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viswatechynology · 3 years ago

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Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented reality is what it sounds like: reality, enhanced with interactive digital components. The most commonly used AR applications these days rely on smartphones to showcase the digitally augmented world: users can activate a smartphone’s camera, view the real world around them on the screen, and rely on an AR application to enhance that world in any number of ways via digital overlays:

Superimposing images, digital information and/or 3D models

Adding real-time directions

Inserting labels

Changing colors

Altering the user or their environment’s appearance via “filters” on Instagram, Snapchat, and other apps

Various devices can display AR, and the list is only growing: screens, glasses, handheld and mobile devices, and head-mounted displays.

In understanding what AR is, it’s also important to understand what it is not.

AR is not a fully immersive experience like virtual reality (VR). While virtual reality requires users to don a special headset and pulls them into a completely digital world, AR lets them continue interacting with the physical world around them

So what is augmented reality used for these days? A lot more than helping people track down pocket monsters. In fact, in 2020, nearly every industry has found ways to apply AR technology to improve processes and outcomes. Common uses include…

Training and education: Dynamic, AR-based instructions let people perform new tasks more easily and quickly than traditional training methods (like instruction manuals). As wearable devices like AR-powered smart glasses, AR contacts and AR headsets become more widely available, the potential for training via augmented reality will be tremendous.

Entertainment: AR has been enhancing entertainment for years. In 2012, a hologram of Tupac Shakur appeared onstage with Snoop Dogg at Coachella. This year, a fully CGI avatar who happens to be an Instagram influencer was signed by talent agency CAA. And to adapt to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band Real Estate offered a “Quarantour,” meaning an AR-powered tour to replace the live shows it had to cancel because of worldwide quarantines.

Gaming: Today, dozens of other games incorporate AR elements. The popularity of AR games is no surprise, as gaming was one of the most obvious early applications that many people saw for AR and VR capabilities.

Selling: These days, it’s possible to virtually try on or try out a variety of merchandise before buying via augmented reality apps: Sephora’s app lets you view cosmetics in AR on your face; IKEA offers a chance to “see” furniture in your home; paint brands let you virtually view colors on your walls; Warby Parker makes it possible to “try on” glasses frames without actually visiting a store location or ordering samples. Pre-pandemic, these offerings provided a way to enhance in-store experiences or make life a little easier for busy shoppers. Now, they’ve made it possible for many brands to sell to shoppers stuck in their homes. AR applications for eCommerce are poised to become the norm.

Today, most of these augmented reality experiences are made possible by smartphones. However, the development of more advanced AR devices (like Apple’s AR glasses or Microsoft’s Hololens) could open the door to even more applications.

The benefits of AR are only continuing to expand to new sectors, such as healthcare, manufacturing, utilities, telecommunications, education, and public safety.

Imagine, for example, viewing IKEA furniture in the comfort of your own physical environment via AR, ordering it online, and then receiving it with assembly instructions that projected themselves right on the pieces in the box, thanks to your AR-enabled glasses. The possibilities are endless and endlessly exciting.

Selling with Augmented Reality: A Closer Look

While all of the use cases for augmented reality mentioned above are intriguing, the one most relevant to most companies–especially in a time when businesses around the world have been forced to close their doors to foot traffic–is AR-powered selling.

Augmented Reality Technology: What Do Brands Need?

The promise of selling more with help from AR is compelling, but it also raises an important question: what technology does a company need to introduce augmented reality features to its existing website?

The answer, of course, will vary among brands, but the short version is that adding AR to a website today is much easier, faster, and more accessible than it was even a couple of years ago, thanks to new software on the market.

If you’re intrigued by the potential AR has to improve your bottom line, here are a few guiding principles to keep in mind:

AR functionality should live on your website, not in a dedicated AR app. Customers don’t want to download an app just to use AR features. To enjoy the sales boost that AR features can offer, eliminate unnecessary hurdles to using them.

AR-generating software can save you time, energy, and money. A few years ago, any brand that wanted AR had to build the functionality itself, from the ground up. Today, software like Threekit makes it possible to generate AR content with a SaaS model. This makes the path to AR smoother, faster, and more accessible.

Build AR for smartphones. Again, if you want the benefits AR offers, you have to maximize the odds that your customers will use it. That means creating AR experiences that work with the tech most people have today, which means smartphones (such as iPhones and Android).

Examples of augmented reality in action

Multiple brands have established themselves as early adopters of AR technology across a range of use cases. All types of businesses have jumped on this technology to revolutionize the customer experience.

To give you a better idea of what you can achieve with AR experiences, the following are some examples of real-world applications for this technology.

AR for IKEA furniture shopping

When shopping for furniture online, many customers may want the same experience they can get when visiting the store and seeing furniture options in person. IKEA understood this need and was able to deliver a more immersive online furniture shopping experience through AR.

Specifically, the IKEA Place app enables users to use AR to see furniture at home. The app achieves this by scanning the room to calculate its dimensions. Then it projects a detailed 3D model of the furniture with up to 98 percent accuracy.

This is ideal for showing how furniture will both look and fit within a space, all without the need for shoppers to set foot in a physical store. Ultimately, this particular AR application is great if products are difficult or costly for customers to return, which could extend beyond furniture into other bulky and heavy items.

Showing Dulux paint colors on walls

Another company putting AR to the test is Dulux, which has used an immersive AR application and interface to enable users to see how different paint colors would look on their walls at home.

Customers can use Dulux’s Visualizer app on Android and iOS devices to view over 1,200 paint colors on their walls. This helps take paint color selection to the next level.

Before the advent of this solution, customers would have had to envision how a single color sample would look on an entire wall space in the physical world. But this app makes it easy and instantaneous.

This application is suitable for businesses that sell products with vastly different appearances from how they look in containers or on the shelf. Apart from paint, this would apply to AR apps for makeup, wallpaper, curtains, and more as something akin to a Snapchat filter.

Virtual “try-ons” of Wannaby and Warby Parker products

Customers shopping online may want to make sure sneakers and other apparel are the right fit before committing to their purchase. This is not the easiest task to accomplish in most eCommerce environments.

Wannaby and Warby Parker have attempted to change this by introducing the Wanna Kicks app and Warby Parker AR app.

Using the Wanna Kicks app, users can try on sneakers with in-depth overlays in real time, essentially creating wearable 3D images. This makes it easy to see how sneakers will fit before buying.

Meanwhile, the Warby Parker app does something similar for its glasses. Users can see how glass frames would fit using Apple devices. Then they can determine if they’re the right match for their faces.

These types of augmented reality apps are excellent for businesses that sell items that shoppers wear, including sneakers, glasses, clothing, accessories, and more. Customers can make sure these items are the right fit, reducing the risk of returns.

AR applications for gamifying toys

BIC and LEGO have both ventured into AR to convert real toys into even more interactive products with AR games.

LEGO does this using its Hidden Side app, which gives children the ability to layer a ghost-hunting game over LEGO toys using engaging heads-up displays on smartphones and iPads.

The BIC Kids app achieves similar results. It uses virtual reality in lieu of AR to allow kids to turn drawings into animations and games.

These applications are excellent if you want to increase your products’ post-purchase value.

Weather Channel effects

For many years, television stations have used green screens to allow for special digital effects that help illustrate weather conditions and supplement the weatherman’s reports.

Today, the Weather Channel intends to take things a step further with the use of an AR app. The Weather Channel has used this technology to:

Show weather elements such as tornadoes on set.

Drive virtual cars through the studio to show loss of control in inclement weather.

Show the high levels of flooding during hurricanes and storm surges.

The use of AR for combat assistance

AR also has military applications, with the U.S. Army using AR programs to help soldiers on the battlefield.

Specifically, this application would help soldiers discern enemies from friendly troops. It would also help with night vision, allowing soldiers to see clearly after dark.

The technology still needs some time and additional software development before the U.S. Army deploys it. But it’s likely it will eventually help soldiers with added safety and convenience.

Nintendo’s Pokémon GO

One of the most memorable use cases for AR has been the Pokémon GO app. Nintendo released Pokémon GO in the mid-2010s. This mobile app gave users the ability to catch all types of virtual Pokémon in a real-world environment with superimposed overlays.

At its peak, the game attracted around 65 million users and kept plenty of people consistently engaged. It’s a great example of how AR can blend the virtual and real worlds together in a seamless way.

As you can see, there are plenty of examples out there of AR use cases across a wide range of industries and applications. There’s practically no limit to what you can do with this technology and the types of experiences you can create.

From help with product design and selection to interactive games, the applications for AR are only going to expand as the tech gets better. The key is knowing how to:

Successfully integrate AR into your business.

Connect it to your brand and customer experience.

With the help of the right AR solution, you’ll be able to take advantage of the latest in AR technology. You can significantly boost your company’s ROI with this worthwhile investment.

The Commercial Opportunities for AR: Only Growing

Augmented reality has the potential to improve many aspects of the customer experience, even when that experience happens within the confines of the customer’s living space. It combines the real and virtual world in real time, with all the visualization capabilities of in-person shopping and all of the ease of staying at home.

In an age of increased reliance on eCommerce, this means that AR is a powerful visualization tool that brands across industries can leverage to improve their relationships with customers and ultimately improve their bottom lines.

But don’t just take our word for it. Below are just a few statistics that indicate that the impact of AR in business is only growing:

61% of consumers say that they prefer retailers that provide AR experiences.

71% of shoppers say that they would shop more often if they could use AR.

Using AR technology in eCommerce can increase conversion rates by 40%.

The future of AR

You might also be wondering what the future holds for this technology. The fact is that augmented reality has a bright future ahead of it as the technology continually improves and a growing number of companies adopt it.

According to data from Statista, the global market for AR, VR, and mixed reality (MR) was expected to climb to $30.7 billion in 2021, with the total in 2024 being around $300 billion.

AR and the Metaverse are two of the biggest developments that will flourish in the near future.

Augmented reality

The technology and digital content of AR will only get better with time. The use of AR allows for integrations involving everything from graphics and sounds to haptic feedback and smell to combine digital worlds and real life. AR can also maximize interactivity using mobile devices alongside AR glasses or AR headsets.

The metaverse

The metaverse is a huge development that Meta (Facebook’s recent rebrand) is soon to introduce. It’s considered the next level of the internet and will further combine the physical and virtual worlds.

The metaverse will give people’s online avatars the chance to connect with each other in nearly every way, functioning as a sort of enhanced social media platform. Using augmented reality experiences, virtual reality simulations, and other technology, people will be able to use the metaverse to:

Complete work in a virtual environment

Attend events

Buy and exchange non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and other virtual products

Try on clothing and apparel

And much more

#Augmented Reality (AR)#explin Augmented Reality (AR)#what is Augmented Reality (AR)#features of Augmented Reality (AR)#benifites of Augmented Reality (AR)

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origin-of-hip-hop-culture-blog · 5 years ago

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The Evolution of Hip-Hop Culture

Hip-hop is a cultural movement that originated during the 1970s from the economically depressed African-Americans in South Bronx section of New York City. It was then popularized in the ’80s and the ’90s. It is widely mistaken in the present days that hip-hop is a synonym of rap, but rap is just a part of hip-hop. Hip-hop is a culture that has four notable elements which are deejaying, rapping, graffiti painting, and “b-boying” which covers things such as hip-hop dance,style, and attitude(Light and Tate, 2019). There is also the fifth element of hip-hop which is the recognization of self, it is sometimes mentioned by hip-hop artists and scholars. The graffiti movement originated from the train stations of New York with a group of teenagers spray painting their artworks on the walls throughout New York subway systems. Rapping, deejaying and dancing were created together through a shared environment where all of them can evolve, such as underground parties.

Hip-hop was popularized in the 80s with a wave of rappers such as Run D.M.C., Snoop Dogg, Beastie Boys, N.W.A, The Notorious B.I.G, and Tupac Shakur. Examples of a few famous record labels in the ‘80s are Def Jam and Death Row Records. Hip-hop in the late ‘90s was introduced with a new face, the Wu-tang Clan, who dominated the market with its unique style. Hip-hop became the best selling genre of music in the United States in the late 1990s. It was also globalized throughout the world with audiences and artists in many places all over the world such as Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, and the United Kingdom.

Image source

In the 21st century, Hip-Hop still continued to dominate the market with its unstoppable passion from new-gen artists. Even though in the early 2000s where digital downloading was introduced, hip-hop suffered a loss in sales as the same with the whole music industry, it still thrives on to become one of the most famous music genres in the present time. Important figures in hip-hop from the ‘90s such as Dr.Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Nas were still relevant in these days. There was also the introduction of new-gen artists such as OutKast and Kanye West.

