The 37th Chamber 12.26.09: This Column Has Been Pushed Back

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 12.26.2009

This week we're looking at long delays and constant push backs for albums, do they serve any purpose? Also, looking at Kanye's Album of the Decade achievement and how hip-hop may be a "grown man's" game in more than one way

Well I'm completely tired after two intensive days of Christmas related shenanigans and I'm also a few kilos heavier than I was on Wednesday if the amount I've eaten is any indication.

That being said, please expect the Year End columns to continue next week as organizing them has taken longer than I expected. Also, the current format it was in would have meant posting 3 parts to the column which seems a bit much so I'm currently revising it. Sorry for the delay, but in the meantime, enjoy some Christmas rambling instead!

Reader Feedback

"Is is just me or is Rebirth and Detox now tied for "most teased" hip-hop album of all time? I mean, 6 delays should be a sign. If you can't drop it after 6 push backs, shelve it."

I often wonder what percentage of push backs are label ordered or artist influenced, and then, the reasoning behind it. Is it because the singles haven't done well, or is the artist genuinely not happy with the final product themselves, regardless of the public's reaction to the album?

"Dre's an exception because he didn't whore himself like Lil Wayne did. We can respect the delays."

That and everyone who has ever worked with Dre has said he's a perfectionist on the border of obsessive, which can be a good thing sometimes, but not when it causes so many delays.

"Chris Brown needs to look in the mirror and check himself. You wanna know why your album isn't selling....because your core fan base (girls) hates your stinking guts, and no retailer in the USA wants to sell the album of an abuser."

Precisely and even if it IS selling, it's to the few people who try and separate Chris Brown the woman beater from Chris Brown the musician. That or they missed the entire Rihanna/Chris Brown fiasco altogether, or perhaps they're masochists who would enjoy being beaten up by him. Better stop here, we're entering potentially arrest-able territory.

"Nas and Damian Marley's conference was a major step in intelligence for hip-hop. Just goes to show you that Nas is a step ahead of most artists nowadays."

I particularly appreciated the fact that he gave fairly sound reasoning as to WHY he wanted to stir things up. A lot of artists claim they want to create controversy or push the limits, but never really explain WHY they want to do it. Failure to do so usually makes the artist look like someone just trying to create controversy for the sales, as opposed to trying to make a point.



"And Timbo leaving the game...well, that's his prerogative. 10 bucks says he'll return to the hip-hop game when pop music flops. Besides, we still have DJ Premier, and he'll never leave hip-hop....or so I think.

Peace out" - Nastrodamus

Nah Premier's definitely staying in hip-hop. Even his brief foray outside of hip-hop, his collaborations with Christina Aguilera for example, resulted in that solid Premier sound but with a jazzier feel to it. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if he decided to venture into other genres, so long as he makes himself available for hip-hop artists foremost.



"Maybe Kanye will go back to making good albums after winning that" - Foolio

I hope that 808s really was just a one-off thing as a way of expressing himself through his music. If he decides that 808s is the new standard for his sound, I'm going to be pretty annoyed. I'll still listen to the music, but I imagine it will just make me angry. You'd think I'd learn by now that listening to music that infuriates you is kind of pointless. Perhaps that's a good place to start for a New Year's Resolution.

"Don't say you quit Hip-Hop when 99% of us know your ass is coming back when the pop shit stop working for you, Timbo.

By the way Shock Value II is an okay follow up. It's a fun pop album that can get a tad annoying. In retrospect I'm kind of happy he's done with Hip-Hop."

The main problem I've had with him this year and last is that he's been using the exact same drum sounds the entire time and nobody's called him out for it. That and a lot of the beats really are carbon copies of each other in the end.

From about 2005-2007 he was really dominating with the new up-tempo sound but now a lot of the beats SOUND lazy. When a beat sounds lazy, you can't help but think that the Producer was a bit lazy when making it.

"Yep, I'm still sick of Lil Wayne."

The novelty value is starting to fade a little for me. Occasionally he'll still make a song with a few dozen "WTF" lines which make me laugh at the absurdity of them, but at the moment a lot of his tracks seem like serious attempts. Stop being serious Wayne!



"And Chris Brown sold okay for someone who was apparently "blackballed""

Yeah, if Chris Brown was blackballed from the industry, what the hell was Fat Joe? "Ball crushed"?

