Shock Value: Music Is Changing!!!

[XaNdEr]

Imo Timbaland is shaping a whole new rapstyle. His album Shock Value is soooooo nice, its beautiful music, simplistic beats yet they are so advanced and smooth compared to all other beats coming out.

I know many dislike this album cause it features Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent etc. but i consider this the first classic of 2007. The music Timbaland makes is really different then everything else coming out.

I can definately see Timbaland Shocking all of the hiphop community with this, and everyone all ciritcizing his album and not buying it. But look at the albumcover:





Timbaland standing already in the room, he made his album, everyones criticizing his new music. But he left the door open, with his new sound, for a new popular sort of music and for others to follow his route, aka he introduced us (the public) to a different type of music.

Thats why the cover is really cool imo. But lets go back to the music, every song on the album is put together really crafty, with time spend on it, not just rushed efforts to make money. He blends different styles (rap, pop, rock etc.) into one music-style. And it actually sounds great. It is not rap, but it's hiphop though. Hiphop is about creativity, putting in effort to create a unique piece of music, to make your own thing and not just copy styles. This is exactly the definition of Shock Value, and it shocks us heavily since it's "no hiphop" "too poppy" or "weak". All i know though, is that Timbaland did his own thing on this album, and has succesfully put together a shiny diamond in the collection of hiphop albums on my shelf.


Now im curious about your opinions, so what do y'all think of this album?

[rik]

I don't dislike it cus of the features, I dislike it because it sucks.

[XaNdEr]

Thats cool, to each his own, but why does it suck? What dont you like about it?

[rik]

Just the whole sound of it. It's a pop album, I don't like pop music. Also a lot of beats sounded the same, there were a couple of beats that sounded just like "Sexy Back" or whatever that song is called. Poor excuse for an album IMO.

[7even]

Why are you acting like it was the evolution of hiphop or some shit? It's just pop music, lol. It's been there before. It's not hiphop for the most part.

[XaNdEr]

Im not talking about an evolution, i just see another style in music developping based upon this album/music Timbaland has made and is still making. Nothing is disappearing, i just think a new style is born with this.

It's like rap was there, and then gangstarap came, but that didnt make rap go away, it just made music more of a variety.

And why is it pop? Cause there are big name guests on it who are no rappers, so for this to be a hiphop album there should be underground rappers all over it? Timbaland is a producer, who is heavily connected to hiphop, since he has produced his entire career for rappers (big names, as well as less known ones) and you cant see this album as not hiphop at all when there is rapping on many songs...

This is a hiphop album for sure, it just blends styles into one new sound, and i can see this sound developping into a new style in music. Thats all.

[rik]

Again, it's not because of the features, it's a pop album because it's an album filled with pop music.

[XaNdEr]

Just the whole sound of it. It's a pop album, I don't like pop music. Also a lot of beats sounded the same, there were a couple of beats that sounded just like "Sexy Back" or whatever that song is called. Poor excuse for an album IMO.

Then you didnt listened to it real good, every beat is different on his own, every beat has its different style. But i agree that the whole sound to it feels like the same; simplistic, catchy beats.

But to say its pop in nonsense. But like i said, to each his own, i respect your opinion. +1, one love to all.

[We Fly High]

definitely dig the album. gotta buy a copy. take it for what it is, appreciate it for its context.

[7even]

Tracks like The Way I Are, Fantasy, Scream and One and Only are as pop as it gets.

The best track on the album, Apologize, is just a remix and the original is better imo.

[XaNdEr]

I guess you base that purely on the lyrical content?

I agree with you, you shouldnt listen to this album for lyrical content, but i see it as a way to showcase the versatile talents of Timbaland as a producer. Since he is a producer (and a big one) his album should also be viewed from a producers point of view, and i think he showed us all he is a high-quality producer who can work with rockbands, rappers and singers.

Some of the lyrical content of this album is not hiphop at all, i agree, but the beats, flows, breaks etc. definately are.

[No Compute]

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0cfwxz85ldke

Genre
   
    * Rap
   
Styles

    * Urban
    * Dance-Pop
    * Pop-Rap
    * Alternative Pop/ Rock

rated it 2.5 out of 5 by the way

I don't see many people adopting this "style" because really it hasn't been successful, Maybe if this LP sold well and went multi-plat other producers and rappers would adopt the style and leech off it but I don't see it happening.

[XaNdEr]

Maybe if it disappoints saleswise it will all go over and nobody would have noticed it....and there is truth in that Prominent.

But like you said, if it soold millions, which it probably didnt do considering the low sales lat year and this year, it probably wont blow up as big as it could do...


But i can definately producers using this type of producing-style though.

[7even]

Maybe it's so refreshing to you because you rarely listen to rock, techno or pop. Some pop-tracks have pretty good beats, it's just that nobody knows the heck made them, the producers don't always have faces. In this case, it's all about the producer and shit. But there have been pop-beats who I thought were pretty good, and nobody ever talked about who produced it. It was just considered a [insert pop artist/group] track, although it was widely known that the pop artists most likely just got the beat given clean cut and sang whatever lyrics given to them.

A mix of singing, great beats and rap without being us-rnb-ish is a concept that was very frequently used in Europe 10 years ago. You being a European, should know that.

  Only one of uncountable frequently played songs back in the day.


Btw great input Prominent, I guess allmusic.com settled this issue.

[XaNdEr]

I can see what you mean, since i have to admit i dont listen much to rock and pop indeed, outside the songs that are on the top 40 or something.


One thing though.


Offtopic: On Give It To Me do i hear a diss against Scott Storch???


"im a real producer and youre just a pianoman"