Ask 411 Music 05.25.09: Beyonce, Hip Hop Number Ones, and Iron Maiden

Posted by Joshua George on 05.25.2009

Wonder where Paul Di'Anno formerly of Iron Maiden went? What are the chances that Beyonce actually sings off key and gets fixed post-production? Find all these answers, and also get Patrick Robinson's take on censorship in this week's Ask 411 Music!

Hey everyone! Welcome to the memorial day edition of Ask 411 Music! If you want to have your questions answered or your reader mail published in the column, all you have to do is SEND THEM IN NOW!

Here come the...

Ask 411 Music Reader Questions

From Eric Whitesides,

Not too long ago, a copy of Beyonce sounding off off-key was filtered out amongst the media. While this was found to be a hoax, what are the chances that many recording artists really sound crappy, and due to equipment, are made to sound great?

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Eric,

Good to hear from you again. The fact is that I'm sure there are a lot of recording artists out there that actually sound crappy without the use of equipment. Let's be honest, you all know how I feel about the auto-tune thing that T-Pain and Kanye West have been known to use. I firmly believe that the use of the auto-tuner is something that has been created specifically to mask a lack of true vocal talent. I mean, consider the fact that even Eminem actually sings on his tracks without the use of any kind of vocal masking and his singing voice isn't that great. There are just some people that really aren't meant to sing in the industry and those people should probably learn their lessons. Think about the idea that word used to be that The Backstreet Boys used to do all of their studio albums one note at a time and used to get help from the piano during recording sessions to keep them in tune. There was even talk at one point that they had a vocal synthesizer to help them sound better. True, that in a recording studio a lot of stuff happens in the studio that you never really know about as far as assistance to the singers. A lot of stuff sounds infinitely better in the studio than it could ever sound in real life, and now you know how that happens. The other thing is that there's so much electronic usage these days in the music industry, that you don't even consider that the person might be using it to cover up the fact that they have a completely shitty voice. So, to answer your question specifically, I think the chances are very high that many recording artists actually sound crappy, but are made to sound great due to equipment usage. I think more than high -- completely and entirely factual.

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From our very own Patrick Robinson,

I've always wondered, what hip-hop album holds the distinction for most weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard charts?

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Thanks for joining me this week Patrick, as I always appreciate a fellow columnist, and rap aficionado. This question was actually a very fun one to research and I actually have a very interesting answer to the question. This was kind of difficult to find, but once I found the site with some information, it was like I unlocked a wealth of interesting info.

With twelve weeks at number one, we see Eminem with "Lose Yourself" and Usher feat. Lil John and Ludacris with "Yeah!". With eleven weeks at number one we have Puff Daddy and Faith Evans singing "I'll Be Missing You". With 10 weeks at number one, you'll find Kanye West feat. Jaime Foxx - "Gold Digger", and Flo Rida feat. T-Pain - "Low" and at number two for 10 weeks, Missy Elliott - "Work It". No hip hop artists, or singles have spent 56 or more weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and that's as far as they track for "achievements and milestones." Boyz II Men and Usher are among those recognized for the most cumulative weeks at number one with B2M holding a number one for 50 weeks and Usher for 43.

In other news, from August 10, 2002 through August 31, 2002 Nelly occupied the number one AND number two spots simultaneously with "Hot in herre" and "Dilemma". 50 Cent dominated the number one and number two spots in April of 2005 with "Candy Shop" and "Hate It or Love It" which was actually The Game feat. 50 Cent, but whatev. From October 18, 2008 and November 1 through November 29, 2008 T.I. did the same with "Live Your Life" feat. Rhianna and "Whatever You Like". The Notorious B.I.G died March 9, 1997 and then had "Hypnotize" and "Mo Money Mo Problems" go number one later that year. Soulja Slim was featured with Juvenile which went number one after his death in 2003 on the song "Slow Motion" and Static Major was featured with the self-proclaimed "Best Rapper Alive," Lil Wayne on "Lollipop" which hit number one less than three months after his death in February of 2008.

Hopefully that gives you your answer and then some Patrick. If you're interested in seeing some of the other information check out this page of Billboard Hot 100 Chart Achievements and Milestones.

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From Andy Pleeze,

Who is the original singer from Iron Maiden and where has he been? I heard mention of him recently but can't remember the name. Any info would be great.

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Welcome back Andy! The original lead singer for Iron Maiden was known as Paul Di'Anno but his real name is Paul Andrews. I guess he felt that Di'Anno was a little more entertaining? Anyway, he sang first with Iron Maiden logging the time from 1978 through 1981 as the band's lead vocalist. He is credited and/or featured on approximately 42 albums and compilations with various bands and even as a solo artist. The bands that he was in after Iron Maiden include: Di'Anno, Gogmagog, Paul Di'Anno's Battlezone, Praying Mantis, Killers a.k.a. Paul Di'Anno's Killers a.k.a. Paul Di' Anno & Killers, The Original Iron Men, Paul Di'Anno, The Almighty Inbredz, and he is still currently credited as being a part of Paul Di'Anno & Children of the Damned, and Paul Di'Anno & The Phantoms of the Opera. Sounds like this guy has really been quite busy doing a bunch of different projects. I guess once he left the Maiden he felt the need to keep himself busy. Basically, this guy's been a singing fool and if you wanna find out anything particularly interesting about him, you can find it located on his official website or on his official MySpace page.