"Kanye winning for College Dropout makes me very, very happy. This should hopefully motivate him and possibly other artist to go back to what works. Kanye's style is diverse enough to where he doesn't have to strain too far away from Hip-Hop to have a nice diverse album. (In other words no more auto-tune)"

I wouldn't mind him dropping a song like "Amazing" or "Coldest Winter" every now and then, perhaps one or two in that vein on an album, but no more than that. Although I'd love to see him get back on some Late Registration type production, that orchestral feel in some of the tracks is what really made the album for me.

"Can't wait for Distant Relatives, it's seriously been over a year since."

I think it got pushed back without anybody noticing hahaha. Guess we all got caught up in the various media shit storms flying around in the last 6 months or so.

"And Pat, I think you should rant on these long ass delays for albums. It's gotten to the point it's really pissing me off and turning me off of the music.

I have no problems waiting but don't announce an album then announce a delay a week before the release date. Holy fuckin shit." - The Rapper's Rapper

Ask and you shall receive.


Fair go, this may be the last time in a while I can post Lauren London

"lol at No more Wayne babies"

Just think though – they could all grow up and sound like him.

"If anything, and I'm gonna seem like a real hater here, but I wish Soulja Boy would stop getting so much fucking love in hip hop.

I don't care if he was one of those (now clichéd) rags to riches rappers, his music sucks, to the point people who liked that Crank Dat song thinks he sucks (trust me I'm 17 I would know)"

Nah, there's ‘hater' hate and normal hate and I'm pretty sure you and everyone else reading falls under normal hate. ‘Hater' hate is when someone just hates something and can't give a proper reason as to why. It's like arguing with a 6 yr old. "Why don't you like it?" "Because!" "Because why?" "BECAUSE!"

I almost punched my cousin when he did that, but his brother beat him to it so I didn't have to.

"I love me a good 8 minute long rap song with 6 rappers. They're always enjoyable."

I was thinking more about this and I think it's because it sounds like all the artists involved are having a really good time recording the track together. I've often said it, but when you can tell someone is enjoying what they do, you can't help but enjoy it a bit more as well.

"I gotta disagree with the album sales tho. Only two or 3 rappers went platinum. Only a handful debuted over 100,000 and only a few went gold or are on their way gold.

Meanwhile there are numerous albums barley cracking the 300,000 mark. I'm sorry but the internet is killing hip hop more than quality, quantity or whatever excuse we come up with next."

Sales all around have been abysmal, but certain artists like Raekwon and Jadakiss exceeded my expectations so I was pretty happy about that.

In conjunction with the internet, the widespread use of the MP3 format for listening to music whether it be a MP3 CD in the car, or your iPod, particularly with the iPod and other MP3 players, ever since they started to really boom in the earlier part of this decade, downloading has become more rampant because people actually have something to play the files on easily. That and it seems like a new website is popping up every month these days.



"Gucci is one of those rappers who have a hit and get his dick rode. Disappears, everyone calls him crap, comeback and is dick rode again. All while making the same damn song as last time. I just don't get it."

GUCCI!

I can actually remember a time before he was everywhere. I do believe it was about this time last year, or even as recent as June this year. Personally, I blame Soulja Boy, because his second album featured a track with Gucci on it and I THINK that was probably the album a lot of people heard him on. It was for me anyway.



"And finally...my wish list is NO MORE DELAYS! Someone ranted about this on Hip-Hop Herald and I completely agree with him. Delays are starting to piss me off.

Relapse 2 is scheduled til further notice.

Rebirth is borderline shelved

Lupe released a single in JULY and now his album is pushed back til early next year.

Drake was supposed to come out in November, and then pushed back to Feb now to March.

I swear only underground rappers keep to their schedule (I guess because they don't have the pressure to sell I assume?)"

There can be good push backs, but we haven't really had one for many months now. The best push back in recent memory was Before I Self Destruct getting pushed back three or four times this year alone.

Rebirth I think is going to be rushed out now or completely abandoned. Even if only 500 copies got sent out, it seems that at least one of the recipients knew how to rip a CD and upload it to the internet so now it's everywhere.

"Anyway for 2010 I want...

A new Immortal Technique album. I just bought the 3rd World and this guy is amazing. Never have I heard a rapper take it to the government so relentlessly. I wish he had Jay-Z exposure."

