Thumbs down for "We Are the World 25"

The 25th anniversary remake of the "We Are the World" video premiered tonight. If you didn't get a chance to see it, watch the full version here.



I personally am not a fan. There are those (mainly my family members) who would accuse me of filtering my viewing experience through an MJ fan filter. That's not my problem, I don't think it was sacrilegious to redo the song. Though the MJ tribute - superimposing him into the video for a duet with sister Janet - was very awkward.

In general, I felt that the entire project came off as disingenuous compared to the original collaboration. I appreciate the spontaneity of the original, which was put together the night of the American Music Awards. While I realize the project was put together to raise money for Haiti and the more celebs, the wider the audience and potential donor base, it seemed like WATW25 became more about filling the studio to capacity with famous people rather than creating a quality charity song. If you want people to buy the song or video, make it good.

My major beef: I'm so over Auto-Tune. Jay-Z may have called for the Death of Auto-Tune, but it just won't seem to go away. When you have people like Celine Dion, J-Hud, Barbara Streisand, Mary J. Blige and Josh Groban featured on the track - all artists with pipes of steel - and then you have Lil' Wayne and T-Pain Auto-Tune (I refuse to call it singing) for a couple of verses (longer than Ms. Streisand and Groban's solos), you're just creating a recipe for disaster. The T-Pain part killed the song for me.

I'm not sure how the solo selection process worked. I could have done with more Dion and less Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Nicole-from-the-Pussycat-Dolls. The rap was out of place. And honestly, it seemed like LL was the only one who was into it. I want to know where Stevie Wonder was that night because his part on the original was amazing and I would have rather heard that.

Here's the old video if you want to compare.



The one update I endorse is Wyclef's part. The pain in that man's voice is real. And his cries gave me a sense of urgency. I imagine it might be the push some people need to give to Haitian relief.

By the way, what did Jeff Bridges and Vince Vaughn add to the mix? I wonder if they were trying to recreate the confusing celeb cameo that Dan Akroyd make in the original.

Thoughts, anyone?

Errbody in the corner has swagga like us, swagga swagga like us.

Ladies and Gentlemen, today we would like to comemmorate the death of a word. Swagger...Swagga...Swag...whatever you like to call it is has officially died.

Song after numerous song had tried to insert Swagger somewhere in its lyrics until finally Swagger took its last breath.

The time of death cannot be certain but it could lay anywhere between Soulja Boy's aptly titled, "Swag," T.I., Lil Wayne and JayZ's "Swagger Like Us" ...or quite frankly, anything done by Lil' Wayne.

Swag's short life span in mainstream vernacular has taken a toll on the actual meaning of the word. Before it's exploitation during the PLWE (that is, the Pre- Lil' Wayne Era), Swagger had often times been confused with Stagger, as the two words sound very much alike. However, the crux of Swag's definition is that a person who possesses it "walks boldly, steadily" and "with an air of confidence"-- not like the latter's definition of "tottering" around.

Now apparently everyone in da' corner has swagga like us, swagga swagga like us.

During its heydey, many of Swagger's competitors had gone into hiding. Every word from Confidence to Charisma to Mojo to Gusto had been placed under the umbrella of Swagger. We tried to reach out to some of these antonymns but none were brave enough to respond.... perhaps they had no Swagger themselves?

Someone was kind enough to compile a playlist --a memorial of sorts--so that we can never forget the contribution that Swagger has made to the musical world. The list isn't complete, but nevertheless, it hints at how far and wide Swagger has travelled into our ears and inside hearts and eventually out to the vomit receptacles where overused words eventually end up.

Please, ladies and gents, do not give hope up on Swagger. We pray everyday that its elusiveness and integrity may one day be restored.

Till then....In memoriam, Swagger, in memoriam.

Beyonce's new single: I'm a I'm a aaaa-nnoying!

Beyonce wearing an ancient Japanese torture device on the set of the "Diva" music video

I don't enjoy bashing music. I really do love music, truly madly deeply. However, I think Beyonce is one of the most annoying performers of our generation (i.e. Single Ladies, the pink panther song: Check on it).

The girls got pipes and looks and moves BUT she always settles for catchy, highpitched anthems and dances in unflattering unitards.

After her marriage to Jay Hizzle, I really thought she was a changed woman. I was diggin' "If I Were a Boy." It was a refreshing, raw, beautiful, simple...something that I haven't heard from Beyonce yet.

Then "Diva" comes along and changes errthing. Lyrics below

(sung by dwarves)
I'm a I'm a a diva hey
I'm a I'm a a diva hey

diva is a female version of a hustlah
of a of a hustlah
diva is a female version of a hustlah
of a of a hustlah

So profound, Beyonce. Her style has digressed about a decade with this song back to the Destiny's Child days.

A few quibbles, if I may:

A. Beyonce is not a hustlah, is just ridiculously wealthy. She has a pretty clean record tooo...no mugshots, arrests. Pretty wholesome actually.

B. Diva is NOT a female version of a hustla, of a, of a hustla. Diva is more like drama queen while hustlers are pretty much crackheads (thanks, Melvin!). Girls can be hustlas and guys can be divas, too. Mrs. Jay Hizzle, please do not equate the two and miseducate an entire generation into thinking that these words are alike

C. Bring back that classy lady that sung at the Inauguration. Bitch, Puh-lease?

Beyonce being classy and fierce at the Inauguration.

-Cris-izzle

The Pussycat Dolls? Porque, Mr. Rahman, porque???

So apparently I'm going to run on this Slumdog train for as long as possible.
I was listening to B96 the other day (ya know, the Chicago station that play hits for hiphop and r&b), and I hear the Pussycat Dolls and AH Rahman's remixxed version of the Grammy Winning song from Slumdog Millionaire, "Jai Ho."

Now I heard that Ryan Seacrest just played it on air for the heck of it on Kiss FM but it has caught on with other radio stations and B96 is actually playing it in their lineup right after a Lil' Wayne number. Serious biiiitch please moment right there. I dunno...I find it a little odd. The original is aiiiight but with the flighty vocals of the PCDs, it sounds like the lyrics are just on repeat for the entire song.

I personally can be content never hearing "Jai Ho" in my lifetime again....it's that kind of annoying. O well, for your listening pleasure or displeasure...YOU DECIDE: