Misplaced Talent in the Industry

Good evening music heads! The past few days gave me some time to reflect on feelings felt from the Frank Ocean performance. As I began to think that maybe I was critiquing Mr. Ocean's talent too harshly my doubts quickly evaporated once I heard him open his mouth for the first time. Today, lets look at something that we all fail to accept as consumers and future businessmen in the art. Why do talented artists think it is okay to explore grounds with their limited gift? As managers why do we believe it will be profitable to force these artists down the throat of their audiences? Why do impressionable fans allow and even encourage this behavior? Furthermore, if it is okay for consumers to allow it, why do other musicians let their peers get away with the act? Lets get down to business, shall we?

Understand One Thing

This blog is not about artists that are relevant without having any sort of talent. My problem is with managers and producers that allow talented individuals to get away with performing music that are not suited for them. Many of today's superstars are famous for creating beautiful music but, in my eyes I believe their songs are tainted by the lack of talent needed to deliver them. Most of these stars start out as songwriters for other artist but, at some point they believe they should try to perform their own music. A few artists such as Ne-Yo, Smoky Robinson, and R. Kelly have made successful  careers from both writing and performing their own  songs. On the other hand, The Dream, Frank Ocean, Drake, and T-Pain have made a mockery of the art by using technology to make them into incredible singers. What is wrong with this picture? Did you know that you can earn more money as the songwriter/owner of a song? Is it necessary to give into greed while setting music culture back? I will not stop at just the songwriters, we need to acknowledge the other singing frauds as well. There have been few singers in the history of the business that could both dance and sing. The likes of Michael Jackson, James Brown, Beyonce, and Chris Brown are, what I call, entertainers. These artist spend their whole lives learning how to do it all including singing, dancing, rapping, and whatever they need to excite their crowd. However, there are some greatly talented dancers that should never have grabbed the mic as well. These performers include Madonna, Ciara, and J-Lo among others. As much as we would like to see them shake their asses on camera I would prefer never to hear them sing a tone on stage.

Why Managers, Why?

You have to ask yourselves the same question every time you hear a horrible live performance, "Who let them get away with that?!" The answer to that would be their managers and higher levels of creative power. Sometimes a great songwriter may have all the credentials to be a star; great lyrics, looks, and stamina.  Unfortunately, these artists don't acquire the performing talent to get their music anywhere. Since no manager wants to repeat the Milli Vanilli catastrophe, many are going with the easier route of relying on auto-tone. The wonders of auto-tone will make you a beloved star and the most hated among other musicians. If you don't believe that managers will do anything to keep fans buying lets remember what happened after the east coast/west coast tragedy. Before Biggie was murdered, his manager Diddy (Puff Daddy at the time) was seen in all of his videos and heard on all of his records. After the loss of Diddy's most prized artist, he was forced to take the spotlight to keep his label a float. Diddy did everything from singing, dancing, and rapping (none of which he was good at) to entertain the crowds. The successful career of Diddy was supported by many fans and unfortunately lead to other aspiring artists to follow in his footsteps.

Why They Get Away With It

Why do these talented, yet confused, artists get away with such a mockery of the arts? The answer to that question is you and I my friends. The music industry is much like any other business and operates on supply and demand. As customers we want good music and beats to dance to all night long and music executives will do what is needed to supply our demand. Although there are music heads like you and I who find this practice a joke, we are outnumbered by incompetent listeners who only care about bumping and grinding. Can we stop and avoid these kind of performers from taking over our radio and televisions? Of course we can but it is highly unlikely that this simple generation will request a higher quality of music right now. In the meantime, let us continue to support our favorite artists who are using their talent the correct way. Also, let us teach our younger generation the differences in all types of music and how to identify bad music. We have to hold these record labels accountable and prevent more performances like Frank Ocean's.


Live the Music....