Monday, November 20, 2006

Is there an exception to this rule?

In a recent conversation with my friend Aaron, I posited that any musical artist who refers to themselves within the lyrics of their own song automatically sucks. As examples, I cited perennial MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, and that perennial why-the-hell-does-anyone-like-you group the Beastie Boys ("Hey look at us, we can all three scream the same word at the same time, and better yet, we always do it on the last word of a particular verse! We must be super talented!"). Additional examples that occurred to me later include the Backstreet Boys and the New Kids on the Block.

So, before I officially add this to my list of Mott's Laws, the question I want to pose to the gallery is this: are there any exceptions? Any insight would be appreciated, as a Mott's Law related to music is long overdue. Thanks.

Song lyric of the day:
"Live in an apartment that bums me out
It don't get better when the lights go out
Waiting for someone to come along and find me
At least I'm breathing
At least I'm alive..."
- Eve 6, At Least We're Dreaming

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Artists that do NOT suck that refer to themselves in a song (all off the top of my head):

Snoop Doggy Dogg, Tupac, Biggie, Eminem, Nate Dogg, Warren G, Eric B, Rakim, Twista, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef, Fugees, Tribe Called Quest, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Blackalicious, Jurrasic 5, Xzhibit, Ice-T, Juvenile, Ludacris, TI, DMX, De La Soul, Run DMC, Wu Tang Clan, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Jadakiss, KRS-One, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Nas, The Furious Five and last but not least Outkast.

It's a rap thing. Remember rap started out on mixtapes in the Bronx. Artists had to state who they were on song or no one would know who did what song.

November 21, 2006 7:56 PM  
Blogger Mike said...

That's because rap all sounds the same, and generally speaking does, in fact, suck (in my opinion). However, it makes me feel a little better knowing there's at least a reason for that otherwise utterly inane lyrical technique.

The Backstreet Boys and NKOTB still have no excuse.

November 21, 2006 8:51 PM  
Blogger Mike said...

Good call, I forgot about Reel Big Fish, though my very brief ska phase ended years ago. Also, last night while conversing with Aaron again, I thought of a few classic examples: Pink Floyd kinda refers to themselves in "Have a Cigar" ("by the way, which one's Pink?") and Queen refers to Freddie Mercury ("ready Freddie") in "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". So ultimately this won't end up as Mott's Fourth Law. Still, it was great to get my mini-rant about the suckage of the Beastie Boys off my chest.

November 22, 2006 10:25 AM  
Blogger Ben said...

While I don't particularly enjoy rap, I can't say that it sucks. There's definitely an element of artistry there. What good rap lacks in melody, it makes up for with word play and verbal gymnastics.

I can appreciate rap, at least in the abstract.

And, sorry Mike, but the Beastie Boys are, at worst, mediocre. They do not inspire in me the contempt reserved for Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and most of Korn's hits.

November 22, 2006 10:37 PM  

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