Right in his back pocket is where American Pop music continues to reside, as @davidguetta continues to shuffle whatever recognizable artist in and out of his studio on his non-stop dance music style assault. This time, @iyazlive provides the vocals over the slightly-uptempo electronic beat with the sugar sweet hook. Put it this way, not deviating from a formula that works will get you 20 million facebook likes, so it'd be stupid at this point to go against the grain...you feel me?
If you don't like the harmonic electronic dance rhythms that have been invading radio of late, you probably can't wait until this fad ceases or the likes of David Guetta de-ceases. I'll admit, going with the hype and getting sucked into what everyone else likes isn't usually the admirable thing to do as a self respecting blogger. I'm here to provide you a glimpse into what I like and the reason I don't always post what's on other blogs is because you can probably find a million other people that like the same song on the radio or blog about, which makes it impossible to differentiate yourself as a writer or blogger by going with the grain. As a result, while some reading this probably yawn and go to the next page or even better yet, just wait til tomorrow's post, I'm ok with that because most of you know I'm a buyer of dance music in general. Just because American pop culture decided to get on the same wavelength as me doesn't make me a $ell out, but it does make me cliche. I'm ok with that tonight though, I'm still gonna rest easy, so don't you worry bout me homeboy.
(Steps down off soap box)...anyways, big fan of D Guetta's Soundcloud though, that's a great one stop spot for high quality electro beats. No word yet on a new album for IYAZ, but between this and his new track with @TRAVIEMCCOY Pretty Girls, it's headed in the direction of success. Hope you like carbonated water and sugar because there is no diet in this pop...#MidwestPeopleDrinkPop
IYAZ - Last Forever (prod by David Guetta) |iTunes
New AON Mixtape Young World Vol. 1 dropping 10/10/10 (hosted by DJ Green Lantern)
Below is an absolutely bangin' new single from ya boy AON who hooks up with DC's finest, Wale on Hater Watch Me. The track below is set to debut on AON's new Mixtape Young World Vol. 1 Hosted by @dj_greenlantern due out this Sunday. In case you've been sleepin' and not paying attention to all the tracks I've posted by this 16 year old phenom, he is a hip-hop artist who was born Hence Opoku in Ghana, but now resides in Chicago. His name is an acronym for ‘Ambitious or Nothing.’ His song My Girl with singer Iyaz now has 25,000 hits on YouTube, you remember way back in April when I was hyping that track? I maintain that track is still meant for mainstream consumption and hasn't reached it's full potential as a serious top 100 radio hit.
Important to note that tomorrow night Oct 9th it's on and poppin at CRC studios in Chicago, IL (see location via Google Maps), where AON is hosting an open party to celebrate the release of his mixtape Young World Vol. 1, hosted by @dj_greenlantern. He'll also be premiering his much anticipated music video for his single Doin' it Bigthat I dropped on y'all back in June. This is an event for all ages and festivities are from 8pm-1am with food and beverages. Come out, enjoy the show and check out the message from AON about the show...
Some call him the "Voice of the Youth" because he's got tracks that range from Soul to D.C GoGo (hence the Wale track) to even Glam Rock. I'm reluctant to keyhole him into a genre or style of Hip Hop since he incorporates so many different sounds, but Indie Hip Hop based on an upbeat sound that banks on his solid lyrical delivery is the best I got as far as describing his style. According to @Wale when he heard @aonmusik for the first time he thought “the kid was at least 21”, which is true, he's got a mature swag about him that makes him sound older. All things considered, his sound is more polished than you'd expect from a dude that's only 16. With all this Indie music I've been posting of late, it's refreshing to see an artist fully embrace the description of his work as an "Indie twist to mainstream Hip Hop".
Tomorrow night A.O.N will be on stage with special guest @biggarankin00 of CTE and he will be performing the track below, Hater Watch Me along with his hit single My Girl which features Iyaz. This is AON’s biggest event in Chicago thus far and will be a catalyst as far as creating buzz momentum in his hometown. I'm serious go out and support him tomorrow night it's his damn birthday and you'll be glad you witnessed him perform for $10 up close and personal before he made it.
Luckily for all of you following out there, below is an exclusive straight for his manager at Steeze Records who was nice enough to drop this on you a month early before it hits radio stations November 6th. Consider yourself lucky to be ahead of the curve and definitely bang this heat rock out, lettin' everybody know @aonmusik has arrived and is about to start tearin' up the scene...
