New year, new music videos. That’s what I say. Well, maybe not - but in this case it’s true. T-Pain just dropped his new video for Freeze featuring Chris Brown on MTV2, and I’ve already run it through my mindgrapes just for you. As a refresher, we will examine both the track and the video.
The Track: Remember Mario’s Just A Friend from 2002? Yeah, well Freeze sounds a lot like it. I mean a lot. The vocoder is always unwelcome, but I’m starting to accept that it is not going away anytime soon. And, all gratuitous pop, lock, and droppin aside, the song isn’t terrible. There aren’t any good punchlines or anything, so I doubt this will be popular with any real heads out there, but perhaps the b-boys will like it. I mean, it is hard to criticize someone for telling you to get your ass on the floor and move it. Also, this is one of very few T-Pain joints not about strippers/strip clubs. I see that as an improvement.
The Video: This half animation / rotoscoping, half live action technicolor thing has me making comparisons to T-Pain’s other recent videos Can’t Believe It and Good Life. Personally, I’d like to see a little more originality and a little less of this three ring circus/top hat crap. The video is all dancers on glass floors, pastel silhouettes, quick cuts, and that weird 60’s multiplier video effect. Of course, Chris Brown’s major appeal lies in his dancing skills, so his presence on this record is pretty understandable. Overall though, I am unimpressed.
The Bottomline: A weak beginning to the 2009 Music Video season.
Hey remember Moesha? Perhaps you have forgotten Ray J’s first grasps at fame. Granted, being the younger brother of a Grammy award winning R&B singer creates pressure to be successful - that doesn’t excuse Ray J’s discography. Wait a Minute was a mess of a track; I don’t even think Lil Kim was that into it. Ray J - I hope you are giving Kim Kardashian a percentage of the sales from Sexy Can I, because it’s her ass that has been selling your records for the last six months.
In any case, Ray J’s new video for Gifts drops this week and guess who has something to say about it.
The Track: The song itself can be summed up pretty easily, this girl has nice humps and is rather adept at working poles. Perhaps it is obvious, but Ray J would like to stick it to her. I can certainly appreciate the sentiment. But seriously, when is hiphop’s obsession with strippers/stripclubs going to end? I’m not sure this is how we should be spending our stimulus checks. Additionally, how uncreative is ‘gifts’? My humps introduced a new phrase into the lexicon - gifts does nothing for me.
Regarding the beat, I dig it. I’m not sure it’s a club beat, but maybe it’ll get remixed. If you take your beats with brutal knock you may want to sit this one out. The vocoder is a bit excessive and I could do without it, but there’s no escaping it these days.
Something that surprised me was the absence of a guest verse. I was really expecting another lame wannabe like Yung Berg to lay down a short ‘me too’ verse. Considering the ubiquity of guest spots on today’s hiphop records, I am actually pleasantly surprised. I like it when an artist pulls off an entire song by himself - so kudos for that.
Ray J is all about making accessible music for people who don’t really listen to hiphop. While I was on vacation I was reminded of how many people ignore hiphop lyrics at the club. If that is you, this could be your new summer jam.
The Video: It is official, I am sick of the “white background, widescreen” video. Jay Z, this is your fault. It may be easy to film, but come on - how about some production value, a little bit of spectacle.
The video combines the following: hot ladies, dancers, an entourage, a few high priced accessories, and an official 2 step. This may have passed for a cool minimalist video a few years ago, but not today. I need a little more than this to hold my attention. I need visual gags, punchlines, and a shot of at least one car.
There are no strippers in this video. The girls we see are definitely not strippers. Most songs with references to strippers at least have some suggestive booty dancing. This video has a 2 step - which is one step removed from swaying back and forth. In fact, the girls seem to be included only because without them it’d be a sausage fest. This video is all about showcasing Ray J and his post-Kardashian / Sexy Can I image.
Lastly, like any artist Ray is proud of his record sales. Unlike other artists, he seems to be exceptionally proud of his digital downloads and presents us with a large plaque. Apparently he has sold over 500,000 copies of Sexy Can I online, primarily to 13 year olds and sorority girls no doubt.
Christina Ricci, Teen Wolf, The Spirit, Millervision, Yes Man, Just Like Me by Jamie Foxx and T.I., and War Machine #1.
On The Next Podcast...
It's classic conversation on movies, music, and comics with Neal in Peoria, IL and Nick in Scottsdale, AZ on Podcast Episode 063 on Tuesday, January 13, 2009!
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