Image source

Right now in the present day, Hip-hop is dominating the music industry with a stunning 24.7 percent of song consumption in the United States(Leight 2019). As time passed, society’s values changes, as well as the values of the hip-hop community. Mainstream hip-hop right now is glamourizing materialism, drugs, and youth culture. Rap songs right now often mention the use of drugs, spending money, and living the perfect life, in contrast with the roots of hip-hop that originated from the poor South Bronx of New York. With that stated, there are still artists that are pursuing the old-school style of hip-hop or even experimental hip-hop.

youtube

Video source

References

Codrington, Raymond. (2006). In the beginning: hip hop’s early influence. OUPblog. Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://blog.oup.com/2006/08/in_the_beginnin/

Jones, Jiggy. (2018). How hip-hop’s transcending influence continues to grow. The Source Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://thesource.com/2018/02/02/how-hip-hops-transcending-influence-continues-to-grow/

Leight, Elias. (2019). Hip-hop continued to dominate the music business in 2018. Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/hip-hop-continued-to-dominate-the-music-business-in-2018-774422/

Light, A., & Tate G. (2019). Hip-hop. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/art/hip-hop#ref288175

Lewis, Femi. (2019). Hip-hop culture timeline: 1970 to 1983. ThoughtCo. Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://www.thoughtco.com/hip-hop-culture-timeline-45164

Mbe, Vikas. (2015). The role of hip hop in culture. ThoughtEconomics. Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://thoughteconomics.com/the-role-of-hip-hop-in-culture/

Peterson, James. (2019). Hip-hop culture. Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/hip-hop-culture

Rory PQ. (2016). Origins of hip-hop culture. Dubspot. Retrieved October 26, 2019, from http://blog.dubspot.com/hip-hop-culture/

Young, Bryionna. (2015). Old school music vs new school music: Evolution of lyrics. Medium. Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://medium.com/@B.Young/old-school-music-vs-new-school-music-evolution-of-lyrics-89affb91ba3e

Zirm, Jordan. (2012). The 15 biggest old school vs. new school rap beefs. Complex. Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://www.complex.com/music/2012/07/the-15-biggest-old-school-vs-new-school-rap-beefs/

#hiphop #music

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viswatech · 3 years ago

Text

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality (AR)

Superimposing images, digital information and/or 3D models

Adding real-time directions

Inserting labels

Changing colors

Altering the user or their environment's appearance via "filters" on Instagram, Snapchat, and other apps

Various devices can display AR, and the list is only growing: screens, glasses, handheld and mobile devices, and head-mounted displays.

In understanding what AR is, it’s also important to understand what it is not.

Today, most of these augmented reality experiences are made possible by smartphones. However, the development of more advanced AR devices (like Apple’s AR glasses or Microsoft's Hololens) could open the door to even more applications.

The benefits of AR are only continuing to expand to new sectors, such as healthcare, manufacturing, utilities, telecommunications, education, and public safety.

Selling with Augmented Reality: A Closer Look

Augmented Reality Technology: What Do Brands Need?

If you’re intrigued by the potential AR has to improve your bottom line, here are a few guiding principles to keep in mind:

Examples of augmented reality in action

To give you a better idea of what you can achieve with AR experiences, the following are some examples of real-world applications for this technology.

AR for IKEA furniture shopping

Showing Dulux paint colors on walls

Another company putting AR to the test is Dulux, which has used an immersive AR application and interface to enable users to see how different paint colors would look on their walls at home.

Customers can use Dulux's Visualizer app on Android and iOS devices to view over 1,200 paint colors on their walls. This helps take paint color selection to the next level.

Virtual "try-ons" of Wannaby and Warby Parker products

Wannaby and Warby Parker have attempted to change this by introducing the Wanna Kicks app and Warby Parker AR app.

Using the Wanna Kicks app, users can try on sneakers with in-depth overlays in real time, essentially creating wearable 3D images. This makes it easy to see how sneakers will fit before buying.

Meanwhile, the Warby Parker app does something similar for its glasses. Users can see how glass frames would fit using Apple devices. Then they can determine if they're the right match for their faces.

AR applications for gamifying toys

BIC and LEGO have both ventured into AR to convert real toys into even more interactive products with AR games.

LEGO does this using its Hidden Side app, which gives children the ability to layer a ghost-hunting game over LEGO toys using engaging heads-up displays on smartphones and iPads.

The BIC Kids app achieves similar results. It uses virtual reality in lieu of AR to allow kids to turn drawings into animations and games.

These applications are excellent if you want to increase your products' post-purchase value.

Weather Channel effects

For many years, television stations have used green screens to allow for special digital effects that help illustrate weather conditions and supplement the weatherman's reports.

Today, the Weather Channel intends to take things a step further with the use of an AR app. The Weather Channel has used this technology to:

Show weather elements such as tornadoes on set.

Drive virtual cars through the studio to show loss of control in inclement weather.

Show the high levels of flooding during hurricanes and storm surges.

The use of AR for combat assistance

AR also has military applications, with the U.S. Army using AR programs to help soldiers on the battlefield.

Specifically, this application would help soldiers discern enemies from friendly troops. It would also help with night vision, allowing soldiers to see clearly after dark.

The technology still needs some time and additional software development before the U.S. Army deploys it. But it's likely it will eventually help soldiers with added safety and convenience.

Nintendo's Pokémon GO

At its peak, the game attracted around 65 million users and kept plenty of people consistently engaged. It's a great example of how AR can blend the virtual and real worlds together in a seamless way.

As you can see, there are plenty of examples out there of AR use cases across a wide range of industries and applications. There's practically no limit to what you can do with this technology and the types of experiences you can create.

From help with product design and selection to interactive games, the applications for AR are only going to expand as the tech gets better. The key is knowing how to:

Successfully integrate AR into your business.

Connect it to your brand and customer experience.

With the help of the right AR solution, you'll be able to take advantage of the latest in AR technology. You can significantly boost your company's ROI with this worthwhile investment.

The Commercial Opportunities for AR: Only Growing

But don't just take our word for it. Below are just a few statistics that indicate that the impact of AR in business is only growing:

61% of consumers say that they prefer retailers that provide AR experiences.

71% of shoppers say that they would shop more often if they could use AR.

Using AR technology in eCommerce can increase conversion rates by 40%.

The future of AR

According to data from Statista, the global market for AR, VR, and mixed reality (MR) was expected to climb to $30.7 billion in 2021, with the total in 2024 being around $300 billion.

AR and the Metaverse are two of the biggest developments that will flourish in the near future.

Augmented reality

The metaverse

The metaverse is a huge development that Meta (Facebook's recent rebrand) is soon to introduce. It's considered the next level of the internet and will further combine the physical and virtual worlds.

The metaverse will give people's online avatars the chance to connect with each other in nearly every way, functioning as a sort of enhanced social media platform. Using augmented reality experiences, virtual reality simulations, and other technology, people will be able to use the metaverse to:

Complete work in a virtual environment

Attend events

Buy and exchange non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and other virtual products

Try on clothing and apparel

And much more

#augumented reality #AR #explain augumented reality #what is augumented #what is reality

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dagr8fm · 3 years ago

Text

SINCERE MELODIES

In the early fall of 1972 in New Haven, CT a star was born. Nobal Sincere, born Maurice Gardner to Patty Gardner and Harold Jaynes, Sr., was destined for a career in music ever since he was a toddler. He comes from a long line of entertainers spanning many generations starting with his mother, a professional dancer who worked with the likes of Grammy nominated singer Freddy Jackson. His father sang with the legendary doo-wop groups “The Five Satins” and “The Nutmegs” recently becoming an inductee into the music Hall of Fame for doo-wop and acapella. Even his grandparents were singers who actively participated in their local church’s gospel choir. Nobal Sincere’s upbringing was engulfed in music and entertainment culture and it is no wonder why he is so multifaceted. He is a singer, music producer and musician that can play a wide variety of instruments such as the keyboard and percussion.

Nobal Sincere’s career began in the 90’s with a slew of different music groups, some hip hop and some R&B. After a while, each group began to fall apart due to schedule inconsistencies and disagreements on the overall direction of the group’s development, sound and image. For this reason, Nobal decided to focus solely on perfecting his own sound, especially his love for instrumental music. In his free time, he began producing instrumental after instrumental to the point where his peers suggested that he take it to the next level with the addition of lyrics. Taking their advice, Sincere incorporated singing into his tracks paying homage to the rich cantillating culture of his childhood. This element fused with his classic 90’s hip hop style instrumentals creates his signature sound that Nobal himself proclaims is “a combination of old and new school”.

The versatility of Nobal Sincere is illustrated to perfection in one of his hit singles “My Only 1”. This track has a catchy rhythm that consists of soft percussion beats, melodic keyboard notes and a lyrical delivery that will surely make you do a “two step”. All of these elements combine to create an almost old school hip hop sound with hints of futuristic funk R&B. Both verses hit like 90’s hip hop songs due to their clear yet layered delivery where each bar builds upon the preceding bar to convey the ultimate message by the end of each verse. Meanwhile, the chorus has a funky feel to it very reminiscent of Snoop Dogg’s classic “Sensual Seduction”. “My Only 1” is definitely a track to add to your favorite playlist and is currently available on Youtube and Spotify Music.

There are many future plans up Nobal Sincere’s sleeve. First is his new EP titled “Imperfections” set to be released on June 19th, 2020. Further down the road he hopes to get the opportunity to work with artists from both the old and new schools such as Snoop Dogg, Dr.Dre, Carl Thomas, Doja Cat, Travis Scott and Lil Durk. The main message behind his music is to never give up on your dreams. Regardless of any outside opinions or perceptions, stay focused on your goals and what you ultimately wish to achieve. Life is too short to live inhibited by what other people think. In this one life that we are given we must make the most of it because, at the end of the day, you’ll never ever really know...until you try.

To read more blogs please visit our site: Dagr8fm

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#miami music radio #miami radio stations rap #radio dance miami #hip hop radio station in miami #miami hiphop radio #music blog #miami radio station hip hop #avonda dowling #dagr8fm

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wineanddinosaur · 3 years ago

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VinePair Podcast: Do We Really Need More Celebrity Booze?

Celebrities have long been involved with the beverage alcohol industry, and the volume of celebrity brands continues to grow exponentially. On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” co-hosts Adam Teeter, Joanna Sciarrino, and Zach Geballe reflect on why celebrities get involved in the industry, and how their products resonate (or don’t) with the public.

For the Friday tasting, the three try out a popular celebrity wine — Snoop Dogg’s 19 Crimes Cali Red. Was it a celebrity wine worth buying again for the group? Tune in to find out.

Additionally, Teeter sits down with Sovereign Brands CEO Brett Berish for a conversation on his successful partnerships with celebrities like Jay-Z and Rick Ross. Berish talks about his approach to celebrity brand partnerships, why he doesn’t look at market research, and what it takes for a celebrity-backed product to find success.

Tune in, and learn more about Brett Berish’s Sovereign Brands at https://www.sovereignbrands.com/.

LISTEN ONLINE

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

OR CHECK OUT THE CONVERSATION HERE

Adam Teeter: From VinePair’s New York City headquarters, I’m Adam Teeter.

Joanna Sciarrino: I’m Joanna Sciarrino.

Zach Geballe: And in Seattle, Washington, I’m Zach Geballe.

A: As a very iconic singer would say, “It’s Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday.” Dude, what happened to Rebecca Black? Come on, Rebecca. Well, she’s on TikTok now. Anyway, she’s a celebrity, and what we’re going to talk about today is celebrities. We are going to talk about celebrity alcohol.

Celebrities have always been involved in alcohol, whether as spokespeople, whether as consumers, et cetera. Alcohol is a sexy space for celebrities to be a part of. They’re premium products. They’re lifestyle products. They’re fun. It feels like, in the last decade or even five years, the amount of celebrities getting involved in alcohol products has absolutely exploded. Some have been massively successful. Some have been massive failures where someone came out with it and then you never heard about it again. What do you both think about celebrity spirits, wines, and beers? If a celebrity is involved with something, are you more or less likely to consume it or try it?

J: I find it just so curious how it’s been such a recent development and how many there are. I don’t find it more appealing when a celebrity is attached to a brand. I probably actually feel the opposite, because I’m really suspicious of the quality of it. That’s my take. I think it’s so interesting how it’s evolved from celebrities being spokespeople for a brand to being involved and having a cut of it.

A: There are definitely different ways you can go about it. You can either be the spokesperson that makes it seem like you have a lot to do with the brand. Matthew McConaughey is a great example of that. He’s the creative director of Wild Turkey. Wild Turkey’s already owned by Campari, though. He may have a stake in it. I have no idea at this point. I think he has his own line, too, with Wild Turkey. That’s a little different than starting the brand yourself a la The Rock or Conor McGregor, who then sold to Proximo. I was going to use Ryan Reynolds as that example, and then a lot of people on our team have reminded me that Reynolds didn’t actually start the brand. He came onto the brand a few years in, but then they cut him in and made him an owner of the brand.

J: Is that still the case?

A: Diageo owns it now.

Z: They sold it.

A: It sold for, like, $700 million. Clooney started Casamigos. Zach, what do you think? Are you more or less likely to buy because there’s a celebrity attached?

Z: I think there are maybe a couple different genres of celebrity alcohol products. In wine, you think of Francis Ford Coppola or someone like that. On the one hand, they never hid who was behind the winery. His name is on the bottles. The cachet of the product is, in part, that it’s a wine nominally made, or at least owned, by a famous director. At the same time, you could look at the winery and say, “OK, presumably Coppola was really into wine and decided he wanted to have a winery.” He was not hesitant to put his name all over it, but like —

J: He actually was. He didn’t want his name on it.

Z: Oh, that’s true. You guys interviewed him. Somehow, marketing people were able to get him over that. You don’t have to dig to figure out what celebrity is behind that.

J: Exactly.

Z: Then, there are these other things that fit into this weird middle ground. That’s like McConaughey with Wild Turkey. Obviously, Wild Turkey existed long before Matthew McConaughey was born. What a creative director does is hard to say. But, there’s obviously something more than just an endorsement going on there. Then, there are also the run-of-the-mill endorsements.

I don’t know that I have an answer to your question, Adam, other than to say that as a buyer at a restaurant, we certainly had Aviation Gin and Wild Turkey. We didn’t have a lot of these other products that are so clearly branded with a celebrity imprimatur.

What is fascinating to me is this: You think about this especially with hip hop music. We went from name-checking luxury brands as a way to prove your status — like saying “I can buy a Cristal” — to name-checking a brand that you own or are heavily involved with. That’s a whole ‘nother level of flex. It’s like saying, “I can’t just buy a Cristal, I also have my own Champagne.”

That kind of cachet and the way that it motivates consumption is fascinating. Maybe people still think, “I’m going to buy Ace of Spades because that’s what Jay-Z drinks and I want to be like Jay-Z.” That money’s going to Jay-Z, you know? It’s a great move. It’s savvy. Why should Roederer, who dissed you, get that money for Cristal when you can get that money. That’s pretty brilliant if you’re an entrepreneur. What I want your guys is opinion on is, are we getting to a point now where there are so many celebrity products that they no longer stand out?