AON. feat Wale - Hater Watch Me (exclusive!)
|Download
Ah yea, a well put together radio friendly single for Pill to hang his hat on, which will only serve to increase his notoriety and get his name out in the public. In case you weren't privy to his latest mixtape hosted by @djdrama titled 1140:The Overdose, you should probably catch up because everyone else is still noddin' their heads to tracks like I'ma Ride and Westsiders.
No better or shorter way to a #1 single than working with the esteemed JR Rotem, who wakes up and urinates #1 singles. It helps too that he has I.Y.A.Z. under his Beluga Heights wing and has helped develop him into more than just a mini-Sean Kingston. Sure @iyazlive is a couple albums behind, but I'd argue his vocals are just as enticing as Sean's when on a hook.
Collabs aside @pill4180 is now showing me a little somethin' as far as turning potential into legit success with this single. He proved himself in my eyes with a solid mixtape and now it's looking like Warner Bros may be pushing for his album later this year titled The Medicine. Hopefully his record label doesn't stunt his growth and individuality by making too many of these "radio hits" because the whole JR Rotem cookie cutter single works, but everyone has went to that well.
How about letting the artists be themselves and take some chances big record labels?? #ThatShitDoesntSell...
I digress...give it a listen, it's catchier than anything you would expect to come from gangstapill...
Pill feat IYAZ - Blow Up (prod by JR Rotem)
| Download
We've all heard it at some point in our lives from someone we deeply care about and despite the good intentions of the person saying it, the F work can be the most painful work in the dictionary. Now before you go assuming the word I'm talking about rhymes with any combination of truck, trucking or trucked, you're misinformed, that word is usually intended to be a relief or intentionally hurtful. It's the F word that isn't meant to be intentionally hurtful that wreaks the most havoc because you would honestly rather be called a mothertrucking witch or ?sshole than this word when the person delivering the blow sheepishly proposes becoming the F word, which as kindhearted as it is intended to be, turns into the most degrading relationship proposition imaginable.
If you haven't figured it out yet, or scrolled down to see the song title, the F word I'm talking about is the word friend. The dictionary definition of friend is as follows:
friend (noun) - 1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
friend (verb) - (sadly this is now an alternate definition...smh)
1. To add (someone) as a friend on a social networking website.
Now if I were to get the opportunity to amend the dictionary definition to include an alternate, more real life use of the word, my definition would be as follows:
friend (noun) - a person with whom you used to be in a relationship with and trust that now only likes you enough to offer a compensatory, contrived offering of distanced companionship in a last ditch effort to make you feel less hurt seconds after removing your once beating heart from your chest
Hopefully that wasn't too graphic for the kids frequenting my blog (yea right), but I suppose they need to learn at some point because the double edged sword that is the word friend is unforgiving and deceiving in it's double meaning. Oh what's that wanna be player in the back who is trying to act hard like this has never happened to him? You've never caught a touchdown pass with two feet in friendzone (respect the NFL rules)?? Not my fault you settle for insecure, fat girls/guys, reach higher dude/woman. If you haven't heard the phrase "I think we should just be friends" or at least attempted to out-punt your coverage only to shank it into the stands 10 yards down the field, you need to stop settling for that net 30 yd punt...dudes in the NFL college get cut for that kind of effort.
Now that I've gotten that spiteful, but fulfilling rant of my chest, let's focus forward on the ballad at hand by IYAZ, who, by the way keeps putting out hit after hit if you haven't noticed. It would be hard to argue that JR Rotem's influence on IYAZ's hits hasn't been the primary fuel behind his splash into mainstream music, but IYAZ still has to delivery the catchy hooks and execute verses, so more power to him. Add this to the two aforementioned tracks, plus his upcoming single So Big (that I'm also a big fan of) and you've got yourself 4 legit hits on a debut album, which is almost unheard of.
