Artic Monkeys front man Alex Turner’s eagerly anticipated solo project ‘The Last Shadow Puppets: The Age of the Understatement’ is out this week, reminding me of where it all began for the young Mr. Turner.

It has already received positive reviews as a welcome change from the humdrum indie noise but however many James Bond-esque 1970’s big instrumentals that are thrown in the mix you can’t stop thinking of the Artic Monkeys as you listen.

Who could forget how the Sheffield Four piece rose to fame in the first place, the first success of the digital download generation.

Their debut single ‘I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ stormed to number one and they have sat there proudly ever since.

Their success was controversial due to the use of technology for marketing and for offering their single for free, by-passing the traditional strategy of going to record labels cap in hand for a deal.

Since then the explosion of social networking sites, blogging and webcams has made it even more accessible for bands to promote themselves and enjoy more control over their own destiny, fan base and performances.

Yet an interesting counter argument to this appeared in the ‘Guardian’ claiming that record labels are more savvy to the use of technology and it is the media and press that were caught napping by the trends.

It also tries to break some of the myths about the marketing that the band had in the early days and reveals that just the buzz words of ‘MySpace’ and ‘Internet’ was enough to sell to the consumer and media.

Whether this is true or not, nothing could ever replace the Artic Monkeys raw talent. Without that, millions of aspiring artists may copy the Monkeys model but will not emulate their success.

Indeed, few have made such a phenomenal impact as the Sheffield band since.

Sceptics would suggest that lead singer Alex Turner’s desire to pursue his solo project ‘The Last Shadow Puppets’ is an indication that the longevity of the Artic Monkeys may be in question.

Whether this is true remains open to conjecture but their legacy on the downloadable music market is not.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20051024_musicweekpoll.shtml

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/12/yourmoney/music13.php

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article722745.ece

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/netmusic/story/0,,1782621,00.html

General:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Monkeys

http://www.myspace.com/arcticmonkeys

http://www.arcticmonkeys.com/

Estelle’s song ‘American Boy’  featuring KanYe West sits proudly at the top of the charts and I thought it would be a good opportunity to big up one of my major influences…

KanYe’s work is uniquely different to the rest of the hip-hop scene and it is this difference that sets him apart but ultimately nearly resulting in his career never took off as well.

The fact that K raps about things that matter such as religion (‘Jesus Walks’) and the diamond trade (‘Diamonds from Sierra Leone’) sat uneasy with record producers who felt that he would not be as marketable as rappers who portrayed the street gang image of guns, pimps and hoes that is prominent in the genre.

So here go my single dog radio needs this
They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus
That means guns, sex, lies, video tapes
But if I talk about God my record won’t get played Huh?

‘Jesus Walks’

Fortunately someone saw sense and KanYe’s work has led to multiple awards (including 9 Grammy’s), critical acclaim and commercial success.

Yet K is much more than a phenomenal performing talent and genius producer for other big names in the industry.

With more than a penchant for wicked wordplay, K is an extremely bright individual who is devoted to his parents, particularly his late mother (evident through ‘Hey Mama’) while also having immense courage and conviction to fight back from a near fatal accident.

In October 2002, KanYe was involved in a car accident while driving home from the recording studio. However the incident did not deter him, providing the inspiration for the single,‘Through the Wire’ performed two weeks after the accident with his jaw still wired to his face due to the reconstructive surgery that was needed.

It is little wonder that this triumph over adversity and musical success has led to something of a swagger about KanYe as he declares that before he dies he’s going to touch the sky in the hit ‘Touch the Sky’ while declaring on Estelle’s latest song:

Who killin em in the UK?
Everybody gonna say you K,
reluctantly, because most of this press don’t f**k wit me.

‘American Boy’

The lyrics are certainly true as KanYe’s strong beliefs and antics are at times radical but like a not-too-former Prime Minister, the dirt never seems to stick and he always seems to be a media darling.

The fact that he has never been vilified in the same way as artists such as Eminem and Oasis have for their antics and outbursts may be surprising but perhaps the fact most of his statements have more than a grain of truth suggest that he is merely saying what most people sub-consciously acknowledge but are too afraid to say.

From a journalist point of view he is certainly ‘good for a quote’.

The press’ favouritism was also evident in the media hysteria surrounding the release of KanYe’s third album on the same day as 50 Cent’s in September 2007.

Stupidly, Fiddy declared that if KanYe’s Graduation were to sell more than his Curtis album then he would stop releasing solo albums. While KanYe’s album received rave reviews, Fiddy’s was panned as ‘cold, hard and joyless’ (The Telegraph) and unsurprisingly he ignored the forfeit.