J: Yes. There are so many of them. There’s this ranking that Aaron Goldfarb did in Esquire of 63 of them. That’s a lot, and it’s not even all of them.

A: He only did spirits. He didn’t even touch Cameron Diaz’s clean wine. Vera Wang has a Prosecco. John Legend has a wine. There is a lot. What’s interesting with these brands is that the only way they’re successful is if the celebrity actually lives and breathes them and feels very committed. Then, the brands actually do grow. Where they grow is not on, but off premise. They become huge off premise. A lot of these brands are massive off-premise brands. It’s people who love MMA and Conor. He drinks his whiskey in every press conference. He’s talking about Proper Twelve all the time. So, when they watch an MMA fight, they drink Proper Twelve. They’re not going to the bar looking for it. At the bar, I would guess Proper Twelve has still had a very hard time unseating Jameson, which is basically its direct competitor.

Same with Teremana. A lot of people probably have Teremana at home. Ken Austin, who created both those brands with Dwayne and Conor, told us when we interviewed him a few months ago that his belief is that if you don’t live the brand and are not fully committed, that he doesn’t want to do it with you because it will fail. A lot of times, there’s the belief among a person’s team that, “We’ve done this with perfume. We’ve done this with other things. Why would this not work with alcohol?” Alcohol is such a different beast.

When I’ve talked to some of the top executives at Diageo, Campari, and others, they’ve all echoed this. The only successful partnerships they’re ever had are when the celebrity is fully invested. Cîroc was, and is, successful because Sean Combs has a piece of the brand, is very connected to the brand, and really controls how it shows up in public. People know his attachment to it is authentic. Same with Matthew McConaughey. It’s a very authentic connection to Wild Turkey. People don’t see him as just this paid spokesman who’s trying to trade on his name. They really, truly believe he loves that bourbon.

Z: That’s the difference. You have to believe that the celebrity drinks the thing that you’re buying. In the luxury realm, if someone has a sponsorship with Burberry and they wear Burberry a lot, it probably helps. But, no one expects that’s the only clothing they’ll ever wear.

With beverage alcohol, it has to be plausible that the celebrity would actually drink this stuff. You can’t fake that. People’s detectors are good enough on that kind of stuff, that a product that does not align with a celebrity’s public image in any way would have a really hard time.

A: I think that’s 100 percent on point. It’s why Kendall Jenner got so much crap when she released her tequila. Everyone thought, “Drinking 1942 doesn’t mean that you know how to make tequila.” That’s great that she loves that product. It’s a great product, but that doesn’t mean she should be making tequila. That doesn’t mean people should believe she has any connection to it and that she’s going to be someone people believe is passionate enough about this, that she’s going to make a great liquid, which she probably is not.

Z: There’s also this cultural appropriation element to it, too. It’s going to be much more pertinent with something like tequila than with gin, say.

I have one other question in this space for both of you: Do you think that this social media age that we’re in now is part of the reason why this works? Celebrities just have such incredible followings. These days, that following is so unfiltered. You can literally follow them on whatever social media platform. It gives them that direct access that must be like a slot machine going off in a beverage alcohol company’s brain. They don’t have to pay for placement in a magazine or on TV this way.

If the celebrity’s got a piece of it, they’ll want to post about it because it’s money in their pocket. They can live it through social media, which is the only way any of us ever access them anyhow, and it feels authentic. Ten years ago, no matter how passionate someone might have been about a product, it was going to be very hard. You had to play ball with publications to get that message out. It was uncertain whether you’d reach your audience. Now, you know you can reach your audience because your audience is hanging on your every post.

J: I don’t follow Cameron Diaz on Instagram, but I peeked at her Instagram recently. It was all Avaline. She lives it.

Z: On social media, at least.

A: Why don’t we listen to this interview I did with Brett Berish of Sovereign Brands. He’s created Ace of Spades, D’USSE, Luc Belaire, and a bunch of really amazing brands with a bunch of very famous people, including Jay-Z and Rick Ross.

CONVERSATION WITH BRETT BERISH, FOUNDER AND CEO OF SOVEREIGN BRANDS

A: I am super excited to be talking to Brett Berish, who is the founder and CEO of Sovereign Brands. Brett, thank you so much for joining me.

Brett Berish: Thanks, Adam. Happy to be on.

A: Can you give me a little bit of background on yourself and on Sovereign?

B: Yes. I grew up in the liquor industry.

A: Are we talking about being born into it?

B: Born into it, in different capacities. I like to think that we’re third generation. My grandparents on my mother’s side were distributors in Madison, Wis. My dad worked for the same liquor company for 45 years. I have three older brothers and what we all remember best about being christened into liquor was when we were in first grade. We walked to school with bottles in our hands to take them to teachers as gifts.

A: That’s amazing.

B: We were always around it. I grew up in this industry based on my father. That’s all he ever talked about. He has a true passion for it.

A: That’s awesome. You’ve created some pretty famous brands. I’d love it if we could chat about that and what made you start Sovereign. You started Ace of Spades, which a lot of people are very well aware of now, thanks to Jay-Z. There’s D’USSE, which is his Cognac. How did that happen? How did you start creating these brands and how did you do it with someone like Jay-Z?

B: I’m in the liquor and wine space, so that’s all I know. I’m a fan of music. I’m a fan of sports. I couldn’t do music. I couldn’t do sports. All the brands were created for the industry, though. It’s based on me and my team thinking, “Can we make a product better? Can we do better in the Champagne category? Can we do better in the rum category? Can we do better in the gin category?”

The basis of all the brands are based on that. How we then roll them out and put ourselves into lifestyle, that’s organic. If I use a brand, like our Bumbu rum, it’s the No. 1 rum in Canada. No one from my company, and I, have never been there. With Jay or anybody else, everything is organic for me. I don’t want to force brands into anybody’s hands. I’m the guy who wants to discover things, and I think consumers want to discover things.

A: How did you get into collaborating with artists? There’s so many brands that want to be able to do that. There’s not a lot of people who’ve really ever done it and done it to your level of success. Someone may have done one brand with an artist and the brand doesn’t work for one reason or another. I have to assume, prior to Ace of Spades, you had done other things. How did that come about?

B: It’s such a tough question to answer. If you think about it, there are so many celebrities that have had brands and wine and spirits is one space. For so many celebrities, it hasn’t worked. I think that I’m fortunate in that the brands we create, there’s a place for them. They should exist.

When we worked with Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Post Malone, or A Boogie, it’s not like I knew these people. There wasn’t a relationship that I had with them before the brands. The relationship exists because of the brands. They found them. They drank them. They pursued them. It was something they already saw. Rick Ross was the biggest fan of Belaire, but Belaire was out for two years before I ever met Rick.

A: Oh, wow. I didn’t realize that.

B: It’s that way with all the brands. Sometimes celebrities get involved. I used to say that Martha Stewart was a huge fan of Ace of Spades. She has nothing to do with the brand but she loved the brand. It almost takes on a whole persona, but that’s what you want. That’s a good brand.

A: Right. In terms of something like Ace of Spades, was that something that you created initially and then got connected with Jay-Z, or was that something that you created together? In the legend of Ace of Spades, everyone tells that story of how Jay-Z decided to start drinking or making that Champagne. Is that legend true? Was it because he really didn’t want to drink Cristal anymore and wanted his own thing? And did he come to you?

B: One has nothing to do with the other. I was developing a brand. So, if I had you at my office, I would let you taste it and show you everything I’m doing. I like getting people’s opinions and reactions. We don’t do market research. It’s just very organic. Like a lot of things I do, people hear and talk about it. Ace of Spades existed, the Armand de Brignac, and Jay and his team heard about this brand as many other people did. They wanted to see and experience it. Fortunately, I didn’t give any bottles, because they’re expensive. He bought bottles, became familiar with it, and loved the brand. That’s normal in everything we do. People find it and discover it, just like my Canada example. They’re finding it, discovering it, and holding on to it. That’s what I hope for all our brands.

A: How much do you think packaging has to do — and how striking so much of the packaging of the brands that you create — with the finding and discovering process? A lot of times we want to believe packaging isn’t as important. We say, “Oh, it’s all about the liquid.” A lot of what makes your brands pop is that packaging. It’s what causes someone to take it off the shelf in the first place. How much do you think about that?

B: It’s huge for me. There’s two things, and they go hand in hand. There are gorgeous packages, designs, and bottles out there. If the liquid isn’t good, no one’s ever going to come back. There are brands that have tremendous liquid. What’s in the bottle is fantastic. If the package doesn’t stand out though, you may just never notice it.

To me, both sides matter. I’m the little guy. I’m competing against the Diageos and the Bacardis. I don’t have their money. Package becomes even more important because it’s the most important thing you have to try to stand out. I think we’ve done a good job. Again, it’s all organic. It’s all developed in house. We’re creating, what I always hope, is an iconic image and feeling. My goal is always that I want you to buy two bottles — one to put on the shelf and one to open. That’s my goal.

A: Nice. Do you try to have a relationship with someone attached to the brand in each brand you create? Do you want some of the brands you create to live without an association with Rick Ross or Jay-Z?

B: I’m not smart enough to know what works and what doesn’t. I can go back to my example that there are major celebrities in every single industry, and brands don’t work. For everybody who thinks that their next video they put on Instagram is going to go viral, it never does.

The way I build brands and the way I think about it is that my product is better than what I’m competing against. My job is to get people to taste it and see where it goes. I’ll give you an example in our industry that you’ll appreciate. There’s an expression. You sell it on premise to bars and restaurants to then sell at retail. That’s what everybody thinks. That’s the norm.

A: Right. On premise is what makes you famous, then you want everyone to buy an off premise. Totally. That’s the standard model that everyone uses.

B: Had I thought — for Belaire, for example — that it had to be an on-premise brand and that’s the only way it would ever work, I wouldn’t have realized the reality, which is what happened. We’re 10 years in and we’re 98 percent retail.

A: Wow.

B: Everything is just about letting things breathe. See where a brand works and where it achieves success. Build on that. I think of that with everything I do. I’m not smart enough to know where it should go. I have a North Star. I know where I want to go, but how I get there is going to change every day.

A: It seems like you have a little bit of a specialty, right? You’ve done two Cognacs. You’ve done a bunch of sparkling. Is that because you love those products? It’s a sweet spot? How much are you looking at data to see where the opportunity is? I am always so curious how much someone like yourself, who is truly an alcohol entrepreneur and launching different brands, is looking at data and the market to figure out what that next brand is.

B: I look at no data.

A: Oh, wow. OK.

B: Nothing. I consume my brands. I was never a rum drinker until I started drinking rum. I was never a gin drinker until I started drinking it and learning about it. There’s no category that I’m not interested in. I just have to consume it and become familiar with it. Then, it becomes a question of, “Can I come up with a better product than exists? Can I come up with a story that’s better than something else out there that exists?” Because of my dad, I know whiskey so well. It’s easy to me. Only in the past year or so have we come up with what we think is going to make a difference, but I can’t force it. I’m not going to put out a brand just to put out a brand. The second thing I’d say is that the only thing I do look at is if everybody’s running one way. I don’t want to go that way. I want to go somewhere else.

A: So, everyone is circling around premium tequila right now. Is that what you’re saying?

B: Correct. A perfect example is rum. Bumbu is the single largest premium rum now in the U.S. It’s No. 1 in the U.K., Canada, Latvia, Czech. When we launched that five years ago, our industry told us, “Don’t do it. You should go to tequila. Tequila’s the hot thing.” To me. it’s not about that. I want to do things that we feel really good about what we created. It doesn’t matter the category. I think I can compete. It doesn’t matter the category as long as I have a discernible difference in a product.

A: Interesting. I’m curious about your thoughts. As someone that has launched so many great brands, done well, and has sometimes done it with celebrity partners, what do you make of this massive celebrity tequila movement? Do you think it’s a bubble that’s going to burst anytime soon? Do you think there are things about the spirits industry that people don’t realize who are getting in right now?

B: I’d love to give you a thoughtful answer. To me, it’s still about the product. It has to be a good tasting product. It has to have a story. I don’t drink brands because of somebody. I’m drinking the brand because I have a connection to it. I like the taste. That has longevity. It’s hard for me to answer because I don’t think like that. I only think about it from the perspective that it’s all about the brand. It’s not about who’s tied to it. It’s all about the brand.

A: The only person I think that is probably also as well known as you for launching brands like this is Ken Austin. He has said to us before — and it seems like you’re giving a similar answer — that it’s about the brand and for a lot of this, it’s about being all in. I think a lot of people who get involved in the alcohol world don’t realize how much of a grind it is and how much authenticity really matters. Do you agree with that?

B: Oh, completely. It’s history, authenticity, the taste profile, the look and feel. It has to have a connection. I remember 30 years ago, being at a club in South Beach with my dad, and someone ordered a bottle of Ketel One. I’d never heard of it before. I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. That became the brand I wanted to consume.

Consumers need a connection. They need a real connection to the brand. If you’re banking on celebrity, to me, that’s not it. I don’t know how to build brands that way. For every Conor McGregor, there’s 1,000 other ones that didn’t make it. I don’t know why his brand made it. No clue. I couldn’t give you an answer as to what’s the recipe for that.

A: Interesting. There’s a lot of noise from marketing executives that millennials and Gen Z aren’t brand loyal. They don’t care about brands anymore. Do you buy that?

B: No. Brands just have to have meaning to you. They have to have a soul. They have to have a connection. When we first did our brand with Ace, we didn’t have social media. It was built based on traditional block and tackling articles, magazines, newspapers, and blogs.

