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FEATURED Mos Def: Drake Is Pop, Not Hip Hop

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this is the problem when shit gets diluted. mfs from Arkansas gonna try to tell you what’s hip hop and they themselves have zero frame of reference for it.

Drake is definitely a pop artist akin to Taylor Swift.

Money and whores win these days though so you gon see niggas attack Mos for a demonstrably true statement.
 
SportsByRo said:
It seems like this is only an issue with hip hop. I don’t get it
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It's not. You would see it in the past with singers whose music crossed over and they weren't considered "r&b" anymore. I mean the biggest artist in music history is Michael Jackson and he's called the "King of Pop" when his albums and most popular songs were very clearly R&B music. I mean nobody hears "Remember The Time" and thinks "that's some great pop music Michael and Teddy Riley made".
 
Mos Def is not saying anything unheard of. Even he had to step away from the scene because he was becoming a pop artist. Was he doing it intentionally, no. Though once you reach a level of success, it does not matter what you sound like, because the music becomes a tool to sell to the masses...because it's popular. Mos' music was everywhere when I was a teenager. And so was Mos. Movies, shows, video games...once you have made that transition, you're pop.

The misunderstanding people have about pop music is that it has a certain sound. Completely untrue. This may something to do with the backlash against disco way back; disco sold, and in those clubs is where you could get your music popular, faster than just trying to get mainstream through radio.
 
AP2.5 said:
I understand you're asked a question but there is no way to really give an honest opinion of Drake without it coming off like you're hating if you're just not showering him with praise

I would've just said "I don't have an opinion about Drake"
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Drake and a strain of commentators yearn for him to be considered a peer but cringe at him being critiqued...just as his peers are

This is not some exclusive crucible he's going through, but there's this air as if hes supposed to be exempt from being challenged in this manner ... the best STILL go through it .... this is Drake we talkin bout lol cmon
 
Loneshot said:
Mos Def is not saying anything unheard of. Even he had to step away from the scene because he was becoming a pop artist. Was he doing it intentionally, no. Though once you reach a level of success, it does not matter what you sound like, because the music becomes a tool to sell to the masses...because it's popular. Mos' music was everywhere when I was a teenager. And so was Mos. Movies, shows, video games...once you have made that transition, you're pop.

The misunderstanding people have about pop music is that it has a certain sound. Completely untrue. This may something to do with the backlash against disco way back; disco sold, and in those clubs is where you could get your music popular, faster than just trying to get mainstream through radio.
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I agree about that misunderstanding but the calling somebodyba pop artist is also used in a way to downplay somebody's talent and ability.
 
Loneshot said:
Mos Def is not saying anything unheard of. Even he had to step away from the scene because he was becoming a pop artist. Was he doing it intentionally, no. Though once you reach a level of success, it does not matter what you sound like, because the music becomes a tool to sell to the masses...because it's popular. Mos' music was everywhere when I was a teenager. And so was Mos. Movies, shows, video games...once you have made that transition, you're pop.

The misunderstanding people have about pop music is that it has a certain sound. Completely untrue. This may something to do with the backlash against disco way back; disco sold, and in those clubs is where you could get your music popular, faster than just trying to get mainstream through radio.
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When was Mos becoming a pop artist?
 
Inori said:
When was Mos becoming a pop artist?
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Mos made the point that Drake's music is played while shopping. Which is a decent indication that your music has gone commercial or pop. In the early 2000s I heard Mos' music played in video games, TV shows/movies, and shopping malls. I didn't think of Mos as less hip hop for it, as that is the natural progression of anything in culture when it can be used for marketing.
 
“There’s pop obligations they have, and I fluked out. I fluked out and got one of the biggest songs of the year that is a pop song and I’m proud of that. I love the rap world and I love the rap community… I write pop songs for a reason. I want to be like Michael Jackson. I want to be like artists that I looked up to. Those are pop songs, but I never get any credit for that,” he speculated. “By the way, I’m speaking to you as a winner from last night. I won two awards last night, but I don’t even want them because it just feels weird for some reason.

ew.com

Drake Disputes Grammys Category Placement: 'Hotline Bling' 'Is 'Not a Rap Song'

The artist discusses the annual awards show's racial controversies in a new interview.
ew.com ew.com

Dude done told you over and over how he feels. I'm a pop star, not a doctor.
 
PhenomTheMac said:
“There’s pop obligations they have, and I fluked out. I fluked out and got one of the biggest songs of the year that is a pop song and I’m proud of that. I love the rap world and I love the rap community… I write pop songs for a reason. I want to be like Michael Jackson. I want to be like artists that I looked up to. Those are pop songs, but I never get any credit for that,” he speculated. “By the way, I’m speaking to you as a winner from last night. I won two awards last night, but I don’t even want them because it just feels weird for some reason.

ew.com

Drake Disputes Grammys Category Placement: 'Hotline Bling' 'Is 'Not a Rap Song'

The artist discusses the annual awards show's racial controversies in a new interview.
ew.com ew.com

Dude done told you over and over how he feels. I'm a pop star, not a doctor.
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Lol that's what I am saying.

Drake made it very clear he don't make music for "dusty" Hip Hop fans, he's chasing MJ, and he wants to be considered for Pop awards.

This is the problem we have as Black people. We don't know how to let people chase their ambitions.

fka Twigs has the same issue.

The Weeknd has the same issue.

Michael Jackson has the same issue.

They are making Pop music. They want to be considered Pop stars.

We go, "Oh, they are making RnB."

Lol and they are like noooooo.

Only reason Michael Jackson, The Weeknd, Drake and Twigs is considered anything other than Pop is because they are Black.

They know that. Pop is where the money at. Pop is a category where the biggest pool of fans are at.

Pop is where all genres get mismashed into a commercial formulated slop.

