Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Drake, do you really want to go there?

Why do so many people not like each other? Sometimes I wonder if the whole Mayan prophesy is true. People are increasingly unable to live side by side. This has always been the case, but I feel disdain for others is escalating at a disproportionate rate these days. Hip Hop star Drake recently gave an interview to NME stating the following:

"For me, the David Guetta stuff just doesn't work. I don't really wanna go there. There's other artists, that's their sound. They feel in order to thrive internationally that they gotta do straightforward, four to the floor, David Guetta, Pitbull music."
"For me, I'd rather go to somebody like Jamie xx and tell him, 'Look, I really wanna turn the club upside down, but I wanna do it with integrity, with soul."
Source: http://www.mixmag.net/words/news/drake-has-no-interest-in-making-dance-music

Well, good for you Drake. You are so "above" the cut of the rest of em. Bleh
His YMCMB mates Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne have both worked with Guetta, along with frequent collaborator Rihanna. Does this mean if you take a dig at Guetta, you take a dig at them?
It is perfectly acceptable that Drake does not feel Guetta's productions do not fit his style or preferences, but to call it "without integrity or soul" seems like an unwarranted attack.
I laugh at how Drake is trying to portray himself as "cool" by mentioning Jamie xx. Do people know just how cheesy Degrassi: The Next Generation was? I mean, he was freaking Jimmy! In a wheelchair! You are not that special Drake from the tackiest city of Canada (Toronto). Get off your high horse Aubrey Graham, u ain't that fancy, huh!
Ok, I know, you insult someone who is insulting another, you become just like them. I'm a fan of Drake's music. I'm just trying to understand where humility and normal social conduct went. Now you see why I'm scared of the Mayan prophesy! Haha

Interestingly enough, the day after I heard about Drake's slander, I found this article in the Guardian about David Guetta. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/apr/22/david-guetta-dance-music-dj 

Nothing about the article was new to me. It basically described Guetta as the person at the forefront of bringing electronic music to America. Described him as a man who is always upbeat and excited about the music. I especially liked how the article addressed that in the UK, electronica had reached its peak long before the recent phenomenon in the US, and makes Guetta therefore a polarizing figure. Guetta addresses his critics, and in response to being able to being able to retain credibility while being successful, he said this:

"In a way, this is what killed dance music for so many years," argues Guetta. "That spirit of wanting to keep this only for ourselves, and anything that's successful is bad. That culture that goes in a cycle where everybody loves someone and they're all talking about him, and then in one second, because he's successful, 'Ah, fuck him, he's bullshit!' What? But you were saying the same guy was a genius last year, now he's the worst person?"

Could not agree more. Its like when I got comments saying I did not understand house music because I was supporting SHM in SneakGate. I knew who Sneak was, I've been listening to house for a long time. I saw acts like Guetta and SHM grow over time, and yes, their styles may have changed, but I for one celebrate how far they have come. We definitely do not need people like Drake saying what has soul and integrity in a genre he truly knows little about. Jamie xx cites Murk as one of his influences. Jimmy, look em up!

No comments:

Post a Comment