I know this isn't Bay or Presidential in nature, but if you know me, you know that I love Jay-Z, so here we are. Not to mention that the last post provided a nice segue. Today's British rock/ hip-hop thread brings us to Viva la Hova, a Jay-Z/ Coldplay remix project put together by a variety of producers including 9th Wonder, 6th Sense, Terry Urban, Mick Boogie, Cookin' Soul and Coldplay. The end product is a cohesive, smooth and soulful genre-bending opus.
What I love about albums like this is that they open up segregated audiences 
to new genres. I still remember digging through my dad's vinyl and discovering first-hand the R&B/Soul foundation of hip-hop. Coming across "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" on Bobby Blue Bland's Dreamer changed my life. It wasn't just that Kanye had sampled it for The Blueprint, it was that Bobby Bland subsequently became one of my favorite artists.Rap and rock have been colliding since Rick Rubin touched the game, but with each subsequent generation, both genres reinvent themselves. It would seem that rock and rap would diverge, the rift between them too great to bridge, yet somehow they continue to rendezvous on the fringe of genre definitions. Jay-Z and Chris Martin seem to be taking it a step further though.
Hip-hop's former favorite white boys' Adam Levine and John Mayer were novel, but they didn't bring too much of rock to hip-hop. Listening to Hov and Coldplay's two official collabs, "Beach Chair" and "Lost" however, I'm struck by the amount of Coldplay that comes through the mix. Chris Martin isn't just tacking a hook on a lackluster synth beat, Coldplay is painting the canvas with Jay. And Jay knows how to defer to the power of raw musicanship, due to his incessant touring with a great live band and his amazing ear.
This album showcases how amazing the fusion of rock and rap can be, and hopefully continues the trend toward hip-hop utilizing live instrumentaion. The Roots have long carried the torch alone, but the Bay's Crown City Rockers, Getback Crew, Hi-Lifes and others are bringing increasing validity to the concept of a "rap band." Even on the mainstream level, Jay's Roc Boys and Kanye's symphony are enriching live rap shows to the Nth degree. Let Viva la Hova continue the evolution . . .Viva la Hova- Jay-Z & Coldplay
BONUS UPDATE!!!
"Heart of the City" Live feat. Chris Martin in London
"Heart of the City (U2 Remix)" Live in Dublin
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2 comments:
Thanks for coming through brother, and nice write up. I havent had a second to even listen to this yet but I know it's fire. Also I feel the same way about the dead prez and the discouraging to vote move. While I feel what they are saying now is not the time for any questioning of whether or not to VOTE. VOTE NOW IF YOU CAN peoples!!!
I'm sayin. Thanks for swinging by man, I really appreciate it.
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