When we did Belaire, Instagram started coming. We thought, “Wow, that’s kind of neat. You get to see how people react to your brand.” Now, take Bumbu. Bumbu has more followers on Instagram than any brand of rum — more than Captain Morgan and Bacardi. They have billion dollar budgets. I don’t spend any money on advertising. I’m connecting with the consumer. To me, that means something. My brand has a meaning to them, just like it has a meaning to me. I tell people all the time, the way I think about our brands is that they’re my children. You’ve got to get them to learn to walk, talk, and position them. You need to see where they need help and where they don’t need help. That’s how I do it. Sometimes, not having a plan is a really good plan. As long as you can pivot constantly, you’ll get there.

A: It’s really interesting. When you have the idea for these brands, where do the names come from?

B: For the names, the bottles, and the icons, I’ll see something. I’ll have an idea. I’ll think of something. Then, I park them. Take Bumbu. When we were learning about rum, I ended up learning that in the 14th century, when merchants who traveled the West Indies drank rum, they didn’t like the taste of it. That was called grog. That was their normal rum. They started blending their own and they called it bumbu. It’s almost like you’re birthing an idea from that. You get it. That’s where the inspiration came from.

Villon’s story is just so cool. In the 14th century, there was a poet named François Villon in France. He was an iconoclast who went against the grain. He fought against bad cops and the government. He was kicked out of Paris. He ultimately was killed by a monk. Some people think the word villain comes from Villon. That’s the brand’s soul. It’s going against everybody else in this category. The names, bottles, and designs are all done in house. They’re all critical to me in how you build that loyalty with a consumer.

A: That’s really fascinating. Well, Brett, it has been really interesting to talk to you. I really appreciate you taking the time to tell us a little bit more about yourself and the brands that you’re building. I think all the people who listen are familiar with at least one, if not many of them. I love the way that you talk about how you’re thinking about the brand, how it fits into people’s lives, and that attachment. I think a lot of people who listen are probably pretty jealous that you don’t spend any money on advertising. So, congrats to you for all that success. Thank you so much again for joining me.

B: Thanks, Adam. Really appreciate being able to talk about our industry. New brands are the lifeblood of the industry, so I love it.

THE VINEPAIR TEAM TRIES SNOOP DOGG’S 19 CRIMES CALI RED WINE

A: That was a super-fun interview. Brett was really great. Let’s jump into this, though. There’s a lot of celebrity wines we could have chosen to taste today, but the one we all have in front of us is Snoop Dogg’s. It’s just been everywhere recently. It’s called 19 Crimes. This is a perfect example of a collaboration. I don’t think Snoop has any ownership in this. He probably gets paid very well.

Z: Treasury folks, I know you listen, if you want to let us know exactly what you’re paying him, that’d be cool.

A: Seriously, Treasury. Hook us up. It jumped every other 19 Crimes, which was already wildly successful. This is what I see now, everywhere. I think he’s come out with a rosé, too, which also proves that this has got to be the most successful in the entire line. I’m standing for this.

Z: Is that out of respect, or what?

J: He’s only associated with his picks, right? Like, the Snoop Cali Red?

A: Yeah. The other 19 Crimes with a guy from Australia is how the brand started and then they connected with him. I think that this is way more successful than anything else. Don’t quote me, if you want to email me and tell me, Adam, you’re wrong, cool. I think it is very successful. I’ve never had it before.

Z: Let’s talk a little bit about this. Everyone has seen this bottle, presumably, if you’ve ever been in a grocery store before.

A: It’s full black. You can’t see the wine in it.

Z: It’s definitely a matte finish, a little translucent. It fits the broader 19 Crimes look, but it’s also very distinctly its own thing. That’s in part because it’s got Snoop Dogg’s face on it, which is pretty recognizable.

A: Literally the foil around the whole neck says “Snoop.”.

Z: The cork, if you haven’t gotten it open yet, has his visage on it as well, which is cool. That’s going in my cork collection.

A: It’s a little weird quirk at the top.

Z: I’m actually mildly surprised that this wine has a cork. This might have been a thing that would have made sense with a screw cap.

A: Oh, my gosh. It’s hilarious. As you’re pulling the cork out, it’s his face.

Z: Oh, yeah. Snoop stares at you. We’ve been doing this whole recording with him kind of glaring at me. It’s mildly intimidating.

A: It’s kind of cool.

Z: It’s very, very dark in color, unsurprisingly.

A: It’s very purple.

Z: Joanna, have you tried it yet?

J: I have not.

Z: And Adam, you have not tasted it yet, right?

A: I have not tasted it.

Z: OK. Joanna, do you think this wine will be sweet or not?

J: Oh, I don’t think it will be sweet. Is it sweet?

Z: Well, taste it and tell us.

A: Are you quizzing everybody or just Joanna?

Z: OK, do you think it will be sweet, Adam, or not?

A: I think it’s going to be sweet, but deceptively so. It’s going to have sugar, but it’s not going to be in your face like Moscato. Now, do I taste it?

Z: Yeah, go for it.

J: It’s sweet.

A: It’s sweet, but like I said, it’s deceptively so. This wine is very well engineered.

Z: Oh, yeah.

A: This is a flavor lab, we’re going to figure out how to deliver this at exactly—

J: Like blending? Is that what you mean?

A: Oh, they are doing a lot more than that.

Z: Oh Joanna, you sweet summer child.

A: This wine is sweet. It’s almost no tannin.

Z: And almost no acidity. It’s very, very smooth.

A: This is what someone thinks of when they say they want a smooth wine. It’s super dark. This is like crushed velvet.

Z: My thinking on this wine when I first tasted it is that their inspiration for this wine was, “How do we make a $12 bottle of the Prisoner?”

A: That’s 100 percent what that is.

Z: The Prisoner is not this sweet. It has more tannin, but it has that very smooth blended fruit character. I interviewed the winemaker, Chrissy Wittmann, a while back. She talked about how one of the huge things for Prisoner is that they know that their drinkers want to drink the wine right away. They’re not going to age it. The tannins have to be very supple and integrated. They go for a lot of fruit ripeness, and that’s what they’re going for. Maybe all of 19 Crimes is trying to piggyback a little bit on that vague esthetic. But, this feels to me like, “What can we make that we can sell that’s basically the Prisoner, but we can sell it in every gas station and grocery store around the country?”

J: Maximally appealing.

Z: It’s not bad. My wife was very curious to try it. She said, “This is the kind of wine that if someone invited me over to have wine and chocolate, this is the wine they should serve me.”

J: Oh, interesting.

Z: I think it’s a good point. It’s a good wine for that kind of thing.

A: It has a little acidity, but you’re right. There’s not a lot of oak either.

Z: The other thing about this … there’s almost no aftertaste to this wine. It’s gone almost instantly. What does that make you want to do? It makes you want to fill the glass and drink again. It’s a drink-the-whole-bottle kind of thing.

A: This wine is so engineered. It’s crazy. Wow, this is awesome. I feel like we didn’t hate it. I would not buy it, but I also really understand why people love it. I didn’t think it was disgusting. I don’t hate it. Zach, I think your wife is right. If you had a wine and chocolate event, I could get down with this. It’s an interesting beverage. To me, is it an interesting wine? No. It’s an interesting beverage, though.

J: Maybe I’d mull this wine.

A: Ooh, yeah.

Z: I think it could be a great wine for sangria. It’d be a great wine for making a New York Sour, a cocktail with red wine.

A: Or a Kalimotxo.

Z: It’s cool stuff. Glad I finally had an excuse to try it. I’ve seen it sitting out in the grocery store for years now.

A: Me too. Well guys, talk to you Monday.

J: See ya.

Z: Sounds great.

Thanks so much for listening to the “VinePair Podcast.” If you love this show as much as we love making it, please leave us a rating or review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever it is you get your podcasts. It really helps everyone else discover the show.

Now, for the credits, VinePair is produced and recorded in New York City and Seattle, Washington, by myself and Zach Geballe, who does all the editing and loves to get the credit. Also, I would love to give a special shout-out to my VinePair co-founder, Josh Malin, for helping make all this possible and also to Keith Beavers, VinePair’s tastings director, who is additionally a producer on the show. I also want to, of course, thank every other member of the VinePair team who are instrumental in all of the ideas that go into making the show every week. Thanks so much for listening, and we’ll see you again.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article VinePair Podcast: Do We Really Need More Celebrity Booze? appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/podcast-celebrity-booze/

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dentharveys-blog · 7 years ago

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Gold Hoop Earrings Could Overhaul Your Looks

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rhythmofafrica-com · 4 years ago

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Interview: STA7CK on African House, Brooklyn's Techno Scene

RISING STAR

On staying true to his roots and bringing African house to the masses.

by E.R. Pulgar for POPDUST // 11.18.2016

Deep house aficionado STA7CK (pronounced "stark") grew up in a multi-cultural household. Surrounded by French music and old soul tunes, he remains deeply entrenched in his West African roots, which have become a part of his life in the form of Rhythm of Afrika, a monthly dance party that brings African sounds to Brooklyn and Queen's nightlife. His parties have gained momentum and recognition in recent months despite still being relatively new, and he has found himself at the forefront of increasing awareness of African culture in electronic music.

We sat down with him to talk about the unique lens of an African techno musician in Bushwick, and what exactly he wants to leave behind in New York City's music scene.

How did you get your start?

I started out as a dubstep DJ. I played dubstep, drum and bass, and grime music, which is part of African diaspora music. Then, I stopped and started focusing on managing. So what happened is that one day my artist's just stopped working with me; they got poached by another agency. I got depressed for a while and decided to shut down the agency and work on myself instead of other people.

Tell me about that.

The music we push is African house music, kuduro music, Afrobeat, African music... anything that's hot coming out of the continent or the diaspora. Grime, french pop, reggae. We just take all these elements and put them into one thing. I was born in a French-speaking country in West Africa. I went to school in Paris, and came to New York at a very young age because my mother lived here. When I was a kid, my parents divorced and my mother moved to America. I was living with my father, and then at 12 or 13 I moved to America. I was a kid who was passionate about our culture, and I wanted to put all these elements into one thing. I grew up around popular African diaspora music and American pop music, so i wanted to put all that together.

And growing up in that multi cultural environment, do you remember any song you first fell in love with?

It was hip-hop. R&B. You know, soul music.

Any artist in specific?

I like oldies.

Otis Redding?

[Teddy] Pendergrass, James Brown, Earth, Wind and Fire, Musiq Soulchild, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Carl Thomas, Luther Vandross, Kanye, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, N.E.R.D, Pharrell, Future, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Biggie, Bob Marley, Lenny Kravitz, Raphael Saadiq, Linking Park, Coldplay, Phil Collins, 2 Chainz, some Drake, 12th Planet, Diplo, Skrillex, Major Lazer, Sintra, Serge Gainsbourg I really love their music. As far as African music, I like African reggae artists: Tiken Jah Fakoly, WizKid, Davido, Tekno, Fuse ODG, Disiz, La Fouine, Stromae, Corneile, Skepta, Stormzy, JME, Wiley, Section Boyz, Sexion D'Assaut, Kaysha, Magic System, Boddhi Satva, Djeff Afrozilla, Fela Kuti, Salif Keita, Lucky Dube, Prince Nico Mbarga

How does a Rhythm of Afrika party usually go? What can people expect?

A lot of dope music that you've probably never heard of before. Afrobeat, deep house, soulful house.... This is the music I grew up around. Afro deep house. Could be anything; traditional West African music, Mende folk music. I DJ that, we DJ urban American music: hip hop, R&B, electro. It all has to be African, deep in the diaspora.

Any contemporaries you are influenced by or listening to now?

I'm listening to a lot of African stuff: Djeff Afrozila. I hung out with him the other day, actually. I like Black Coffee. He was here last week for Halloween at Brooklyn Hangar. I dig that the industry is still building, so i think around this time next year we'll have a steady flow. We still have all the pioneers, all the dope DJs on the rise. I feel like by this time next year, we'll have something big going.

Did you do anything for the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival?

I tried to get booked. I guess when people hear African music… we're still not sexy yet (laughs). That's the whole reason I created this thing; growing up as an African in New York, I've noticed Africans aren't branded properly. We don't have a "cool" brand, we're not telling our own stories. We have a lot of outsiders going to Africa to tell our stories for us, so we're not really putting our own images out there. I did this to tell my own story, because every time I go out into the world as an African man, it's a stupid conversation. People who don't really understand the culture or people of Africa say "oh, you live in a teepee." And I'm like "come on bro, we got cities." We got a comedy culture, a dance culture, we have festivals, we have fashion shows.

When people focus on the tragedies that happen, which happen everywhere––England, Paris, Sandy Hook, Belgium, all these places––this paints a negative image of Africa, and doesn't even stay in the headlines for a long time. But when it happens in Africa, the world writes about it and it just stays there. When u google an african country like Soweto in South Africa, you see pics from the 70s or 60s, Google doesn't refresh the content.

It's very Euro-centric.

And they don't focus on the culture that's there; they only focus on the bad things. Bad things happen everywhere, in Munich, in France, in Belgium. But when you come to Africa, that's the only thing the media focuses on, so my collective wants to fight that stereotype. We're not what the media has been portraying for decades.

And by pushing your collective through the unique the lens of the unapologetically African man living and making music in Bushwick––a rapidly gentrifying area where indie rock thrives more than electronic–– what mark do you hope to leave on NYC's music scene?

Dope parties, man! Dope parties, and changing the viewpoint of how black people are viewed in the media. It's not just about the music, but it's about the social issues behind that. It's about the fashion, the changes in the world. I want to leave cool parties and create opportunities for other young black people. What we see in the media does not represent a lot of us. The reason I created this is because when you go on, say, World Star Hip Hop, it's a whole other vibe. People posing with guns and shit, and it's like…. That's not just blackness. There's a whole wide variety of back people; there's only, like 10% that are into that.