Everyone knows someone who is an absolute lock for being a perennial All-Pro Wide Receiver for catching TD's in the friendzone (I see you Kman!), but needless to say, regardless of man or woman being effected, it's never fun to hear about or watch the catches (especially if they are in slow-mo). On a funny note, I found a message board conversation that discussed the friendzone topic that is absolutely hilarious (see here). The most accurate quote I saw on the whole post was "Yea, (the friend zone) is real, but there's nothing a little alcohol can't fix." For all you visual learners, here's another artist's rendition of the friendzone with a cameo from Mario:
Then, in case there are folks reading this who are wanting to get out of the friendzone, here is an artist's rendition of how to get out of the friendzone and into the greener pasture that is a (supposedly) a relationship:
Even I don't even have the audacity to take credit for coming up with something that nerdy, creative and absolutely hilarious, thank yab. I think IYAZ summarizes it best on the hook by saying:
Oh no you didnt just call me friend
Oh no I must be hearing things
You can call me wrong
You can call me right But dont you call me friend tonight
Anybody who has been to my blog in previous months has noticed the massive amounts of Jason Derulo material I've posted. The reason for that has been two-fold. First and foremost, I like his music and I've liked it for a couple years back when he was Keepin' it On the Hush and waaay before Whatcha Say caused his career to rocket from up and coming artist to platinum artist...all in one year/album.
The second reason I've posted so much Jason Derulo is because one out of every two people that have come to my blog in the past year have been because they searched something about Jason Derulo. For example, I've never posted anything about Jason Derulo's shoes, but massive amounts of people have searched that on Google and ended up on my blog looking at pictures I've posted of him. Thank goodness for Google Analytics is all I can say. If used right, it's a great tool for anybody looking to know everything about who is coming to your blog. I've got love for all you guys out there tuning in, especially the new contingent of readers up in Duxbury, MA...I see y'all and appreciate the love.
The picture I'm trying to paint in my review below should reflect my giddiness that an artist I've been following closely for the past couple years decided to perform a few blocks away from me...oh yea and for $5. I probably would have forked over at least $30-$40 to see him up to an hour away from where I live, but no...instead he was all like "I got you GWDJ, I'll come next door and perform basically for free." Even better there was no assigned seating, so similar to the night before at Matisyahu, I had the ability to carve my way through the crowd to get great seats before he hit the stage. Seems too good to be true right? You're tellin' me...
Let me catch myself for a sec before I get too ahead and just skip to the review of Derulo. Prior to him hitting the stage as the headliner, I was (of course) there early enough to catch IYAZ's set. As he started, I was walking up, so I didn't get a chance to hustle myself into any premium seating unfortunately. What I heard though, was pretty much what I expected, but that's a good thing. Unbeknownst to me, IYAZ has another new single on the horizon titled So Big, produced by J J J JR. I didn't have a good view of the stage, but I got a clip of his new single thanks to my freakishly tall roomate Mike (I see you Butcher!). It ended up being a curveball because I hadn't heard it yet (surprisingly) and still can't find a non-DJ version of it in the past day I've now found it which is strangeIYAZ - So Big. Strange because wikipedia says his album is due out in a week and it hasn't now leaked yet. That iswas an accomplishment if true.
All in all, I'd say the comparisons to Sean Kingston-like style and potentail are fair at this point since his debut album is going to end up having three huge singles Solo, Replayand So Big. In the limited time I got to listen and see him in concert I'd say IYAZ was a little more engaging than Kingston as a performer actually. For a warm up act, it was legit, daps & lbs to you Keidran Jones.
After a pretty decent set by a band I hadn't heard much from Sandlot Heroes, I made a quick visit to the exceptional restroom facilities and a little stop here, giving myself just enough time to find a chair to stand on to get a clutch view of the stage. Sidebar: Word to the wise, if the opportunity presents itself to elevate above the crowd for a better view, station yourself next to a pole...the likelihood of being in everyone's way despite being elevated is lessened, pictures/videos are generally higher quality/less shaky, and you never know when you're going to get bumped by drunk people at a concert, especially on a flimsy chair ...so being by a pole mitigates those risks/obstacles quite well.
Those May Fair folks steadfastly stuck to their schedule because the set change was quick, maybe 15-20 mins. You know I was posted up though and got a good view of the Michael Jackson-esque Thriller-style, coming out of the fog dance entrance. Check out his Concert Entrance into his song Sky is the Limit...
My first reaction was holy-ish, how many teenie boppers made it out tonight!...i.e. hadn't heard the high pitched boy band style screaming in an audience for a while. Guess Jason Derulo is the farthest boundary of my musical tastes bordering Pop music now?....siiiikkee @JustinBieber.
Aside from the extraordinarily high amount of teens in attendance, I was still able to enjoy his performance, which was impressive because of Derulo's stage presence. Sure a lot of Pop/R&B artists try to pull off the dancing on stage, but he owned it to a point where you can tell he takes pride in his choreography. From the occasional spins, to the above average back-up dancers (I agree Jess, he does have one of the best groups of dancers), to the crotch grabs, to the lit-up black gloves...he owns the entertainer label. One of the better examples of him being an entertainer was when he performed Whatcha Say below....
smh on the Hulk Hogan style beater rip off at the 2:48 mark...haha. I get it though, the lil girlies love dem abs and word ta ya moms I'd probly do that walkin' down the street on occasion if I had Chris Macke style wash-board abs. I see you Diesel!
