a contender in the game...
Terrible thread. Pick a new topic OP