We have people who love soul, people who love R&B, people who love Britney Spears, people who love rap music. I created this collective to show the other black experience while highlighting African culture. I hope to create a space and a platform for young black artists and anyone influenced by black music and culture, so we can go and create something. I also look to build connections with a lot of venues, release new records on my label, and again, just dope parties, man.

Keep up with Rhythm of Afrika on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

#STA7CK #music #fashion #lifestyle #Arts & Culture #Interviews #africa #african #afro #news #film #business #sports #ArtAndCultures

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lifejustgotawkward · 7 years ago

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My Favorite Albums of 2017

10. TLC, TLC

Standout Tracks: “Way Back” (feat. Snoop Dogg), “Perfect Girls,” “Start a Fire,” “American Gold,” “Scandalous,” “Joy Ride”

From the moment TLC’s self-titled, fifth and final album kicks off with the vibrant opener “No Introduction,” a contradictory yet inspiring reminder of this R&B girl group’s indomitable spirit, I knew that I was in a for a good time. I’m so glad that Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas returned to the studio for a follow-up to 3D, which came out shortly after Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ death in 2002. T-Boz and Chilli bring elements of R&B, pop and funk to TLC, infusing many tracks with a 90s-throwback vibe that never feels dated. Lead single “Way Back" is the album’s best example of that particular style, but I love the atmospheres created by acoustic guitar on the empowerment anthem “Perfect Girls” and on the sultry ballad “Start a Fire,” as well as the social commentary of “American Gold,” the braggadocio of “Scandalous” and the retro groove of album closer “Joy Ride.” I can’t tell you how encouraging it is to know that T-Boz and Chilli are still crazy, sexy and cool enough to put together an album this enjoyable from start to finish.

9. Feist, Pleasure

Standout Tracks: “Pleasure,” “Any Party,” “A Man Is Not His Song,” “Century” (feat. Jarvis Cocker), “Baby Be Simple,” “I’m Not Running Away“

Feist’s Pleasure is a slow-burner. Like the title track, the album as a whole takes a while to warm up, but after a while I found that the melodies had stuck with me and didn’t leave. Without question the best song on the album is “Century,” an uptempo masterwork of songwriting, performance and production; many of the album’s highlights have relaxed paces, though, and it’s hard to argue against the loveliness of “A Man Is Not His Song” (which has my favorite lines from Pleasure: “A man is not his song/And I’m not a story/But I wanna sing along/If he's singing it for me”), “Baby Be Simple” (which, dare I say it, begins to feel magical at the 4:39 mark) and “I’m Not Running Away.”

8. Marika Hackman, I’m Not Your Man

Standout Tracks: “Boyfriend,” “Gina’s World,” “My Lover Cindy,” “Apple Tree,” “So Long,” “Eastbound Train”

The rock influences of the 1990s are all over English singer-songwriter’s Marika Hackman’s second full-length album. This is a good thing, like how opening track/lead single “Boyfriend” recalls Radiohead’s “My Iron Lung” and how “Gina’s World” contains echoes of Nirvana. And for my money, “My Lover Cindy” is probably the #1 song of the year; with a dark sense of humor and sunny guitar licks, it’s an ideal pop-rock jewel that will lodge in your brain and never leave.

I love that Hackman’s songs wittily observe the highs and lows of queer identity while maintaining a universality that every music fan can appreciate. With I’m Not Your Man, Hackman has shot to the top of my list of the most talented women in indie rock right now, alongside Angel Olsen and Courtney Barnett.

7. Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie (aka Buckingham/McVie)

Standout Tracks: "In My World,” “Red Sun,” “Lay Down for Free,” “Game of Pretend,” “On with the Show,” “Carnival Begin”

It may be uncool or corny to admit it, but I love the recent album by Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie. Few critics feel the same way, but what can I say? I’m a sucker for a well-crafted tune. Buckingham/McVie, as they are often credited, have been in this business for half a century, so it’s safe to say that they know a thing or two about how to make memorable music. Whether you’re a fan of the duo from back in their peak Fleetwood Mac days or you’re a younger listener who just wants to savor some great earworms, you can’t go wrong with the infectious melodies of “In My World” and “On with the Show” and the slower, more sensual motion of “Carnival Begin.”

6. Texas, Jump on Board

Standout Tracks: “It Was Up to You,” “Tell That Girl,” “Sending a Message,” “Great Romances,” “Won’t Let You Down,” “Round the World”

Like the Buckingham/McVie album, Jump on Board by Scottish band Texas was labeled mediocre by most music critics. But I knew that Texas’s tenth studio album (their debut, Southside, came out in 1989) would be fun before I even heard it; I’ve been a fan for years, ever since I heard a charming BBC Radio interview with lead singer Sharleen Spiteri - isn’t that a fantastic name for a rock band frontwoman? - and the radio show’s host played the wonderful Texas song “Detroit City.” I became an immediate devotee of the group and have adored their work ever since. Jump on Board’s “Tell That Girl” has a similarly 80s-ish aura, but the sound branches out on “Won’t Let You Down,” which evokes classic Pretenders ballads; “Great Romances” (my personal favorite), which borrows its beat from the Angels’ “My Boyfriend’s Back”; the shimmering rhythms of “It Was Up to You” (like updated disco, reminiscent of Roxy Music and solo Bryan Ferry); and the smoldering rockabilly voodoo of “Sending a Message.”

P.S. Last year, Sharleen Spiteri wrote a really nice piece for The Guardian about Harry Dean Stanton, whose film Paris, Texas sparked her band’s name. If you haven’t read it, please do.

5. Father John Misty, Pure Comedy

Standout Tracks: “Pure Comedy,” “Total Entertainment Forever,” “Ballad of the Dying Man,” “When the God of Love Returns There’ll Be Hell to Pay,” “The Memo,” “So I’m Growing Old on Magic Mountain“

Full disclosure: I don’t know much about Father John Misty, outside of some essays and reviews I’ve read over the years. I’m not familiar with his catalog prior to Pure Comedy, although I keep telling myself that I’ll listen to Fear Fun and I Love You, Honeybear, in addition to his releases under the “J. Tillman” name, at some point. As a newbie who approached his Pure Comedy album from what I hope is a fairly fresh perspective, I must say I’m impressed. I know that his music is polarizing and engenders a lot of “masterpiece”/”overrated hack” arguments, but I like when that happens with artists; it makes me think that they’re doing something right to inspire such extreme views.

The lyrics on this album are superior to just about everything else that has been released this year and I could easily put a spotlight on nearly every song, although “Total Entertainment Forever” - the first track I heard prior to the album’s release - is the one that will probably stay with me the longest, capturing our freaky zeitgeist with insight, morbid humor and a little snazzy saxophone. There’s no way to top the sheer audacity of its opening lines: “Bedding Taylor Swift/Every night inside the Oculus Rift/After mister and the missus finish dinner and the dishes/And now the future's definition is so much higher than it was last year/It's like the images have all become real/And someone's living my life for me out in the mirror...” Truly a songwriter for these bizarre, unbelievable times.

4. Lana Del Rey, Lust for Life

Standout Tracks: “Lust for Life” (feat. The Weeknd), “Cherry,” “When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing,” “Tomorrow Never Came” (feat. Sean Ono Lennon), “Change,” “Get Free”

Lust for Life is the first Lana Del Rey album that I have loved from beginning to end. I wasn’t enamored of the opening track, “Love,” when I first heard it last year, but hearing it in the context of the entire album has given me a renewed admiration for the lushly produced songscapes that Del Rey creates. You really fall into a different world when you listen to her music.

“Lust for Life” is yet another 2017 song to reference “My Boyfriend’s Back” (as well as having “do-do-do-dos” similar to Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”), while the lyrics of “Cherry” allude to the classic duet “Summer Wine” by two of Del Rey’s heroes, Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. “Beautiful People Beautiful Problems” and “Tomorrow Never Came” are collaborations with Stevie Nicks and Sean Ono Lennon, respectively, while the uplifting album closer “Get Free” cites Neil Young (”out of the black... into the blue”) and the chord progression of Radiohead’s “Creep” (Lana’s not alone; Angel Olsen kind of did that too on her single “Fly on Your Wall,” although the bigger similarity is with Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over”). But my absolute favorite track on Lust for Life is “Change,” a haunting statement about realizing the abilities we all have to learn, grow and improve our world that pays homage to Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” along the way.

3. Blondie, Pollinator

Standout Tracks: “Doom or Destiny” (feat. Joan Jett), “Long Time,” “Fun,” “My Monster,” “Too Much,” “Fragments”

If there is any truth we can rely on in this weird world of ours, it’s that Blondie can always deliver top-quality records. Pollinator, the renowned band’s eleventh album since 1976 (they were on hiatus during 1982-1997), has the same glorious New Wave/pop-punk dynamism that Debbie Harry and company have gifted us with for these past forty years. They worked with some excellent collaborators this time around, featuring Joan Jett on the chorus of “Doom or Destiny” (which has a terrific, politically charged music video), as well as the lyrical contributions of Blood Orange (aka Dev Hynes) on “Long Time” and Johnny Marr on “My Monster,” plus a cover of “Fragments” by An Unkindness (Adam Johnston). Chris Stein is still a legend on the guitar and Clem Burke - in my most humble of opinions - continues to be one of the best rock drummers on the planet, worthy of going toe to toe with anyone half (or even a third) his age. Extra special mention goes to the Greg Cohen Spirit of 79 remix of “Fun,” which is even better than the version on the album.

2. Harry Styles, Harry Styles

Standout Tracks: “Meet Me in the Hallway,” “Sign of the Times,” “Carolina,” “Only Angel,” “Ever Since New York,” “Woman”

I was never a serious follower of the ultra-successful boy band One Direction, but you can put me down as a fan of “What Makes You Beautiful,” “One Thing” and “Temporary Fix.” Those are three genuinely delightful songs. So I looked forward to what Harry Styles had to offer as an individual performer, interested in what, uh, styles (sorry) he would display on his first solo effort. Luckily, his self-titled debut turned out to be an entertaining achievement, filled with the exuberance and sincerity of a man eager to forge his own path in the music industry. I knew as soon as the album’s first song, “Meet Me in the Hallway,” began that this was not going to be a typical millennial endeavor, and I remained impressed throughout the next nine tracks. I applaud young Mr. Styles’ high levels of ambition.

Worldwide hit “Sign of the Times” has timeless appeal, while “Only Angel” and “Kiwi” burst with brazen vigor, “Woman” is a soulful jam and the love songs “Two Ghosts,” “Sweet Creature” and the Badfinger-inspired “Ever Since New York” are more quietly impactful. Styles shows further maturity on the album closer, “From the Dining Table,” perhaps not lyrically but certainly from an artistic POV. If I have to pick one favorite cut from the album above all, though, I might have to go with “Carolina,” Styles’ most exuberant ode to his muses from the 70s. (I especially love the la-la-las in the background vocals.) Does Harry Styles want to be David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Marc Bolan and Pete Ham, all at the same time? Yeah, probably. But it works for me.

1. Slowdive, Slowdive

Standout Tracks: “Star Roving,” “Don’t Know Why,” “Sugar for the Pill,” “Everyone Knows,” “No Longer Making Time,” “Falling Ashes”

In the early 90s, Slowdive was a pioneering band in the shoegaze subgenre of indie rock, lending the dreamy vocals and guitar sounds of Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead to the albums Just for a Day (1991) and Souvlaki (1993), in addition to the more experimental textures of Pygmalion (1995). (Some favorites of mine from this era include "Spanish Air," "Brighter" and "When the Sun Hits.") The group - which I gather was pretty underrated in their early years, never popular with mainstream listeners and disliked by music critics - disbanded shortly after the critical and commercial failures of that third album, but Slowdive’s triumphant reunion in 2014 led to their latest, self-titled release. And it’s incredible.

Slowdive is only eight tracks long, but each one shines in a unique way. “Slomo” is a perfect opener, slowly unfolding with a classic Slowdive ambience. The feeling endures as the album progresses, especially beautifully in “Don’t Know Why,” which melts my ears into heavenly bliss and is definitely one of my top five favorite songs of the year, and in the final track, “Falling Ashes,” an eight-minute epic propelled by an insistent piano hook. You could listen to any of Slowdive’s recordings, though, and be dazed by the constant splendor. More than any other album in 2017, Slowdive fused past, present and future to shape a collection that glows with both alt-rock imagination and delicate, poignant finesse.

HONORABLE MENTIONS (alphabetical)

Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rest (”Lying with You,” “Kate,” “Deadly Valentine,” “I’m a Lie,” “Les Oxalis”)

Valerie June, The Order of Time (”Shakedown,” “If And,” “Man Done Wrong,” “Just in Time,” “Slip Slide on By”)

Angel Olsen, Phases [B-sides, rarities, covers and new recordings] (”Fly on Your Wall,” “Special,” “Sweet Dreams,” “For You,” “How Many Disasters”)

Phoenix, Ti Amo (”J-Boy,” ”Ti Amo,” “Goodbye Soleil,” “Fleur de Lys,” “Role Model”)

Ride, Weather Diaries (”Lannoy Point,” “Charm Assault,” “All I Want,” “Home Is a Feeling,” “Cali”)

Alexandra Savior, Belladonna of Sadness (”Audeline,” “Cupid,” “’Til You’re Mine,” “Vanishing Point,” “Mystery Girl”)

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rossnelsonn · 7 years ago

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Icon Set Progress

As I had decided to create a hip hop icon set and from research posted earlier, I have spent a lot of time browsing Pinterest looking for examples. I have noticed there is not many such sets. I didn’t jump straight in to designing on Illustrator, so I drew up a mind map and a list of possible artists. From all these inspirations, I started to see clearly the style I wanted and this gave me the opportunity to sketch a set that would get attention and be different from the ones I have posted about.

Then, I had to decide what or who I was designing these 12 icons for. It was to be a saleable set and I thought that they could be used in making car air fresheners, logos, stickers, coffee cup mats, tee shirts, to name some examples.