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I'm getting more and more reader questions, so don't be left out! Let's get some more questions from you, the readers. I like to have reader mail and things to post, so all you have to do is SEND YOUR QUESTIONS IN NOW!

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It's time for...


Joshua's Guest Rant of the Week

This week, I'm going to do a part 2 of the censorship rant that I had last week and I'm going to let our own Patrick Robinson tell you how HE feels about it instead of boring you with my usual drivel...

"Not sure if it's coincidence or not, but either way, there's a really interesting article over on HipHopDX now that talks about censoring, especially it's perceived worth.

My thoughts are pretty straightforward on it, censor the curse words and some content such as rape, explicit violence or other such topics if the song is intended for radio play, because there are times when you can't control what's being played on the radio (such as when you're in a shop). Same with MTV for a similar reason. There's been many times when I've been in a shop waiting to be served etc. and suddenly an uncensored song will come on, either through the radio or on the TV and I always think that if they're not careful, they will end up with an angry parent abusing the staff and contacting management.

On albums it's a completely different matter, because the album has been bought for the specific use of being listened to, so why the hell censor it? We ultimately choose what to listen to, and the way we start out in the musical world is largely shaped by our parents influence as a younger child and what we deem as inappropriate, and the fact that we are then able to differentiate between what is reality, and what is done for the purposes of entertainment.

What I've always wondered though, is why an artist would choose a song that needs to be censored heavily for a single which is aimed to be played on radio and TV. I saw a song by Prodigy off his H.N.I.C. 2 album on MTV, and easily half of one of the verses was silented out. What's the point of a song like that being a single?!"

Thanks Patrick! Appreciate your take on the situation. Hopefully some of our other readers will share their rants with us now...

Would you like to share a rant with me and all of our readers? Want me to post YOUR rant on a certain music related topic? All you have to do is Send me your rant NOW!

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Here's a first -- we have a...


Retraction!

I've recently been informed by one of my readers that something I published back in my Ask 411 Music: 05.04.09 edition. I made the comment that Tom Wopat one of the Dukes of Hazzard had played opposite Reba McIntire in a production of Annie Get Your Gun. Turns out I was incorrect... here's the information from reader Meredith Chandler:

"Based on info I've found through ibdb.com (Internet Broadway Database) and The New York Times, plus a site that lists lots of bootleg dvds taken of Broadway shows (don't ask - they exist and there are people that try to make money off of it): Tom Wopat co-starred with Bernadette Peters and Crystal Bernard (first and last Annie Oakleys) and presumably co-starred with Susan Lucci since she was only a brief replacement for Bernadette Peters when she took a vacation. Patrick Cassidy starred opposite Cheryl Ladd (she came after Bernadette). Reba McEntire starred opposite Brent Barrett. I'm not absolutely sure whether Tom Wopat went back into the show as soon as Crystal Bernard took over as Annie or if he came in sometime during her stint."

So there you have it. I stand corrected. Thanks for bringing that to my attention Meredith and I do hope that you'll continue to read Ask 411 Music. I like having people around that can keep me on my toes.

Who wants to hear something new???


Things You Should Hear

1. Here's a kind of interesting band. Check out Escape the Fate singing "Situations":


2. This is for my roommate's brother. Here's Bless the Fall - "Wait for Tomorrow":


3. This is my favorite track from Relapse. So listen to Eminem - "Underground":


4. I personally like Korn. I know I'm showing my age, but check out "Thoughtless" unplugged:


5. Here's a rare chance to Alanis Morissette singing in key to a song. It's "Head Over Feet" from her Jagged Little Pill (Acoustic) album:


6. As a long-time fan of Robbie Williams I feel like you should all hear "Dickhead":



If you'd like me to post your band or a band that you particularly love, all you have to do is Send me the YouTube link NOW! I'd like to start including some of your personal bands clips, or other bands that you think people should be hearing.

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So who wants to get pimped? If you have a website that your band hosts, or something that you think the general public would enjoy checking out, please send me a link and a SHORT description and I may include it in the pimping section of next week's column!

The StumbleUpon Link of the Week is The Woman With the Biggest Breasts in the World and it is TECHNICALLY SFW.

Make sure you check out my reviews. You can see my profile with my blog and all of my reviews/columns here.

Also I'm a co-host and co-founder of a professional wrestling podcast. My friend and I have been running this show and our website for a little over three years now, and we'd love to have more listeners and since I get my own column now, I feel good about pimping it out. If you want to listen to the most recent show, you can usually find it (along with the most recent news which we get from a variety of other sites MOST NOTABLY the amazing 411Mania Wrestling News Section) at www.pinfallrecall.com. If you'd like to spend your days on our forums talking about how this might be one of the most ridiculous and boring Wrestlemanias of all time, like all of us, you can do that on The Pinfall Recall Forums.

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Peace!