The media interest in the pair is a microcosm of the hip-hop industry with The Telegraph article expertly portraying the polar opposites. On the one side there is the archaic Gangsta rap image that 50 Cent represents while on the other is a deeper struggle for self worth and improvement with KanYe West.

Don’t get me wrong, I was one of the first to jump on the 50 Cent bandwagon with his debut album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. At the time it was edgy, raw and full of the anger at the treatment of the American underclass but since then Fiddy has descended into a court jester and pastiche.

The same cannot be said of KanYe who continually supports Gay Rights and pro-actively denigrates anti-Gay lyrics in a genre that is rife with them. His live television outburst on the government’s slow reaction to helping the same American lower classes that Fiddy has slowly forgotten about in light of Hurricane Katrina also proves that he is willing to face a media backlash if the cause is justified.

Yet perhaps he just thinks ‘that that don’t kill me, can only make me stronger’ (KanYe West, ‘Stronger’)

http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanye_West

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/11/12/bmfifty112.xml

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090300165.html

Right guys, been really busy so the writing has been on a go slow at the moment but I have been up in Newcastle and recorded this song just for you…click here to check it out…

A few people have asked whether my earlier post regarding Just Jack’s song ‘Starz In Your Eyes’ is an opinion on the media that I really prescribed too.

It sure is!!

Simon Cowell’s car-crash reality television show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ is back on our screens and this is a prime example of what I have been saying.

I remember the sweet angelic 6-year old Connie Talbot from last year’s show and she is a prime example of the industry’s ruthless nature.

Simon Cowell and co. promised her the world on the talent contest before cruelly snatching it away from her.

The press declared her as the new Charlotte Church, a singing protégé like no other and Mr. Cowell provisionally signed the little girl up to a seven figure record deal.

This is typical of the press – building someone up and then when it suits them chopping them down!

Perhaps with this in mind it wasn’t a bad thing that months later the deal was removed with Mr. Cowell and his representatives saying that Connie was ‘too young for stardom’.

Connie is now signed up to another record label with her album released at Christmas. Its typical sugar-coated candy which isn’t really something I listen to but the moral of Connie’s story is that the media world is ruthless and savage and no place for a 6-year old.

Mr. Cowell was probably right to withdraw his contract offer but one can’t help but think that he was old enough not to say anything on national television in the first place.

Was it all a press stunt for his show…? Nah, never!!

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=461782&in_page_id=1773

http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/britains-got-talent/connie-talbot-heartbroken-as-simon-cowell-pulls-out-of-record-deal/

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/entertainment/Simon+Cowell-39045.html

I remember Rick Astley’s ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ as a kid with fond memories. It was a song on my second ever cassette album, my first album being the Ghostbusters motion picture soundtrack.

It was sandwiched between tracks from The Thompson Twins and Lisa Stansfield but at the time I never seemed to grasp the genius that was Astley and his producers, Stock Aitken Waterman, preferring instead the ASDA advert song by Fairground Attraction!

Still, age has made my impression of Astley’s song mature into a fine Jameson whisky and I have had to laugh at the latest internet craze/scam known as ‘Rick-Roll’.

‘Rick-rolling’ is when you are browsing a website and see a link to something else that might be of interest, only to be confronted by Rick Astley’s YouTube video of the 1987 one-hit wonder once you have clicked the said link…

The act has no means other than entertainment.

However, the craze has now hit the mainstream, attacking the Church of Scientology and hoaxing the New York Mets baseball team into running out onto the field of play to the song after a web vote for their new signature tune!

And the Press seem to be loving it!!

It certainly brings about issues of the power of the internet in the current Music Industry and the question of royalties for songs on websites such as YouTube and whether such tactics can be used for promoting other bands and artists in the future…

Keep checking back for more information and views on the topic of the power of digital on music downloads and the media as a whole.

http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2266526,00.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/music/article972558.ece

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/new%20york%20baseball%20team%20fooled%20by%20rick%20astley%20hoax_1065198

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/arts_entertainment/music/rickrolling%20waylays%20new%20york%20mets/1986547

Something that I’ve been trying to champion in both my own writing and influences is the movement away from the ‘angry young man’ gangsta rap stereotype.

To me there is no place for images of violence, sexism, racism and homophobia in Hip-Hop and R ‘n’ B and it is refreshing to see articles and other movements supporting this view.

‘The Phat Family’ is a list of homophobic lyrics that appear in rap songs, acting like a name and shame policy.

