For a minute there, I was worried that I might not post for two weeks running, effectively signaling the end of this blog. I was tremendously stuck for a topic and starting to worry that I'd used every idea I was ever going to have.
As always, my friends managed to save my ass without them even realizing.
Recently, I've been having a lot of conversations about acts that I'm having a little trouble admitting that I like.
With that in mind, I bring you MMV's tribute to ambiguity, Lil' Wayne vs. She Wants Revenge.
The Battle
In the red corner, from New Orleans, Louisiana, a man who's short in stature but a giant in syrup consumption, LIL WAYNE!
I work with a number of Lil' Wayne fans. Last month, while one of them was desperately trying to get tickets for his gig at Circa, which was subsequently canceled, I mentioned that I still wasn't completely sold on this "Lil' Wayne is good now" thing. They both had minor panic attacks, burned me a copy of Tha Carter 3, and pretty much refused to fuck off until I acknowledged Wayne's greatness.
I have to admit that the last two Wayne albums are pretty impressive, but I still have major issues with anyone who claims to be "The Greatest Rapper Alive" and isn't named Jay-Z. I also have a tough time looking at Wayne and not thinking of the guy who got the throwaway verses on The Hot Boys albums.
I was in Grade 12 when the single "Bling Bling" came out. "Bling Bling" may be one of my least favourite songs ever. Not only did it introduce the phrase "Bling Bling" into wider society, to the point that my dad now uses it, it also featured such lyrical gems as "Hear my cell phone ring/bling bling bling/see my earrings from a mile/bling bling." As someone who's a lyrically-minded hip-hop fan, this song was like a kick in the balls to me.
Dwayne Carter was grew up in New Orleans' Hollygrove neighbourhood. Like me, he was a gifted kid in elementary school. Unlike me, he dropped out of school at age 14 to join The Hot Boys and once accidentally shot himself with a high-powered handgun. Earlier this year, he was arrested in Arizona with a fantastic quantity of drugs.
Although Carter found fame as a rapper starting at the age of 16, he wasn't really taken seriously as an MC until he made a major comeback as a mixtape MC in his mid-20s, when he was so good that critics gushed all over his new albums, Tha Carter one through three, and were remarkably willing to overlook his past indiscretions.
Wayne and Julez Santana are working on a project called I Can't Feel My Face, bits of which have already been leaked on the Internet.
This is the video for "Got Money" with T-Pain and Mack Maine.
The Opponents
In the blue corner, from The San Fernando Valley, California, a group who's name bugs me, SHE WANTS REVENGE!
I don't know nearly as much about She Wants Revenge as I do about Lil' Wayne. I know they're from California. I know that frontman Justin Warfield used to be a rapper and released an album that was produced by QDIII (Quincy Jones' son) and Prince Paul. I know that Justin Warfield looks strangely like a biracial goth Paul Giamatti. That's about it.
Oh, and I know that they make awesome, creepy, cinematic videos.
The reason it took me two years and two-and-half albums to warm up to Revenge is pretty simple. Their name, album art and overall image convinced me that this was a band for 15 year-old girls, and the number of 15 year-old girls wearing their t-shirts did very little to change that impression.
My slow conversion began about a year ago when I was at a club for my buddy Shaan's birthday. It may have been the bad draft, but there was something about Revenge's hit "Tear You Apart" that absolutely blew my mind. Subsequent sober listenings have had the same effect.
That said, I still can't get it out of my head that revenge are a sadcore band for little girls. Here's the video for "Tear You Apart."
Comment to vote, votes due by Friday at midnight.
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6 comments:
mmmmmmmm... she wants revenge! like depeche mode in the glory days of the 'violator' album. great sounds for the dance floor and for the bedroom.
That first video was one of the worst rap videos I've ever seen, and one of the worst songs I've ever heard. It was like someone forcing gravel through my ears. I wanted it to stop long before it did. There wasn't even a lot of naked bitches around to keep me interested.
And what was up with their t-shirts? He Raps, He Sings? Oh I know.. they must have needed to make it clear to us what they were actually doing. Since rapping and singing were the furthest things from my mind.
The only thing I like about those guys are their names, T-Pain and Mack Maine. They rhyme. Yay.
Now, She Wants Revenge has my vote, but not only because I didn't like "Got Money". This song has awarded me many a boob-grab in the not-so-distant past. "Soft breast, bleeding heart.." When you're surrounded by a bunch of sexy ladies, lyrics like these are the golden road to yummy grinding. Not to mention the actual beat of the song. Good job, She Wants Revenge!
But I hadn't ever paid attention to the music video before. You're right, it was creepy.. and interesting. I was actually thinking "Oh my, what's going to happen?" by the end of it. Wicked.
I'm going to have to go with She Wants Revenge. The video was 1/2 and 1/2, as I found it momentarily interesting and then subsequently weak. And the dude's from SWR look like douche bags (I'm sure they are really nice people... they just look like douche bags to me).
But anyway you go about it, it's better than the Lil Wayne song and video.
I'm gonna disagree with the previous 3 posts and call you out Dart. Dude, you like music made for 15 year old girls. so do you squid. tina, its ok if you do, because at least you WERE a 15 year old girl once! Me, I was a 15 year old girl, but I'm still voting for lil wayne, mr modern day robin hood, for no better reason than that subtitles in videos are lame.
Not that I don't like rap music (Dre, Biggie, and DMX are on my iPod after all), but She Wants Revenge gets my vote on this one
My screen is all fucked up so I can't really see the videos so I'll go with the better song She Wants Revenge. Too bad you didn't use Milli now that song might be the most annoying song ever but somehow I like it.
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