As the concert progressed, he kept playing personal favorites like What If and his new single Ridin' Solo. Ironic and probably planned that he chooses to play Ridin' Solo by himself, but it was a mellow rendition of the song and consequently may have been the song I was least a fan of him performing.
As the concert wound down I gained a heightened sense of appreciation for the true performance I was witnessing for having only paid $5. Made me feel like it was a little bit of karma coming back to frequent concert-goers like me who gets raped every time they have to buy tickets off Tickmaster. Arts Fairs like May Fair so rarely are able to attract high profile acts that it felt like I was watching an endangered animal that I should have had to pay more to see, but was fortunate enough to watch basically for free.
That was none more clear than on his closing song, my personal favorite and hands down the best performance of a song he did all night. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, fast forward to his move at the 2:40 mark where he rocks the splits into a mic flip while smoothly transitioning out of the move by walking forward in sync with the other dancers. Was pretty sick and a very real indication of how he has become a polished entertainer...a step up from your garden variety Pop star.
If I were to give the event a grade, I would emphatically give May Fair an A. How they got Matisyahu, IYAZ, Charice, and Jason Derulo to play under a tent in park in Allentown, PA jengas my mind. It cost $5 to buy 4 apples at the grocery store and to go all economic on you for a min, I got way more utility out of watching Matisyahu and Jason Derulo for $5 than I would have gotten out of eating 4 apples. That sort of captain obvious comparison I managed to geniously come up with was meant to shed light on how rare and somewhat old school the event was that I attended. It's going to be a tall order being able to get that much entertainment out of $5 in my life going forward. Serious daps & lbs are in order for all that organized the event (mainly B104), I feel like I owe y'all some sort of thank you note. Even if you aren't as fortunate to attend a festival with IYAZ/Derulo, I would still recommend paying upwards of $30-$40 to see them if you get the chance.
For more exclusive videos of the concert and other past concerts, check out my YouTube Channel or click on the YouTube icon at the bottom of this page on my Wibiya bar (in between Twitter and Become a Fan).
Welp...it's officially cool nowadays to go by an acronym rather than your real name. We have two examples of that here with IYAZ whom you've now heard a few different hits from. IYAZ's real name is Keidran Jones and I really have no idea how that loosely translates to his stage name. On the other hand we have new up and coming artist AON, out of all places Chicago (is it me or is Chicago gettin' it in of late with new artists?). His real name is Hence Opoku, while his stage name stands for Ambitious Or Nothing, which makes for a little more understandable and unique real name/nickname combo than IYAZ.
On top of that, dude is only 16! Pretty crazy, but my guess is captain radio hit himself (JR Rotem) snatched up this talented kid, put his new artist IYAZ (who has a undeniably radio friendly voice now) on the hook and said let's see if this catches fire?. My prediction is that once a few people get a listen of this track it will end up being a pretty sizeable, well-known top 25 hit and do some serious work on the charts. I don't know if it will be able to reach IYAZ's Replay status, but still this is a real feel good summertime feeling track. I'll be the first to admit, I slept on this track last month and didn't give it the proper credit...until I realized on my road trip to DC this weekend how much I actually liked the track.
I'm not about to discount this as a young cat jumping on a ready-made Rotem hit either. AON has some swag about his flow, he doesn't sound like he's 16 at all. While the hook is what will suck people in with IYAZ's addicting reggae flow, the verses aren't a let down at all in my opinion. Given it's easier to drive when you've got JR at the wheel, but still there's something more here than just a young kid making one radio hit. Take for instance the last verse of the track where AON shows a lil' lyrical creativity...
"It's a fact, I should have them bragging rights
cause my girl be the baddest and uh...she actin right
it's magic right how she keep me Glad-ys night
I gotta beat it, cause lil momma bad as Mike
Her body mean even when she actin nice
In fact I might, wife if she actin right
Give her bling so bright it will max the light
Can't be a playa no more, I have to wife"
And then when he finishes with a line like...
"You so bad...you can keep my first and my last name...HAHA!!"
