I’m not a big fan of singer Chris Brown. I don’t like how he treated his girlfriend, Rihanna, but I do appreciate the pressure he’s feeling from his neighbors over an invented Urban Semiotic problem that he’s deeply invested in on a career angle. No, I’m not talking about his Graffiti album, I’m talking about his driveway.
We have been big supporters of Rihanna — but the tastelessness of her new “Man Down” video where she assassinates a man before the song even begins — is just too much tacky for our type. We are also plainly aware that the core mistakes of the Man Down video are identical to the errors made in the video for “Love the Way You Lie.” We see a pattern here and we don’t like the mosaic.
Continue reading → Rihanna Gets a Gun and Shoots Herself in the Breast
Adaptation is difficult to get right. You must honor the original intent of the underlying work while enhancing that work in a new retelling. Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie” is a perfect example of how two adaptations of the song have failed miserably as music videos. The first culprit is an amateur YouTube video with 2.8 million viewings so far — and the second absconder is: Eminem himself.
Continue reading → Misinterpretation in Adaptation: Eminem Messes Up Love the Way You Lie
22-year-old Barbadian wonder Rihanna has one of the most beautiful voices making music today. Her sound is unique, immediately recognizable, and she is a one-woman hit machine. Last year, Jay-Z used her on — “Run This Town” — to break up the monotony of the rap with an interlude that was actually melodic and musical. Rihanna saved that song and gifted Jay-Z a massive hit.
Continue reading → Want a Hit Rap Song? Hire Rihanna to Sing the Melody!