The Southern Voice Atlanta article in particular sums up the conflict between this pointless abuse and the goodness that the genre has to offer:

“On the surface, hip-hop is extremely homophobic but beneath the surface, there’s a lot of interesting things going on. It’s an extraordinarily complex social interaction [between gays and hip-hop].”

It is predominately a culture issue that African-Americans have and as such it seeps into their lyrics.

However, there is slow improvement in the industry with artists such as Eminem and Common toning down their lyrics – albeit sceptism remains as to whether this is just down to commercial interests or a genuine realisation of the error of their ways.

The article also delves deeper into the issue, saying that words and insults don’t have to specifically be offensive to a culture or group, instead being used as terms to underline conflict between rappers in jest.

For instance, how many times have you asked a mate you haven’t seen for a few days what have they been doing and they retort: ‘Your Mum’ (or is this just my mates…?!!!).

You get my point …In comparison, the blog highlights the issues of sexism and violence in the industry and the fact the press are slow to jump on this bandwagon  instead preferring to concentrate just on homophobia. 

Certainly there’s still a lot to do to break down century old prejudices and stereotypes on all fronts but perhaps it’s a case of one battle at a time.

http://www.sovo.com/2003/8-29/news/national/hiphop.cfm

http://www.webloggin.com/demeaning-hoe-hustling-drug-dealing-gansta-rap-no-problem-bring-it-on-anti-gay-sicko-rap-oh-no-that-must-be-banned/

For the best R ‘n’ B and Hip-Hop around check out Choice Fm – the only place for the top tunes. Click Here for the website and to listen NOW!!

It places all the latest hits from the biggest artists – none of the gangsta guff – mainly soulful beats.

Enjoy!

Here’s another – something that I’ve been working on and will be accompanied by the background music of Samuel Barber’s ‘Agnus Dei’

I sit down to feast on oven-baked turkey,

pull crackers and laugh with my family.

I raise a glass and toast with my wine,

pondering the true essence of Christmas Time.

Everyone toasts, taking mouthfuls or sips

while a secret prayer falls from my lips.

I play background music from a new CD

and think of those less fortunate than me.

I wonder about carrying the weight of the cross

and of lonely people mourning their loss.

The festive season makes it hard to hide,

the pain of so many others that I’ve denied.

Numerous presents make me feel guilty

when I think of those living in poverty

with hardly enough bread for their table

but still believing the birth in the stable.  

Floods, tsunami, starvation in Africa,

all played out under Bethlehem’s Star

and when friends confide their troubles to me:

I feel trapped by the burden of responsibility.

I’m so confused with faith I don’t know what to do.

So Lord, if you exist please give me a clue.

I see miracles performed before my eyes

yet witness bombs drop from your skies.

I don’t know if it’s a crisis of confidence –

or my lack of faith an act of pretence.

Innocent deaths make it hard to understand you

but maybe I want to believe to help me through.

The magic of Christmas makes me think twice:

that there can’t be goodness without vice

and my spiritual crisis becomes less confusing

knowing you can’t experience winning without losing.

So Lord, help teach and guide me how to be,

the man that you want others to see.

So I might give good advice, do the right thing,

because without love, hope and faith I am nothing.

Hope everyone has a great day and here’s the ultimate present for everyone this festive period….

It is from one of my musical idols, Justin Timberlake, all the way from Memphis Tennessee!

So, sit back, enjoy and have a gud ‘un!

Blaze xXx

It is the anniversary of my Grandad’s death today and Christmas is always a hard time to lose anyone anyway…I wrote this last Christmas, well actually it’s a remix of the Green Day song.

I’m still unsure as to how to perform this one though as my voice isn’t strong enough to sing it and rapping doesn’t seem to fit with the flow of the song either….Any suggestions? Lol.

RIP Mate.

Summer has come and passed,

my happiness can never last.

Wake me up when December ends.

My grandfather came to pass,

many years have gone so fast.

Wake me up when December ends.

Here comes the snow again,

falling from the skies.

Freezing my pain within

becoming who I am.

Soon my memory fades,

I can’t remember what I’ve lost.

Wake me up when December ends.

Summer has come and passed,

my happiness can never last.

Wake me up when December ends.

Ring out the chimes again.

Like we did when spring began.

Wake me up when December ends.

Here comes the snow again,

falling from the skies.

Freezing my pain within

becoming who I am.

Soon my memory fades,

I can’t remember what I’ve lost.

Wake me up when December ends.

Summer has come and passed,

my happiness can never last.

Wake me up when December ends.

My grandfather came to pass,

many years have gone so fast.

Wake me up when December ends.

Wake me up when December ends.

Wake me up when December ends.