...smh...but still a good line and an exhibit of the swag on deck. Lookin' forward for more to come from AON, but man no lie, every time I've listened to this track the past week it's done nothing by pour more gasoline on it's potential...somethin' tells me if you don't get to listenin' to this soon, you're gonna miss the bus and it's gonna be on everyone else's playlist before you...don't be typical, cop it and share it with your friends you greedy melon farmer...
Regardless of what artist covered the song, the bluesy feeling that results from the harmony and strings in the background is timeless. I'd even opine that this track has been covered by three of the greatest ballad vocalists ever (Nat King Cole, Celine Dion, Beyonce). Pretty tall order for an up and coming R&B act putting out a first album to follow in those footsteps.
Buuuuttt...it helps when you have the sample master JR Rotem, who is re-shaping the genre of Pop-R&B with the likes of Jason Derulo and Sean Kingston . Dare I say this sounds strikingly familiar to JR Rotem's use of Ben E King's Stand by Me by Sean Kingston? Some may hate on JR for "borrowing" past songs and more or less cashing in on the built in familiarity that comes from sampling these songs, but you can't argue that he does re-shape the recycled tracks into something that this generation can relate to sound wise. By building musical generational bridges between sampled tracks and new tracks, he allows older generations to relate with the younger sound. Whatever JR supposedly lacks in originality by sampling these oldies, he makes up for in genius by flipping them into radio friendly pop anthems.
IYAZ isn't really a candidate for vocalist of the year, but his album (similar to Jason Derulo's) is shaping up to be a splash. It's hard to imagine that both Derulo and IYAZ have yet to release an album but both have two heavyweight radio hits with JD - Whatcha Say, In My Head and IYAZ - Replay, Solo.
Give the five songs a listen and I encourage donating your 2 cents on the poll below...
GWDJ Verdict: Overall, I give IYAZ's version a B+, it's catchy as hell and will make moves on the radio without a doubt. I can't take anything away from Nat King Cole and Etta James's versions, I bet if I was like 40 years older I would still be rockin' both those on 45' records. Celine Dion definitely brings it vocally in a grown and sexy way on her rendition of the track, but in my opinion Beyonce rocked it the best. She brings the soulfulness through her voice that was meant for this track, which is why she Rocked...it...Best.
When I first heard IYAZ's new track Solo, I'll admit, I had mixed emotions. Like many other JR Rotem produced singles like Kingston's - Beautiful Girls (sampling Stand by Me), Mann's - Ghetto Girl(sampling Uptown Girl), or even Rihanna's- SOS (sampling Tainted Love)...the familiarity was there and it draws you in immediately. I'd venture a guess on first listen that 9 out of 10 people would say they like the newly sampled pop/R&B versions of a couple truly timeless, we're talking like 1961 Ben E King and 1964 Gloria Jones type of timeless, songs.
Now I'm not exactly saying Janet's song Again is or ever will be as unforgettable as any of the aforementioned classic oldies, BUT it is personally one of my top 5 favorite Janet tracks (maybe Together Again, Rhythm Nation , What Have You Done For Me Lately or even Doesn't Really Matter...if you were wondering). It's definitely my favorite slow jam of hers...from the delicate piano to complimentary flute to the soft, harmonious, love drenched, emotion laden vocals. When it comes to slow jams, it's damn near impossible to match this effort.
It remains to be seen whether JR's new protege IYAZ will live up to the Sean Kingston-like hype and walk in his shoes one day. I don't think his first single Replay will ever reach the height of Kingston's Beautiful Girls, but that's not meant to belittle it's current place as one of the most recognizable songs out right now.
You be the judge, do you think they paid Janet respect with the sample or did they fall short in a failed attempt?
GWDJ Verdict: Although it pains me a bit to see such a classic Janet track be shared and even mentioned in the same sentence, I think the subtlety of the sample wasn't bad and it was different enough that it didn't tarnish Janet's version in my mind. Clearly not my favorite sample, but overall not terrible. Still love Janet's version waaay more than anything IYAZ will ever put out...no disrespect, Janet is a legend
Here's some more new J-Derulo produced again, by J.R. Rotem, aka the wingman to Jason's new-found success. Can't hate though, Mr. Whatcha Say deserves it because he's been chillin' out on the mainstream success horizon for more than a few hot minutes, mostly writing huge hits like the new IYAZ - Replay song (video below)
Anyways, here's the new uptempo ballad where Jason again reminds us how good of a writer he is...oh yea then there's the obvious vocal talent too, love the acapella ending. Check it out...
