DJ Premier is working with Christina Aguilera

[Juronimo]

More pop artists turning to rap producers

NEW YORK (Billboard) - DJ Premier was surprised when he got the phone call last spring. It was RCA Records, saying that
Christina Aguilera wanted the producer, best known for his gritty work with rap heavyweights Gang Starr, the Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Nas and KRS-One, to work on the pop singer's forthcoming album.

"It was kind of a shock because I was like, 'How the hell does she know about me?"' DJ Premier says. "I'm one of those guys that really doesn't expect pop artists to really be up on me."

It turns out Aguilera wanted her forthcoming album to re-create and pay tribute to the music that inspired her: soul, jazz and blues from the 1920s, '30s and '40s. She was familiar with some of Premier's jazz-influenced work with Gang Starr in the late 1980s and early 1990s, especially the song "Jazz Thing."

"It had elements of Miles Davis and Billie Holiday and little horn pieces," Aguilera says of the tune. "The way he combined that, I was like, 'Hmm. I bet he would get where I'm trying to go with this record.' It was taking a chance. God knows if he would even do it because it was kind of his first time, I think, even venturing into the 'pop' world. I knew that it would be a different and new thing for him."

DJ Premier ended up producing five songs slated to appear on "Back to Basics," Aguilera's new album, which is scheduled for a June release. The seemingly unusual pairing between DJ Premier and Aguilera is the latest combination of rap producers and pop artists working together, a trend that is becoming increasingly commonplace.

HIGH-PROFILE PAIRINGS

The Neptunes' Pharrell Williams and
Gwen Stefani have recorded several songs together, most notably "Hollaback Girl," after Williams became famous for his production work with hardcore rappers Noreaga and Ol' Dirty Bastard; Jermaine Dupri logged several hits with Usher and
Mariah Carey after establishing himself through the pop-minded rap of Kris Kross and Da Brat. Scott Storch parlayed working with the Roots, Dr. Dre and others into collaborations with
Justin Timberlake and Beyonce.

But rap producers making the leap to pop can be a dicey proposition in a world where credibility is paramount. "The moment you stop being the underdog, when you get 'on' in people's eyes and you're that dude because of the record you did with Britney, that's when the sellout aspect of it comes, when they'll say, 'Oh, he forgot where he came from,"' says Mr. ColliPark, who scored hits for the Ying Yang Twins, David Banner and others before testing the pop waters with
Jamie Foxx last year. "I'm a living testimony that people are genuinely happy for you at first -- until you get out of their reach, until you actually make it. Then all that hating and s**t comes in."

Dancing the fine line between making street-certified songs and crossover smashes is what makes the work of the Neptunes, Dupri and Storch so impressive. But they could be seen as being on the brink of going too pop.

In Williams' case, for instance, his work as a producer with Stefani has been much more successful and acclaimed than, say, his beats for Houston rapper Slim Thug, or even his rap song "Can I Have It Like That," which featured Stefani on the hook. The single was not a big hit on radio or as a video entry, and Williams' solo album was pushed back from its fourth-quarter 2005 release date to a spring 2006 bow.

'FINE LINE'

"What rap and hip-hop fans are really not accepting is when you start to gear all your music toward pop radio and singers as opposed to breaking new rappers and focusing on hip-hop," says Kevin Faist, director of A&R for Capitol Records. Faist has promoted Mack 10, Westside Connection and others during his 13 years in the music industry. "Hip-hop fans get offended by that and eventually you'll lose your hip-hop pass, so to speak," he continues. "Eventually, people will be like, 'Oh, that dude does that and I'm more into this.' It's a really fine line. Hip-hop is very cold to people who turn their back on it and they very seldom let them back in."

This reality makes "Crunk Rock," the debut solo album from Lil Jon due on TVT Records later this year, all the more ambitious. After establishing himself as the king of the hyper, energized crunk music that he helped popularize through his hits with his group the East Side Boyz, Petey Pablo, Lil Scrappy and YoungBloodZ, and later such pop artists as Usher and Ciara, Jon says he wants to expand his reach as a producer.

"They put us in these boxes, and they think you're not supposed to go outside the box," Lil Jon says. "When I grew up, you listened to the radio (and) you heard everything from Run-D.M.C. to Led Zeppelin. It was just radio. I grew up on all (these) different types of music. I should be able to make all different types of music."

"Crunk Rock" is scheduled to feature Jon working with Good Charlotte, Rick Rubin and Williams. "I'm doing some industry-changing s**t that'll have ghetto motherf***ers in the South listening to some rock s**t," Jon says.

OPEN TO NEW IDEAS

The irony in these established rap producers working with pop acts is that the pop artists tend to be more open than rappers in trying new sounds.

"What makes working with a pop act exciting is that today you don't have too many Run-D.M.C.s, or in today's times (artists) like Ying Yang Twins, who are rap artists but they're not afraid to go out and make music, as opposed to being stuck into making street records," Mr. ColliPark says.