In order to create a flat portrait of the various hip hop artists, I scanned my sketches which gave me an outline to work from. I started by making a flat illustration of the head which ultimately shaped the face. The next layer was the eyes and eyebrows, followed by the mouth. Next I drew the artist’s hairstyle and any clothing such as bandanas, hats and/or sunglasses. Next I added their ears. The jawlines were thickened in each icon by increasing the stroke which I felt gave a nice finish. I found that 2 line weights was ideal, but 3 was sometimes necessary.

After having drawn the outline, I then had an image of the artist to keep me right in the shading of the faces. Here, I decided on a level of shading that was not too complex, but one which I felt added depth and give character.

The last thing to be draw was their clothes such as tee shirts. These were then placed in a circular shaped container and in-filled with gradient.

Hip Hop Icons, so far.

My icon set will consist of:

Snoop Dogg

Chance the Rapper

Eminem

Biggie Smalls

Tupac

Drake

50 Cent

Asap Rocky

Kanye West

Easy-E

J Cole

Undecided

A good icon set needs consistency and personality and they also have to be legible or recognisable at a small size. I think I have achieved this. The character of an icon is made up of the elements that are shared within a single icon and across that icon set. In my case, these elements are things like the style, the shading, the line weights and the colour palette.

Also I think the set is unique and the viewer should easily recognise the icon of each hip hop artist, if they are into the genre especially.

Now for the promotional website. This will be designed around the Hip Hop Hall of Fame. Sketching and coding have started. But before that I hope to give a breakdown of how one icon is made.

#ixd301 #ixdbelfast #icons

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musicdeejaysorceress · 5 years ago

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Dangerous or Risky Luv Music Playlist originally from July 2018

To all viewing this I originally started this Dangerous or Risky Luv music playlist via both googplus affiliated blogspot and on iheartradio by July 2018 and I am following my creative intuition to reshare on one of my youtube channels, tumblr, and wordpress for both present and future reference. Slight updates-info on when andor where I first heard these songs, added two versions of the corrs songs Dangerous or Risky Luv By Stella Carrier July 2018 iheartradio lists 46 songs Catch Me by Pretty Poison-I first heard this enchanting song around the time I was either 7 or 8 years old via local radio one night when I was actually meant to be sleeping though that is something for another post.

Halo by Depeche Mode(live version)-I am fortunate to have first heard a variation of Halo by Depeche Mode by the 2004/2005 timeframe after hearing a remixed version I think that featured the singer from Goldfrapp. Strangely enough for some reason the song unexpectedly grew on me the more and more I heard it these recent years and I confess that I owe it to my one of a kind/angelic husband in a positive way on why I enjoy multiple songs by Depeche Mode multiple years later. I’m fortunate to have seen this group live at least twice and they do sound phenomenal live.

Invisible Touch by Genesis-For some unexplained reason I unexpectedly got into this song started to like it more by the 2014/2015 timeframe, I understand that others may take this song to symbolize other meanings, I take this novel type of song to be about some type of woman who has some type of ability andor talents in someone’s eyes that maybe she has yet to be aware of yet for whatever reason the narrator of the song is drawn to her.

Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado and Timbaland-This bold song is still thrilling for me to listen to multiple years later despite the boldness of this song, I first heard this song on the radio around the 2006/2007 timeframe.

Follow Me by Uncle Kracker-I am definitely glad that I actually unexpectedly discovered this song on a cd that I had in my early 20s because I rarely hear this song on any of the local radio stations where I currently reside, despite the nature of this song it is underrated as far as I’m concerned.

Dangerous by Cascada-I luckily heard this song by the 2011/2012 timeframe via one of her music collections. The music story of how one person can have such a strong effect on the heart despite being very “dangerous” makes for enthralling music.

SOS by Rihanna-I heard this song multiple times on local radio by around the 2006/2007 timeframe to where I got use to hearing this song and liking the song the more I heard it. Strangely enough it took me hearing this song multiple times to really understand the song’s meaning. Despite this song appearing to be almost about romantically obsessing over someone, SOS by Rihanna is very entertaining to listen to.

Come Undone by Duran Duran-The ardent singing and smooth music with this song is probably one of the multiple reasons why I still enjoy this song multiple years after first hearing it (I first heard this song by around the 1993 to 1995 timeframe). Duran Duran is also great to see live, I am lucky to have gotten a chance to see one of their concerts by the October 2011 timeframe.

Sensual Seduction by Snoop Dogg-The soulful music and the smooth lyrics definitely give this seductive song an energy of its own, I happen to have unexpectedly heard this song on local radio around the late 2007/early 2008 timeframe.

03 Bonnie & Clyde by Jay-Z & Beyonce Knowles-I admit that I am probably going to always find this song exhilarating to listen to especially since one of my earliest memories of first hearing this song was during the first year that I was dating my husband(by around the 2003 timeframe).

Like a Prayer by Madonna-I am blessed to have originally heard this moving/meaningful love song by around the 1989/1990 timeframe though I admit to only intuitively being at least somewhat aware of some of the meanings of the Like A Prayer song after the 2016 timeframe for some. A dynamic song about how being in love with someone can be almost like a powerful spiritual experience.

This Kiss by Carly Rae Jepsen-The upbeat poppy energy of this song makes This Kiss by Carly Rae Jepsen uplifting to listen to, I just wish that I could remember if I had first heard this song on iheartradio andor amazon music by around the 2014-2017 timeframe.

Into by Ariana Grande-Ariana Grande definitely takes some brave chances with creative effect with both this song and music video. I’m so glad that I am lucky to have first heard this song by the May 2016 timeframe. Undercover by Selena Gomez-I am charmed to have first heard this enchanting song by around the 2014/2015 timeframe I think from one of the pop music channels via iheartradio.

Dress by Taylor Swift-I am fortunate to have had the chance to pre-order the music collection containing this song some time before the November 2017 timeframe. This passionate yet terrific song definitely is one of Taylor Swift’s more bolder songs, a heads up to the curious music listeners who are novices to this song, your image of Taylor Swift being both a wild and creative woman at least in secret may be on your mind after hearing this song.

Nirvana by Sam Smith-I definitely heard this distinctive love song by around the April andor May 2014 timeframe, one of the elements I enjoy about this sing is how innovative he is with this song even with the unconventional meanings in this song.

Perfect by One Direction-I still enjoy listening to this fun pop love song in 2019 and probably am going to continue to do so for multiple months to come. I first heard this song by the 2015 timeframe either from iheartradio, radio, andor amazon music and I do feel that this song is definitely a creative tribute to Taylor Swift.

Physical Attraction by Madonna-I have been a Madonna fan since around the age of 14 though for some reason I mainly happened to notice the Physical Attraction song by around the April andor May 2017 timeframe either from iheartradio andor Amazon music. Either way this push the envelope type of song is amusing to listen to.

Love On My Mind by Xscape-I actually first heard this exhilarating song sometime by the time I was around 13 to 16 years old and this was because I happen to have unexpectedly heard this song either from television (BET?) andor radio.

Your Love by Outfield-A classic rock song that I first heard either during my sophomore andor junior year of high school though for some unexplainable reason I started to enjoy this song much more after the 2017 timeframe after hearing it enough times either from iheartradio andor Amazon music.

Kinda I Want To by Nine Inch Nails-I am previously familiar with this song because I was around 16 or 17 years old when I purchased a music cd by Nine Inch Nails that contains this song. This song appears to touch on some taboo andor unconventional elements still I find this song very magnetic and exciting to listen to multiple years later.

Kilometer by Sebastien Teller –I happen to have some previous familiarity with this brilliant song because I surprisingly heard and noticed this song by the 2012 timeframe after hearing it on a various artists chillout music collection that I had purchased.

All About You Hillary Duff-I confess that I started to enjoy this impressive song after unexpectedly hearing it featured on a radio show by around the 2014/2015 timeframe. Who knew that a song about being fascinated with someone that is mutually fascinated andor interested in you can be an astounding pop song.

Point of No Return by Expose-This is a stunning come hither type of pop dance song that I am truthfully glad to have had the opportunity to first hear by the time I was 7 years old via radio.

A certain “Je ne sais quo” by the Pet Shop Boys-I first heard this magnificent song by around the July/August 2016 timeframe either from iheartradio andor Amazon music by around the July/August 2016 timeframe. I wonder if this song happens to be about being romantically drawn to someone with a mysterious positive quality about them, self confidence, andor charisma.

Raindrops Extended Mix by Stunt-Raindrops by Stunt-This dance song is very amusing to listen to and I am very glad to have discovered a version of this song by the 2007/2008 timeframe. Irresistible by Fall Out Boy-I admit that I enjoy both this version and the one featuring Demi Lovato. Both songs tell spectacular stories of rollercoaster love.

I Would Like by Zara Larsson-I happened to have unintentionally discovered this exciting song after seeing it featured on an electronic dance music themed website and enjoying this daring melody on the first listen. Zara Larsson’s powerful vocals and self confident energy really bring this song to life in a vibrant way.

FTPA by Gorgon City feat. Erik Hassle-Thank goodness the group made this exciting yet sensational song into an acronym in order to be more safely and easily discussed in written form online. I admit/confess that this song drew me in-made a mark on my music listening soul when I first heard this song by the late 2014 timeframe (after hearing one of Gorgon City’s music cds that contains this song).

Circle in the Sand Belinda Carlisle-I am very lucky to have actually heard this song by the time I was 7 years old on local radio around the time I had heard her Heaven on Earth song. I then started to get into this song much more after the late 2007 timeframe after purchasing one of her greatest hit music collections that contained this Circle in the Sand song. One of the reasons why I enjoy this remarkable song is because this song makes me think of a connection to a destiny andor mystical type of situation that appears to be implied in a creative way with this song.

I See Right Through To You DJ Encore feat. Engelina-This song is a very unique/distinctive love song to listen even multiple years after first hearing it (I am fortunate to have first heard a version of this song online by around the 2005 to 2007 timeframe).

Something Kinda Ooh Girls Aloud-This bold song definitely has some energetic and innovative energy in this song, I first heard this catchy song by around the January 2011 timeframe.

Come Go With Me by Expose-I was definitely around 7 years old when I instantly took a liking to this song after hearing it on local radio. Multiple years later, one of the additional reasons why I enjoy this song is because this incredible song makes me think of this being in a love song in a captivating storytelling type of format.

Only When I Lose Myself by Depeche Mode-I am lucky to have become more aware of this dazzling song after hearing it and enjoying this song multiple times via a Depeche Mode greatest hits by the late 2008 timeframe. The theme of how another person can sometimes help you more insightfully understand yourself metaphorically speaking was one of the multiple elements of the song that attracted my attention.

Crush by Dave Matthews Band-I am very charmed/lucky to have first heard this song by around the late 1999/early 2000 timeframe both from a music cd that I purchased that contained this song and getting an opportunity to hear it enough times via radio. Then multiple years later (by around the 2008 timeframe) I started to hear and notice this song play on the radio when my husband and I were residing/living in Norfolk Virginia. The self confident energy of this song appearing to symbolize telling another person how they really feel was one of the multiple themes that touched my soul with this Crush song by Dave Matthews Band.

Gimme All Your Lovin by ZZ Top-I confess that this radiant classic rock song started to grow on my music listening soul the more frequently I heard it via a classic rock radio station and online channels (iheartradio andor Amazon music) by the 2017 timeframe. I also enjoy the courageous energy of the song where the group paints a music story of someone coming right out to tell another how they feel filter free regardless of what may transpire/come.

Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer-I actually heard this song either from radio andor television sometime by the time I was between 8 to 10 years old. Then multiple years later, I started to enjoy this song more after I had purchased one of Robert Palmer music collections by the July 2011 timeframe.

In My Pocket by Mandy Moore-I have to agree with those online who implied that this lively pop/dance song was definitely ahead of its time and is definitely underrated. I am fortunate to have first heard of this song by around the 2001/2002 timeframe because I was at/inside a navy exchange store before on the Yokosuka Japan naval base that was playing this song on one of the televisions inside the store.

Physical by Nine Inch Nails-I have some previous familiarity with this controversial yet also fascinating type of industrial rock song because I first heard this song from a music cd that I purchased by Nine Inch Nails by the time I was between 16 to 17 years old.

Only When I Sleep by the Corrs MTV unplugged version youtube comment from 3 months ago I confess that I happen to have the MTV Unplugged version of Only When I Sleep by the Corrs by the May 2018 timeframe after finding this version online via Amazon of the album version of Only When I Sleep. However, I am obviously delighted that this creative MTV unplugged version is also on youtube. It is tricky for me to pin down whether I enjoy the MTV unplugged version or the album version more of this song for each version has brilliant music and vocals to the song. As for when I first heard the album version of this song, that timeframe was around the 2001 timeframe by unexpected chance after I bought some type of various female artists pop cd from Phuket Thailand. Obviously I wish that I would have held on to that cd because that situation is for another post. Anyhow, I still obviously enjoy listening to this magnificent song multiple years later and I never thought that this song (both the unplugged and album versions of Only When I Sleep)would ever take on multiple meanings in my own life in my sleeptime dreams multiple years after hearing this beautiful song with gorgeous vocals.

Only When I Sleep by the Corrs album version youtube comment from around 1 year ago I was actually around 20 years old when I first heard this original poppy love song that is Only When I Sleep by the Corrs unexpectedly via a music cd that I purchased in Phuket Thailand before I spotted their greatest hits collection at a shopping mall in Singapore around the same week I turned 21 years old. I am saying this far from reasons pertaining to bragging andor showing off, rather I am just sharing to illustrate how I found out about this fascinating story type of love song that is Only When I Sleep by the Corrs as this tune seems to be a pleasant tune of seeing someone who makes your heart skip a beat, gives you the butterflies in your sleeptime dreams.

