Here's my opinion on these by the way.
...Why Black Rob gets no Bet or MTV love?
I think that as long as Black Rob continues to be a "cronie" on Bad Boy, he'll never get love. Notice that the singers that P.D. puts out get their 15 mins (literally) but the rappers never get their own moment to shine these days. I mean damn Biggie was the only one who was allowed to stand out on his own. I mean c'mon, even back in the day did Junior Mafia ever get that? Nah. Even when Biggie did, P was right there behind him like a backpack. Making the Band (nuff said)
...Why Justin Timberlake doesn't come back to singing?
This one's an easy (but lengthy) answer. I think that J.T. got most of his fame off of fuckin' Britney Spears. Smart move on his part, but now he tried to pull an Ashton Kutcher and it didn't work. Ashton's audience spans across many different people in his "acting". Justin's doesn't. The MILF hunter bit isn't vibing with his new audience. I mean he was with Janet Jackson (the superbowl helped her but f'd him over somewhat) and now with Cameron Diaz. If you came from a boy band you need to appeal to chicks about as young as R.Kelly was peein' on. His audience was cool with him messin' with Britney. That shit helped him become solo. They would have gladly bought his shit with Britney's shit (probably on the same trip too). Now that he's with Cameron Diaz (I really think she's keeping him out of singing) he's trying to switch his game up. She's probably going to try to turn him from singer to producer. Also, remember when he went solo, he tried to go for a more urban/R&B sound than boy band shit (and it worked for him). Now it feels like he's turned away from that like it was a fad.
...Where is Free's album? (From 106 & Park)
Part of me wonders if this was done to boost ratings for the show but part of me wonders if in fact some bridges were burnt. I mean that shit happens quite a lot especially with big headed people. I mean look at Paris Hilton. Lil' Jon was going to produce some of her tracks but she went to Scott Storch too and I think both of them have beef right now. That's a no-no, learn your biz. Now switching back to Free. I think that she might either be too picky about her shit or she's probably trying to fight the system to get her way (just my opinion which could be wrong). I think it will either come out before mid 06 or it'll get scrapped completely. If it gets scrapped then I'm going with PR stunt to get more ratings.
...Will Michael Jackson ever do a song with a (living) A-list rapper? (Shaquille O'neal is only an A-list celebrity).
Another easy question. Most A-list rappers won't have shit to do with M.J. these days. On his last album, several well known producers (including Dr. Dre) turned down his offers for production (supposedly because they didn't want to be linked to his child molestation case...and that was the FIRST case). Now, even though he was acquitted on the new charges, that still looks bad for his image (the guy's considering doing shows in Vegas if that says anything). Don't get me wrong, I thought musically the man was a genius until he made one FATAL mistake on Invincible...he got big headed and basically told the people who molded him into who he was to fuck off. And because of that fact, I don't think his career is done, but it's really close to it. I mean to be considered a legendary singer around the world for decades and then to go out in a spiral of eccentricities (spelling) like he did....shame. One final note on this question...Michael's music always either shaped the mold for newer shit or struggled to keep with a new audience. I don't think he can get much of the younger audience these days. His image will be forever tarnished in my eyes.
...Is the music industry serious about Trey Songz being the next R. Kelly with under 250 thousand albums sold? (Great voice, but no crossover single)
The music industry has always been on crack. You just have to learn how to deal with crackheads in order to get yours. By the way, every time I hear of R. Kelly or see him I think of Dave Chappelle's parody of him and bust out laughing. The music industry has been serious about many things and has been WRONG about many things too, so I wouldn't take what the industry says as gold. Like the saying goes, "money talks, bullshit walks". When Trey Songz starts pushing units like R. Kelly and having that diverse of a fan base, then I might halfway agree with that, but until then, that comment is off. Truth be known, I see Jamie Foxx having more crossover ability.
...Why Twista didn't use Kanye's production on "The Day After"?
This one could have a lot of different answers so here's my input on this one. Most artist who have been in the game for a while tend not to stick with the same producers. If you do that, then eventually every thing that you and that producer put out will sound the same because people will know your style and the production style of the producer you use. Take Dre, Swizz Beats, Just Blaze, or Kanye for instance. You could play me a beat and most people who know music and their styles individually could tell you who made the beat or if it was just someone trying to match their production styles (like all the beats on the net that try to say it sounds like Kayne just because it has a decent sample - no disses intended). I think it's good that Twista doesn't rely on one person or group for beats. I think that limits you no matter who it is because people will know. I think everybody who makes a beat or raps has their own thing which is influenced by someone else. That's how the shit grows. You have someone doing something that inspires other people to do it. They use the inspiration as their base and try to make it theirs.
Fie.