"I think that's part of the reason I want to branch out, because I can't experiment with these rappers because they're scared. They're street people before they're artists. So the streets dictate what they make, as far as their music is concerned. I think it winds up hurting them in the long run because they might make two or three albums and then it's time for them to make their big breakout record, but they've typecast themselves by not experimenting from the jump."

Aguilera says that her work with DJ Premier is new territory for both of them and continues her legacy of taking creative chances with her music.

"I really like to go left field, think a little bit out of the box and go with someone, maybe a little bit more obscure, that I really respect. Not to say that Premier is that, but just to say that I'm not going to go to the obvious person."

As for Premier, he is proof that, sometimes, a storied producer can be branded as not being pop enough. The producer has a full slate of upcoming projects, including production for such rap acts as Nas, the NYGz, Blaq Poet, Khaleel, Teflon and Fabid. But Premier, who has voiced his displeasure with watered-down rap in magazine interviews and on his albums throughout the years, wonders if his work with Aguilera will result in more steady A-list production offers.

"The industry turns their back on me now anyway, which is why Christina is really a blessing, because she's re-emerging me out there," he says. "It's like, 'A lot of y'all forgot about me, but I've still got the funk.' I'm so glad that she even gave me the opportunity to connect with her and do something different. She even told me, 'You know, when this record drops, your whole life is going to change.' I said, 'Well, so is yours.' She said, 'I know."'

Reuters/Billboard

[Meho]

Fuck him hes such a sellout, trick bitch!

J/p sounds interesting 

[Oklin]

oh no

[herpes]

oh no

oh no what, hes not allowed to work with other people outside of rap.  They asked for him and hes going get a nice pay day.  It people like you that are bad for hip hop.

[Oklin]

oh.. and christina aguilera is good for hiphop?

yeah i can see that... to make hiphop more popular we dont make hiphop

[herpes]

oh.. and christina aguilera is good for hiphop?

yeah i can see that... to make hiphop more popular we dont make hiphop

its not hip hop tho, he's making a rnb song for her.  It not going to appear on a gangstarr album.  If anything the beat will sound like a primo beat cept aguilera will be singing on it.  Whats the big deal.  What about all the songs that have sampled old rnb songs.  I guess you got beef with them songs too. What about all the songs that have sampled jackson 5, you got beef with those songs b/c the jackson 5 was just as poppy as aguilera is.

[Oklin]

jackson 5 is dopeness...

m very open for all music...

i dont really have a problem with premier doing a track with christina aguilera.. i just wrote "oh no" cuz its a weird combo in my oppinion... and then you started "dissing" me, and played that "im better than you" role.. so i had to write something...

[Juronimo]

oh.. and christina aguilera is good for hiphop?

yeah i can see that... to make hiphop more popular we dont make hiphop

Uh dude...DJ Premier did a track for Fred Durst and a remix for Janet Jackson.

[Jome]

Uh dude...DJ Premier did a track for Fred Durst and a remix for Janet Jackson.

 

At least 3 tracks, if not more for Limp Bizkit.

[jeromechickenbone]

A couple things:  Primo has done several R&B productions and remixes, all of which were dope.  The other is, Christina Aguilera is arguably the most talented young singer today.  She writes her own lyrics, and has a lot of control over her music.  If Primo was hookin up tracks for Britney Spears, I'd diss him for it.  But Aguilera is a whole other story.

She's already worked with Redman, Rockwilder, Lil Kim, and more.  So not a huge surprise that she would go this route.  I give her props for having the ear to recognize Primo's skill.  He's not exactly well known in the mainstream / pop world.  And if her album has a 30's and 40's type of feel, I think that would mesh well with Preme's style.

I'd like to hear what they come up with.

[Mr. Humonculous]

fuck premier

[.:Hercy Buggz:.]

fuck premier

nah Mutha fuck you

[africas seed]

nah Mutha fuck you

props to both premier and aguilera. it's good that these artists reach out as all different genres have some kind of influence on most artists. i see nuttin wrong wit premier doing a track for aguilera.
as long as they produce good music im all for it.

fuck premier

[africas seed]

^^^didnt mean to diss premier on that one
i wasnt spose to put out the fuck premier i was actually meaning to just get the nah mutha fuck u quote.
props to premier

[Juronimo]

A couple things:  Primo has done several R&B productions and remixes, all of which were dope.  The other is, Christina Aguilera is arguably the most talented young singer today.  She writes her own lyrics, and has a lot of control over her music.  If Primo was hookin up tracks for Britney Spears, I'd diss him for it.  But Aguilera is a whole other story.

She's already worked with Redman, Rockwilder, Lil Kim, and more.  So not a huge surprise that she would go this route.  I give her props for having the ear to recognize Primo's skill.  He's not exactly well known in the mainstream / pop world.  And if her album has a 30's and 40's type of feel, I think that would mesh well with Preme's style.

I'd like to hear what they come up with.

Ah yeah, Deangelo - Devil's Pie, that track knocks, also there's the Craig David remix with Mos Def, what's that song called again? It was a heater.

Honestly, I think Cristina Aguilera and DJ Premier will hook up somethign good. Cristina has talent and can actually sing, unlike a lot of other pop singers.