My comment for today Wednesday October 21 2019 Only When I Sleep by the Corrs-It was extremely unexpected how I discovered this remarkable/mindblowing type of love song because I happened to purchase a music cd in my early 20s featuring various female pop artists from Phuket Thailand when I heard this song. Multiple years later, this memorable song still resonates in my music listening soul.

Animal by Hysteria-I admit/confess that I am so late to the party with this song because although I have been familiar with their pour some sugar on me song (since I was around 8 years old) the Animal song became more enjoyable to me after hearing it enough times via classic rock radio, iheartradio, and Amazon music by around the summer andor winter 2017 timeframe.

Because the Night by Patti Smith-The vocals and music are very melodic in this deep and insightful classic rock song that I admit to enjoying more by around the summer 2017 timeframe (either from iheartradio andor amazon music).

Revolver by Madonna feat. Lil Wayne-I have definitely been familiar with this song since at least January 2011 after listening to one of the music collections by Madonna that contains this song. This music collaboration of Madonna with Lil Wayne in the Revolver song definitely gives this song a distinctive and one of a kind type of dance club music energy.

Dangerous by Big Data feat. Joywave-I confess that I started to enjoy this charismatic song by around the summer/autumn 2014 timeframe after hearing the song via a local Washington DC alternative rock radio station and viewing the music video online-the music video is definitely one of a kind as well despite the shocking overtones mixed with advertising elements.

Bad Man by Pitbull feat. Robin Thicke Joe Perry Travis Barker-I am very charmed/blessed/lucky to hear this fun loving song by the early 2016 timeframe. The music collaborations in this song add an exhilaration type of energy to this song.

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stellacarrierimaginationbuilders · 5 years ago

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Dangerous or Risky Luv

By Stella Carrier July 2018 iheartradio lists 46 songs

Catch Me by Pretty Poison-I first heard this enchanting song around the time I was either 7 or 8 years old via local radio one night when I was actually meant to be sleeping though that is something for another post.

Undercover by Selena Gomez-I am charmed to have first heard this enchanting song by around the 2014/2015 timeframe I think from one of the pop music channels via iheartradio.

Point of No Return by Expose-This is a stunning come hither type of pop dance song that I am truthfully glad to have had the opportunity to first hear by the time I was 7 years old via radio.

Raindrops Extended Mix by Stunt-Raindrops by Stunt-This dance song is very amusing to listen to and I am very glad to have discovered a version of this song by the 2007/2008 timeframe.

Irresistible by Fall Out Boy-I admit that I enjoy both this version and the one featuring Demi Lovato. Both songs tell spectacular stories of rollercoaster love.

Something Kinda Ooh Girls Aloud-This bold song definitely has some energetic and innovative energy in this song, I first heard this catchy song by around the January 2011 timeframe.

Only When I Sleep by the Corrs MTV unplugged version youtube comment from 3 months ago

I confess that I happen to have the MTV Unplugged version of Only When I Sleep by the Corrs by the May 2018 timeframe after finding this version online via Amazon of the album version of Only When I Sleep. However, I am obviously delighted that this creative MTV unplugged version is also on youtube. It is tricky for me to pin down whether I enjoy the MTV unplugged version or the album version more of this song for each version has brilliant music and vocals to the song. As for when I first heard the album version of this song, that timeframe was around the 2001 timeframe by unexpected chance after I bought some type of various female artists pop cd from Phuket Thailand. Obviously I wish that I would have held on to that cd because that situation is for another post. Anyhow, I still obviously enjoy listening to this magnificent song multiple years later and I never thought that this song (both the unplugged and album versions of Only When I Sleep)would ever take on multiple meanings in my own life in my sleeptime dreams multiple years after hearing this beautiful song with gorgeous vocals.

Only When I Sleep by the Corrs album version youtube comment from around 1 year ago

I was actually around 20 years old when I first heard this original poppy love song that is Only When I Sleep by the Corrs unexpectedly via a music cd that I purchased in Phuket Thailand before I spotted their greatest hits collection at a shopping mall in Singapore around the same week I turned 21 years old. I am saying this far from reasons pertaining to bragging andor showing off, rather I am just sharing to illustrate how I found out about this fascinating story type of love song that is Only When I Sleep by the Corrs as this tune seems to be a pleasant tune of seeing someone who makes your heart skip a beat, gives you the butterflies in your sleeptime dreams.

My comment for today Wednesday October 21 2019

Only When I Sleep by the Corrs-It was extremely unexpected how I discovered this remarkable/mindblowing type of love song because I happened to purchase a music cd in my early 20s featuring various female pop artists from Phuket Thailand when I heard this song. Multiple years later, this memorable song still resonates in my music listening soul.

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whittlebaggett8 · 6 years ago

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Everyone is talking about Lil Dicky’s star-studded ‘Earth’ music video — here’s every celebrity and who they’re playing, Defence Online

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Lil Dicky’s “Earth” music video clip functions a good deal of superstars.

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Lil Dicky/YouTube

Rapper Lil Dicky (whose real identify is David Burd) introduced a star-studded tunes video clip to coincide with the launch of his new song identified as “Earth.” The track was produced in an exertion to take into account the effects of local weather alter and encourage persons to do their elements to help save the surroundings.

In the animated new music movie, artists like Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry show up as unique animals, like zebras and lion cubs. The monitor also capabilities Meghan Trainor, Joel Embiid, Tory Lanez, the Backstreet Boys, John Legend, Psy, Terrible Bunny, and Kris Wu.

Here are the celebrities who appear in the audio movie compared to what they glimpse like in genuine daily life.

Justin Bieber stars as a baboon.

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Justin Bieber in Lil Dicky’s “Earth” new music video.

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Gotham/GC Photographs by using Getty Photographs and Lil Dicky/YouTube

In the track, the animal claims that he’s “like a guy, just significantly less innovative.”

Ariana Grande plays a zebra with bangs and extended lashes.

“No just one understands what I do, but I seem really amazing,” she suggests.

Halsey portrays a lion cub “that’s normally obtaining licked.”

The cub and two lions feast on the zebra in the music movie.

Zac Brown appears in the video clip as a cow.

Brown is the guide singer of the place team identified as the Zac Brown Band.

Stress! At the Disco entrance guy Brendon Urie plays a pig.

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Brendon Urie in Lil Dicky’s “Earth” audio video clip.

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Simone Joyner/Getty Illustrations or photos and Lil Dicky/YouTube

He’s seen sitting down in a puddle of mud.

Singer and actress Hailee Steinfeld plays a mushroom.

She calls herself a “common fungus.”

Rapper Wiz Khalifa stars as a “disgruntled skunk.”

He sprays Lil Dicky in the new music online video.

Snoop Dogg portrays a cannabis plant.

He says that he can “get you f—ed up.”

Kevin Hart stars as Kanye West.

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Kevin Hart in Lil Dicky’s “Earth” tunes movie.

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Raoul Gatchalian/STAR MAX/IPx and Lil Dicky/YouTube

He appears in the exact same scene as Snoop Dogg’s plant.

Maroon 5’s Adam Levine portrays a vulture.

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Adam Levine in Lil Dicky’s “Earth” audio video.

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Kevin Wintertime/Getty Images and Lil Dicky/YouTube

He dances from facet to side and states that the animals “feed on the lifeless.”

Shawn Mendes performs a rhino.

He sings that he’s “horny as heck.”

Charlie Puth’s giraffe does not recognize why he has these types of a long neck.

Giraffes are the tallest land animals.

Sia stars as a kangaroo.

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Sia in Lil Dicky’s “Earth” tunes online video.

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Neilson Barnard/Getty Photos for Day-to-day Entrance Row and Lil Dicky/YouTube

She hops all around all working day.

Miley Cyrus performs an elephant.

She suggests that she has “junk in my trunk.”

Lil Jon portrays an orange and purple clam.

The rapper’s genuine name is Jonathan Smith.

British singer Rita Ora howls as a wolf.

Ora is also heading to be showcased on the soundtrack for the upcoming movie, “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu.”

Miguel stars as a squirrel.

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Miguel in Lil Dicky’s “Earth” music video clip.

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Presley Ann/WireImage through Getty Illustrations or photos and Lil Dicky/YouTube

He suggests that he’s just “looking for my upcoming nut.”

Katy Perry seems as a pony with a platinum mane.

She calls herself “just a freak horse.”

Lil Yachty appears as HPV.

He warns men and women not to let him in.

Ed Sheeran portrays a cuddly koala.

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Ed Sheeran in Lil Dicky’s “Earth” songs video.

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Simone Joyner/Getty Visuals and Lil Dicky/YouTube

“I sleep all the time. So what? It’s sweet,” he states in the music.

Leonardo DiCaprio appears as himself, on a boat and carrying a globe.

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Leonardo DiCaprio in Lil Dicky’s “Earth” songs video clip.

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Dia Dipasupil/WireImage via Getty Images and Lil Dicky/YouTube

With the proceeds from the audio video clip, Lil Dicky is going to staff up with the actor’s basis, named The Leonardo DiCaprio Basis, to figure out what causes the dollars need to be invested in.

Enjoy the “Earth” new music online video right here.

The post Everyone is talking about Lil Dicky’s star-studded ‘Earth’ music video — here’s every celebrity and who they’re playing, Defence Online appeared first on Defence Online.

from WordPress https://defenceonline.com/2019/04/19/everyone-is-talking-about-lil-dickys-star-studded-earth-music-video-heres-every-celebrity-and-who-theyre-playing-defence-online/

#Ariana Grande #Celebrities #Features #Justin Bieber #Lil Dicky #Miley Cyrus #Music #News #This Is In

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scoutmusicdottv · 5 years ago

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5 Savvy Steps to Music Licensing Success

Think of Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” Wfhat’s the first image that pops into your head? It’s likely an iPod. Did you ever wonder what work is behind the infectious, dancey song that made this commercial so iconic? Creating music that standout for ads, tv and film projects is a lot of fun. It gives musicians a chance to explore different genres and focus on universal themes that catch an audience’s attention. The process makes you dive into the details while discovering the big hooks and melodies. With the increase of online platforms and apps, music licensing is more competitive than ever. Major labels and publishers, and even very well-known artists, are creating music specifically for media placement– and they are well-versed in their craft. So how do you compete? How do you win? Here’s how to slay the media dragon.

1 Research.

Find out what’s popular for tv placement. Look up the songs used in TV shows and commercials. The real licensing gems will start to jump out at you– really cool songs in all kinds of genres. Songs like “Lemon” by N.E.R.D. and Rihanna, “Back Pocket” by Vulfpeck, “Misbehaving” by Labrinth and “You and Me” by Penny and the Quarters are perfect examples. There is some crossover with pop music today, but some big differences too. A lot of songs are quirky and light. Many are really melodic. Some are spacious and grand. Many of these songs aren’t even released via radio/streaming as much of this music is created specifically for ads and tv.

A great resource to research television licensing placements is http://tunefind.com. For ads, the Billboard / Clio TV Commercial Chart is a great resource.

2 Know Your Style, Cultivate Your Edge.

Not everyone has the je ne sais quoi to transition from one genre to the next. It’s okay if you don’t have the finesse to go from Snoop Dogg to Snoop Lion. There are some music styles that probably don’t come easy to you. Don’t try to record an RnB song with your Gibson Flying V. Even with amazing tools like splice.com and sounds.com, an orchestral composer isn’t going to come up with the modern version of “Rapper’s Delight.”

But there are some styles you can do as a musician better than most. I call these your “roll out of bed” styles. Having a real understanding of the ins-and-outs of a certain genre is key. That’s your edge. It’s probably where your heart is too. It doesn’t have to be the most personal song you’ve ever written, but it has to be something you can put yourself into. People can tell.

3 Be Strategic.

Set out with the end in mind. Maybe you were going to write and produce a big Jay-Z style hip hop track with lyrics about perseverance and strength to overcome any obstacle. Maybe you’re going to write and produce a lost 50s jukebox hit song about holding hands.

No matter what you choose to do, know that labels, publishers and other producers are competing against you right now. But don’t give up, stay focused! If you think another repetitive hip hop beat with no rapper is gonna make the cut, you’re in for disappointment.

If you aim for something less expected and think of the kind of songs that could work for a specific show and start there, you can find success. Vintage, obscure, and quirky songs are often used in various contexts. Daniel Johnston’s “Story of an Artist” and “Yakety Yak” by The Coasters are great examples of this.

4 Find Your Secret Weapon and Collaborate.

Think about the kind of musicians you know that could add an unexpected element. Maybe your neighbor has a collection of rare synthesizers and they’re waiting to add Nintendo sounds to your pop masterpiece. Or maybe you’ve played a show with a guy that does ridiculous beats. Be open to possibilities. Put your heads together to do something new and cool. This could be your aunt, your uncle, a former coworker– even a group of kids. Be bold and try to envision the kind of music that could be really fun to make and have a life of its own.

5 Take Your Time…And Maybe Stay Up All Night.

They say the people that do it best, make it look easy. The trick is that while these songs seem easier to make than hitting the salsa button on a Casio keyboard– I’m the first to tell you they’re absolutely not. Most great songs sound very simple. You sing along with a melody and think to yourself, “Oh I could have thought of that.” This is a great example of ‘easier said than done.’ The simplicity came from being focused and mining the details. Everything is very specific; many times you have to revise time and again to reach your end goal with a song. Working all night is a great way to get the body of the track in a good place. However, most times, you need to live with it for a while, comparing it to reference tracks help you to your goal.

So, avoid existing on the bland side by being strategic, focused, savvy, and most of all, having fun. If you remain persistent and hold yourself to a high standard, you’ll find your music in great projects. You’ll find that your skill set has grown tremendously, and this will help in making any music you choose to create. Pretty soon you’ll be able to call yourself the next Mark Ronson– or whatever master you’d like to become.