Drake ain't Hip Hop and haven't been for years lol.
 
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Loneshot said:
Mos Def is not saying anything unheard of. Even he had to step away from the scene because he was becoming a pop artist. Was he doing it intentionally, no. Though once you reach a level of success, it does not matter what you sound like, because the music becomes a tool to sell to the masses...because it's popular. Mos' music was everywhere when I was a teenager. And so was Mos. Movies, shows, video games...once you have made that transition, you're pop.

The misunderstanding people have about pop music is that it has a certain sound. Completely untrue. This may something to do with the backlash against disco way back; disco sold, and in those clubs is where you could get your music popular, faster than just trying to get mainstream through radio.
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Pop Music does have a sound.

Go listen to "Hit me Baby One More Time", "Bye Bye Bye", "Complicated" and then "In Da Club".

All 4 are popular songs, but it's very clear what is a Pop song.

Pop music originated as 1950s youth music based on RocknRoll, with RocknRoll itself being an hybrid genre of Blues, Doo Woop and field songs. It was upbeat, up tempo, formulaic songs with a clear song structure.

Once RocknRoll died as a genre, it was replaced with variations of Rock, RnB and Pop music.

Pop Music as a genre is formulaic, simple songs that have an amorphous, malleable sound. It could be an RnB song, it could be a Rock song, it doesn't have clear genre conventions. Like what the fuck is Steely Dan? Are they RnB singers, Rock stars, Jazz musicians? If you can't clearly identify what it is, it's Pop Music.

Then came along electronic instruments which birthed got Electro, Techno, and Hip Hop. And from there Pop music mutated again as it took production techniques from those genres.

It looks like Pop Music as a genre is whatever popular but it's not. Pop music as a category are the most popular genres of music.

Right now, Pop artists are not the most popular artists as music listening has been democraticized. There's only Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd, Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat and Ariana Grande.

People like clearly defined genres and genre artists that have a vision. Pop music has died as media consumption is no longer mono-channel.

Playboi Carti is one of the most popular artists out and he's clearly a Hip Hop artist. Same with Travis Scott. Nobody would call them Pop despite not sounding like prime Jay Z.

People love SZA for her take on RnB.

Beyonce just dropped a House album.

Kendrick Lamar is one of the most acclaimed rappers of all time and he didn't crossover by genre hopping like Drake.
 
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ZMaKEa said:
Pop Music does have a sound.

Go listen to "Hit me Baby One More Time", "Bye Bye Bye", "Complicated" and then "In Da Club".

All 4 are popular songs, but it's very clear what is a Pop song.

Pop music originated as 1950s youth music based on RocknRoll, with RocknRoll itself being an hybrid genre of Blues, Doo Woop and field songs. It was upbeat, up tempo, formulaic songs with a clear song structure.

Once RocknRoll died as a genre, it was replaced with variations of Rock, RnB and Pop music.

Pop Music as a genre is formulaic, simple songs that have an amorphous, malleable sound. It could be an RnB song, it could be a Rock song, it doesn't have clear genre conventions. Like what the fuck is Steely Dan? Are they RnB singers, Rock stars, Jazz musicians? If you can't clearly identify what it is, it's Pop Music.

Then came along electronic instruments which birthed got Electro, Techno, and Hip Hop. And from there Pop music mutated again as it took production techniques from those genres.

It looks like Pop Music as a genre is whatever popular but it's not. Pop music as a category are the most popular genres of music.

Right now, Pop artists are not the most popular artists as music listening has been democraticized. There's only Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd, Olivia Rodrigo, Doja Cat and Ariana Grande.

People like clearly defined genres and genre artists that have a vision. Pop music has died as media consumption is no longer mono-channel.

Playboi Carti is one of the most popular artists out and he's clearly a Hip Hop artist. Same with Travis Scott. Nobody would call them Pop despite not sounding like prime Jay Z.

People love SZA for her take on RnB.

Beyonce just dropped a House album.

Kendrick Lamar is one of the most acclaimed rappers of all time and he didn't crossover by genre hopping like Drake.
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I know that there is a sound that we consider to be pop music. Though as you pointed out, that is simply a hybrid of different genres put together. Then come the debates from hardcore fans and purists about what genre is the artist representing. That used to be the case at least.

Now...I hear plenty of hybrid sounding music that isn't necessarily popular or commercially successful, so I can't really say it's Pop. Maybe it's disco, new wave, or alternative Rock.

It's also not the same to label an establish artist's new project as it is labeling a body of work. Prince is pop star who I consider to be both a rock and r&b artist. Drake, for better or worse, is a rapper in the Hip hop genre who happens to be successful enough to be a pop artist.

Metallica was a metal band. Then they got popular and purists labeled them some rock other than metal, if that. I can't stand New Found Glory nor Good Charlotte, but they are rock bands as much as they sound like Avril Lavigne, who isn't really considered a rock artist because she's marketed to a mainstream audience, making her "pop."

I just don't see pop as a genre/style when it gets applied to artist of every genre already. Pop is what happens to the music, but you can't really make pop as much as you try to replicate the commercial success of a popular product/artist.
 
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this not to mos in particular just the thinking.

All I know is Drake made lite work of those Conductor beats on Scary Hours. I also know Drake blew up off this same backpacker/ pretentious rap fan community loving Comeback Season and Room for Improvement era. I’ve seen him do what they do.

Put some of these niggas in a Metro session they’d be fighting the beat worse than Silkk the Shocker but what do I know.

Pop or not call it what you want. Hip-Hop is the only place where adaptability and versatility is some scarlet letter. If a lot of these niggas could they would and/or have tried and failed. If this nigga just tried to recreate the past over and over and been a Phonte clone he’d be that nigga to these folk. Nigga instead able to wear multiple hats and he’s ass.
 
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