JayFublerHarvey.com

My man Junior Kimbrough once sang, “I’m gettin’ old…can’t do the things I used to”. I’m starting to feel that way about the vast majority of popular music today. I used to be able to find something…even of a miniscule nature…to enjoy in “today’s hits”. Even if the only thing redeemable was just a good thumpin’ beat, I could at least feel my body naturally reacting to it. But even that has started to fade away…

I was persuaded to check out the latest MTV video music awards for a certain performance (which I’ll get into later)…and then it happened. A performance by Lil’ John (Mr. Skeet Skeet Skeet himself), Fat Joe, and about 10 other posse members (names were forgotten before they even stepped on stage). And guess what…I felt nothing. Wait…that’s not completely true…I felt tired. :) There was nothing there…I even paused to make sure I was hearing the beat correctly. Thump Thump Thump. It was there…it was good. My body still wasn’t feelin’ it.

Then I realized the problem…there were too many partial artists on stage…and my musical nature rebelled. :) I’ve never been a fan of the “X featuring Y, Z and @” method, especially with its overblown nature that’s present today. I understand from a marketing standpoint it’s like butta. But from a quality standpoint, you feel like you’re getting cheated. You’re not listening to a band…you’re listening to, at best, 1/2 an artist. Someone whose talents are so weak they need to be piggybacked into the limelight.

We used to joke that Ja Rule was only 1/2 or 1/3 of an artist…couldn’t remember the last I heard him in a solo hit. Sadly, Lil John makes Ja Rule look like Marvin Gaye. He’s rating so damn low that they don’t even use those fractions on the stock market ticker. So damn tiring listening to that tripe. “To the window…to the wall”. To clock where I’m watching your 15 minutes of fame tick away…
(See…these artists are so depressing, I can’t even link to them…^_^)

In the end, I was brought some true enjoyment: A “Higher Ground” jam session with Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz and Stevie Wonder. There was no feeling of being cheated. There was only the feeling that you were watching something rare and special and hot! One Hall of Famer with two possible Hall of Famers, all masters of one form of another…throwing down like you know they should. No fractions there. :)

(Side Note: Lenny Lenny Lenny…the “Road Warrior” look ain’t for you, baby. Go back to that straight “James Brown” hair you’re sporting on the commercials.)