Source by: https://www.scoutmusic.tv/knowledge-base/5-savvy-steps-to-music-licensing-success/

#music licensing #music licensing sites #music sync licensing

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deadcactuswalking · 6 years ago

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Every Snoop Dogg & Pharrell Hit Song Reviewed, Part 1 (BLAST TO THE PAST)

Fo-shizzle, dizzle. It’s the big Neptizzle with the Snoopy D-O-double-jizzle! Name a better duo. I bet you millions that you can’t. I’d explain to you who these guys are, but don’t kid yourself, you know who they are, even if you’ve never heard a song by them (which is equally impossible). Both Snoop and Pharrell have transcended the music at this point and are worldwide personalities, starring in television, film and overall just being essential to pop culture. I cannot imagine a world without Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr.

Snoop and Pharrell were very close in the 2000s, specially the early and mid-2000s, when Pharrell’s group, the Neptunes, were massive hitmakers, producing tracks for JAY-Z, Pusha T, Kelis, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and more, including, of course, Snoop Dogg. Their funkier R&B-infused pop stylings were perfect for Snoop Dogg’s move from a “gangsta” image to a more soulful “pimp” image, sort of following 50 Cent’s footsteps as he shook the world with his debut album. Snoop’s gone through many phases and has had many companions throughout the decades he’s been active, but Master P, Wiz Khalifa and even Dr. Dre can never stack up to Pharrell and the Neptunes, who provided Snoop with some of his best material ever... which I’m surprised didn’t chart as well as I assumed in the US. I mean, Pharrell was everywhere, but I guess Snoop didn’t catch on as well as I thought excluding a few choice cuts. That’s beside the point. Welcome to BLAST TO THE PAST.

BLAST TO THE PAST: All Snoop Dogg & Pharrell Hits Reviewed

Yep, today, I’m reviewing all of the known and credited Snoop Dogg and Pharrell collaborations to chart on the Hot 100. The criteria is simple: it has to have Snoop Dogg performing with Pharrell or the Neptunes either performing or producing the track – and this had to be clear and credited work. I’m not looking into musical history to find all the tracks Pharrell has ghostwritten for Snoop, or how he provides ad-libs on a Dr. Dre deep cut. These are just the hits from the Dogg and Skateboard P. Before we get into this, however, let’s answer a couple questions you may be wondering.

How many of these songs are there?

To my surprise, there’s only six – and that’s including a feature. Yeah, to my surprise, only six of these tracks ever hit the Hot 100... and that is NOT including songs released by Snoop on Star Trak, the Neptunes’ record label, which he signed to in 2004, and left years later. That would be a bit much to ask, since Snoop is a superstar and he was under this label for a long time; I’d run out of both time and simply things to talk about... although I would have loved to talk about their 2010s collaboration “Peaches N Cream” that sadly never charted.

Why are you doing this?

Well, first of all: I love both of these guys. Snoop Dogg and Pharrell have made a lot of my favourite hip-hop tracks throughout the years, and they’re also icons, so I figured it’d be interesting to look at some of their history together.

Oh, and also because they’re still both charting and making hits in 2018. Yep, in fact, Snoop Dogg’s charting right now – at #63 on the Hot 100 as I write this is comedian Lil Duval’s “Smile (Living My Best Life)”, featuring Ball Greezy and Snoop Dogg. That’s insane for him, nearly 50 charting songs into his career, and countless other songs, television appearances and three decades of being a worldwide star, he’s still writing hit songs with up-and-coming artists. Same could be said with Pharrell, actually, as he had his own hit song earlier this year, “Lemon” featuring Rihanna, and back in 2013 and 2014, was bigger than he ever was. These guys have some pretty impressive longevity, and I kind of wanted to honour that. So, enough of me rambling. Let’s start with the first ever charting song from the duo...

#1 – “From tha Chuuuch to da Palace” – Snoop Dogg

Hot 100 Peak: #77 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Peak: #23

This is “From tha Chuuuch to da Palace”, released on October 15th, 2002, written by Snoop, Pharrell and... R. Kelly. Well, then.

Produced by the Neptunes and featuring uncredited vocals from Pharrell, this was the lead single to Snoop’s sixth album, Paid tha Cost to be da Bo$$, released in 2002, that I actually own on CD, funnily enough. This album was a step in the right direction from reinventing his image after the No Limit Records era, as he signed to Priority and hooked up with the Neptunes, Just Blaze, Ludacris and more to establish a poppier form of his typical brand of relaxed gangsta rap. The now-platinum-certified album sold 174,000 copies in its first week – and this success was assisted by not only a controversy involving the final track “Pimp Slapp’d” but also the two singles that were released to promote the record. This first hit only peaked at #77, but, trust me – it probably had its fair share of MTV play considering the very well-directed and humorous video that may seem a bit dated now, but back when these types of humorous skits were more of a focal point in music videos, this was cool, alright? What about the song, though? How does that hold up today? Well, I’ll tell you what’s “fo’ shizzle” – this is a banger of a track, although it’s not the best way to introduce yourself to Pharrell’s works with Snoop, because this is more of a Timbaland beat than a Neptunes one. Sure, there are some elements of Neptunes, like Pharrell’s catchy hook, but theheavy synth-work and gang vocals typical of late 2000s Timbaland beats are here to stay for the whole of the song (and, yes, it does get old by the end)... however, all that does is prove how forward-thinking the Neptunes were, especially since this wasn’t exactly the style people digged in 2002, to my knowledge, and it wasn’t exactly an exclusively Timbaland style; Pharrell’s always loved his over-the-top electronics, but it’s kind of an outlier when you compare it to everything else these guys made together. Is that a bad thing? No, not necessarily, Snoop has enough charisma to carry the verses, and I love his comically-strained vocal interpolation of “Contagion” by Ron Isley in the first verse, as well as Pharrell taking the role of Bill Gates in the third, but, man, the synths are overbearing and really get grating by the end of the four minutes. Oh, and that bridge is kind of mind-numbing as well, the back-to-back repetition from Snoop and Pharrell feels like it goes on forever. Sorry, guys, it’s not awful, but this is not the best first impression. Do you know what is, however?

#2 – “Beautiful” – Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell and Uncle Charlie Wilson

Hot 100 Peak: #6 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Peak: #3

Now, what a classic this song is. This was Snoop’s first top 10 hit since 1994, and won the Neptunes a Grammy for Producer of the Year. It’s a relatively long song at nearly five minutes but it delivers enough throughout the whole runtime to make it not feel like a slog, probably because it was written by the Neptunes, who are fantastic songwriters as well as producers. The single was released on January 21st, 2003, accompanying a video set in Brazil with a dope tribal drum interlude... and,yes, the video is still very beneficial to the song’s success, at least in my eyes. It probably helped it reach the top 10, but the main reason I think it adds to the song (other than the drum solo) is that it features Snoop ogling a young woman. I know what you’re thinking, oh, it’s just a typical rap music video, but the clip and even the chorus, which is beautifully sung by Pharrell and absolute legend Charlie Wilson (whose voice is heavenly), is intentionally misleading. It tricks the listener to think it’s just a song about wanting to do it with some girls in a club or picking up a woman he finds attractive, or whatever, but it’s actually a bit less straightforward, because in the liner notes of the album and single, the song is claimed to be “written in response to Snoop’s love for his daughter”. So, yeah, while people like Rap Critic have bashed on some of the lines for seeming somewhat strange in the context of picking up a girl...

Little cutie, looking like a student

Hurry up and finish so we can watch Clueless (oh!)

...but most of this is legitimately sweet interaction from Snoop with his daughter, although it still doesn’t explain this line.

The girl want to do it, I just might do it / Hit her up with some pimp-pimp fluid

If anything, it just makes it seem worse... wait, no, it makes pretty much EVERYTHING worse.

Little cutie, looking like a student / Long hair with your big fat booty

Mommy, don’t worry, I won’t abuse it

We just blow ‘dro and keep the flow moving

Let’s just ignore the liner notes that imply he has an immorally and illegally close relationship with his weed-smoking daughter that he roofied in the first verse... that R. Kelly credit is starting to make sense. Okay, so if it’s just the hook that’s about his daughter, that’s fine, and hell, even if it’s just about Snoop’s lady, it makes some lines even sweeter.

When I see my baby-boo, sh**, I get foolish / Smack a n**** that tries to pursue it

I smack up the world if they’re rude to you

Hit her up with some pimp-pimp fluid

Okay, so, maybe not that last one but my point is that Snoop’s bars are cute for the most part, which fits the smooth, funky and soulful beat, full of energetic ad-libs from Pharrell and an incredibly catchy tropical guitar-riff and some occasional glimmers of a synth melody. Oh, and don’t get me started on that bridge, because, oh, the bridge is a chorus in itself. Charlie, albeit sounding somewhat compressed, harmonises smoothly with Pharrell until a sweet hand-clap section that fades out into an outro, and, oh, I can’t even describe it in words. Listen to this song, it will make your day. There are a lot of songs about beautiful girls – “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston is mediocre and mentions suicide (just beautiful), “Beautiful” by Bazzi and Camila Cabello is dull and dreary, with some awful performance, while this song? It just works. It pulls it off with little to no effort... yet it’s not even the best song here.

Don’t tell me what I’m not, just because I drops it like it’s hot – Positive K, “Ain’t No Crime”

Now—now—now—now—now, after you back it up, then stop / Then – wha—wha—what? – drop—drop it like it’s hot – Lil Wayne, “Back that Azz Up”

Stick their arm in a car window, drop it like it’s hot – DJ Clark Kent, “Cashmere Thoughts”

Pop, and stop, and drop it like it’s hot – DJ Quik, “Sexuality”

“Drop it like it’s hot” is the gangsta-rap “Hakuna Matata”, and I’m not even sure what that means myself, but who cares? By September 2004, we were heading into the crunk boom and the title of Snoop and Pharrell’s next collaboration had even been uttered in Big Momma’s House, but they made it fresh. This is Billboard’s top rap song of the 2000s, the 350th most popular song of all time, and more importantly, one of the best songs of all time.

#3 – “Drop it Like it’s Hot” – Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell

Hot 100 Peak: #1 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Peak: #1

Now THIS is the classic I was excited to talk about, Snoop Dogg’s first of three #1s and Pharrell’s second of five. This two-times platinum-certified track was the lead single from the Dogg’s 2004 effort, R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece, and ushered in a new wave and attitude to hip-hop production (no wonder people comment “2018 and this still pure fire” with a bunch of emojis, because it fits into the current climate of hip-hop so well). Yep, you can thank the trap you’re listening to right now and the crunk you may have grown up with to the Neptunes’ minimalistic beat which implements only the voice, the keyboards and a drum machine, as well as subtle samples from Laid Back’s synthpop hit “White Horse”. Tongue-clicking makes up most of the slick beat here, with some fun falsetto vocals from Pharrell in the intro where he just repeats “Snoop” twice for optimal effect. Oh, and that keyboard line is iconic, with the hook being as catchy as Snoop ever could write. This song constantly gets in my head even when I really don’t want it do, it’s pretty incredible how with so little, they’ve got so many hooks here: the actual hook, the repetitive drum beat, the “Snooooop” vocals, the keyboard melody, and even the verses, which are full of memorable quips and lines, which I think reach maximum-izzle by the end of the second verse.

I can exercise you, this can be your phys. ed / Cheat on your man, ma, that’s how you get a-hizz-ead – Pharrell

So don’t change the dizzle, turn it up a little / I got a living room full of fine dime-brizzles / Waitin’ on the pizzle, the dizzle and the chizzle / G’s to the bizzack – now, ladies, here we gizzo – Snoop Dogg

I have no idea what these words mean but they sound awesome.

Oh, and there’s more attention to detail than you think there would actually be in this simple brag-rap song, apart from the genius production (that makes sure the “Snoop” vocals go from the left channel to the right channel when wearing headphones, and adds sound effects according to the lyrics like the four extra percussion hits before a ding when Pharrell mentions “four seconds” and the record scratch when Snoop mentions a DJ), with the bars being classic Snoop and surprisingly great (and oddly sexual) from Pharrell. Here are some highlights:

I’m a nice dude, with some nice dreams / See these ice cubes? See these Ice Creams? - Pharrell

He’s picking up a girl and saying “look at my jewellery and shoes”, right? Well, yes, but he’s also mentioning a relatively obscure Cheech & Chong film called Nice Dreams in which they pretend to be ice cream vendors. Do you know what the best thing about this line, though? It’s that it follows this part of the hook:

And I roll the best weed, ‘cause I got it goin’ on – Snoop Dogg

In that film, they sell weed instead of ice cream. Doesn’t everything just fit together so perfectly?

That’s whiter than what’s spilling down your throat – Pharrell

Yeah, sure, it’s about his ice supposedly being as white as his semen, but in the video, the background is completely white, so it’s likely that they were thinking about the video before the song was even written, or the video was inspired by this line. If so, that’s such a nice touch. Hell, I would say Pharrell does better than Snoop if not for this line:

Oh, you got a gun, so you wanna pop back? AK-47, now, n****, stop that! – Snoop Dogg

So effortlessly, without even trying to sound intimidating, I’m scared of Snoop, but that’s not even the intention – it’s more of a comedic talk-down to what they would consider a “fake gangsta”, and even that sounds great in the chill, relaxed flow that they both have, staying calm and collected like their wordplay is nothing. I could write a full-length review on this bonafide classic banger of a hip-hop song, and really one of the best out there, proving Pharrell and Snoop to be some of the best to ever do it... oh, and there’s punchlines that only work in text form, which is bloody hilarious.

The big bo$$ Dogg, yeah, I had to do that

And that’s the end to the first part of Every Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Hit Song Reviewed. Hopefully the second part will be coming next week, with REVIEWING THE CHARTS tomorrow. Thank you for reading and see ya!

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