Friday, August 12, 2005
A nervous feeling. I am currently listening to Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi. I had to overcome the considerable shame of owning a Mariah Carey album, but it is actually an orright album, or "disc" as Anthony Carew would write. Anyway, I am listening to "Say Somethin'" which is a Neptunes production featuring Snoop Dogg. And it is a pretty shit song. And I couldn't help thinking, "Man, the Neptunes just aren't trying anymore." It has a terrible drum line that sounds like the demo on your Casio keyboard, and an uncredited Pharrell can't keep his poorly tuned moaning off the track. I could just picture Mariah listening to the track for the first time, stamping her little diva foot and going, "What the fuck? Where's Mariah's Milkshake, biatches?"
About the time of the last Kelis album, I started thinking the Neptunes had jumped the shark. I shuffled them down my imaginary Hot Urban Producers list, after Lil Jon and Kanye West. But then they made a bit of a comeback with "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Signs". But now I am feeling like this was just a small echo of their former glory.
At the moment, my Hot Producers List reads:
1. Jermaine Dupri (So So Def)
2. Rich Harrison (Richcraft)
3. Rodney Jerkins (Darkchild)
4. Lil Jon
5. The Neptunes
6. Timbaland
7. Kanye West
Compared to people like Tim and Shane, my knowledge of these things is primitive and partial. I just think to myself, "I notice this producer is making songs I consistently like at the moment."
About the time of the last Kelis album, I started thinking the Neptunes had jumped the shark. I shuffled them down my imaginary Hot Urban Producers list, after Lil Jon and Kanye West. But then they made a bit of a comeback with "Drop It Like It's Hot" and "Signs". But now I am feeling like this was just a small echo of their former glory.
At the moment, my Hot Producers List reads:
1. Jermaine Dupri (So So Def)
2. Rich Harrison (Richcraft)
3. Rodney Jerkins (Darkchild)
4. Lil Jon
5. The Neptunes
6. Timbaland
7. Kanye West
Compared to people like Tim and Shane, my knowledge of these things is primitive and partial. I just think to myself, "I notice this producer is making songs I consistently like at the moment."
