Rihanna is at it again!
Some of us thought that after she reunited with Chris Brown for two songs after he violently assaulted her in 2009, the Talk That Talk songbird couldn’t possibly sink any lower. Now Rihanna is making waves again by featuring Adolf Hitler on her new track “Holocaust Me Like That.” It’s from the first of six Rihanna albums slated to drop in 2012.
Chris Brown and Rihanna. Where to begin?
The troubled exes released not one but two remixes featuring each other yesterday — “Turn Up The Music” and “Birthday Cake.” (And it actually was Rihanna’s birthday — how meta!) It’s basically a big “fuck you” to all those who have been griping on Twitter and such about a possible collaboration between the two — why else “leak” both songs at once? Clearly those two, at least, are not concerned about the controversy.
In fact, they’re getting off on it.
I was too busy covering the Grammys to pay close attention to the broadcast itself, but from what I saw, it seemed to be a great show. It didn’t feel cheap or chintzy, it didn’t seem to be trying too hard to push certain artists or grab viewers, and it’s hard to argue with an Adele sweep, regardless of the fact that I need a good six years before I will ever willingly hear “Rolling In The Deep” again.
*based on absolutely no criteria whatsoever
Oh dear.
Here we go.
I have already sung the praises of all the wonderful things that happened in pop music this year (in my post on the Ten Best Fucking Pop Singles Of 2011), but let’s be honest — when it comes to Top 40 (and wannabe-Top-40, especially), there are a lot more misses than hits.
And when they flop, they flop haaard.
*based on absolutely no criteria whatsoever
There are a lot of year-end lists claiming that so-and-so songs are the “ten best.” Isn’t that ridiculous? Music is subjective, and who was able to listen to every single song released in 2011 in order to be qualified to decide which are the best?
Clearly none of these lists can ever be “right,” because none of them are 100% identical to the one below.
Here are the actual 10 best fucking pop singles of 2011. Sorry you had to wade through so many other, less valid opinions just to get here!
After her very good junkie-themed “We Found Love” video (following a lot of mostly not-so-great videos from Loud), Rihanna’s latest is in black-and-white with some Kubrick iconography. Not too shabby.
* based on absolutely no criteria whatsoever
Late-fall releases in music are a big deal, as the industry gears up for holiday gift-giving — even if there’s nothing more anticlimactic than gifting someone an MP3.
Yes, digital music taken the wind out of the music industry’s sails in a number of ways, but perhaps worst of all is that you can’t really put a bow on a song from iTunes. And fewer and fewer people are buying CDs, since, what’s the point? You just upload it onto your iPod anyway.
Taking a break from the cinematic awards season for a spell, the music industry is prepping to dole out its most esteemed accolades, too.
I don’t get too into The Grammys; music is so subjective, and even more than the Emmys or Oscars, the Grammys often seem a little behind the times. Yes, they’re catching up — last year’s big victor, Arcade Fire, deservedly bested Katy Perry, Eminem, and Ladies Antebellum and Gaga. But was it a fluke?