A friend of mine surprised me the other day with an Immortal Technique quote from a song which is actually one of her favorites called "Crimes Of The Heart". Because he goes at the Government so relentlessly, it'd be hard to get exposure more than he does now.

Personally, I think he has to tone it down a bit FOR ONE ALBUM. By that I mean, just ease back a little. He does that, he manages to get himself a bit more exposure (sounds like selling out, I know), but then switches back to his ruthless style for the next album, and he's already gotten a bigger fan base. Who could well buy the album, regardless of how aggressive he is, and even recommend people based off that aggression even.



"Lupe Fiasco, I'm a Stan or borderline Stan. I don't mind if someone doesn't like him but I seem to like almost everything he does."

I'd say borderline. If you're at the point where you don't mind if someone doesn't like his music, you're thankfully, not a full blown Stan. The full Stans are the ones that think the sun shines out of their favorite artist's ass and that if you don't like the music, you obviously have a) no opinion b) like artist XYZ where XYZ is an artist who has been feuding with the favorite c) listen to ringtone rap only or d) and my personal favorite, obviously have horrible taste in music.

HEAVEN FORBID WE DON'T LIKE AN ARTIST!

It's like, when someone says, "oh I don't like tuna" the reply isn't "WELL YOU OBVIOUSLY LIKE SWISS CHEESE THEN DON'T YOU!?"

"Nas/Damian Marley I went to a Rock the Bells show where they killed it and previewed about 2 songs for the album and I have been hyped for it ever since."

I'm kind of glad they're taking their time because it means the final product will be quality. It's not like a bait and switch with the release dates thankfully.

"MF DOOM plus underrated underground Producer: Any time Doom collaborates its magic"

Madvillainy check. The Mouse And The Mask check. I'd love to see an entire MF DOOM and 9th Wonder album or, in some crazy world where hip-hop wishes come true, MF DOOM and DJ Premier.

"Del the Funkee Homosapien + producer: See DOOM"

Del's another artist I plan on educating myself on one day. So many artists I haven't really listened to…

"Blu & Exile- Below the Heavens 2: I'm smart enough to know a classic can never be recaptured twice, but another Blu & Exile would be heaven on earth. I understand every album Blu does something different but going with the guy that gave him the most exposure can never be wrong." - Bobby McKay

I think most people would definitely agree with you on that last point too. Even if they went in with a different sound in mind to Below The Heavens, the quality of work they both bring would undeniably make for an excellent album.

"I can't wait for that Joell Ortiz either. He just released a mixtape called "Road Kill", real nice." - Jeremy

If I wasn't going to work all day Sunday, I'd be listening to that I think. I seriously hate myself sometimes. I go to work saying "now, DON'T take any more Sunday shifts because they're hell" and immediately take one when the boss asks. It's not as if we get that much more pay either, it's like an extra $2 an hour or something obscene.

They can legally do that too. It's under the Pharmacy State Award system so the pay levels are generally fixed.

"Joell Ortiz will release Free Agent sometime in February. As long as he spit that fire, I'm a fan.

Also be on the lookout for Kendrick Lamar EP to drop on Dec.31." - justjeff45

I think Joell Ortiz could definitely be something big and a true mainstay to the game so long as he gets good marketing behind him. In other words, don't have him running around doing ads for useless clothing lines or anything, have him focusing on the music and the fans will respond accordingly.

The Mini Rant(s)

Album Delays

Any form of media, whether it be a movie, a CD, game or even a book, can benefit from creating enough anticipation from the project. Human nature, regardless of how individual people claim to be, is often based in an almost sheep-like nature, in that we tend to follow the flow of life together. In that sense, we often get caught up in a whirlwind of activity or excitement when certain projects are announced.

The easiest examples to use would be the Harry Potter franchise or the emerging Twilight franchise.

I remember having to visit one of the major shopping centers in my immediate area the day the final Harry Potter book came out. I was looking for a present for my cousin's birthday and had incredibly foolishly left it until the day before his actual birthday to look.

So I went up to the shops at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon. Usually the shops are busy at that point, but I rarely have trouble finding a place to park. I eventually parked in an unmarked (read: almost illegal) spot after searching for almost 45 minutes. The reason? Three stores were carrying the Harry Potter book and they were all overflowing with customers when I finally got in.

What does this have to do with delayed albums? Well imagine if the book had a release date of April 4, with this announcement being made in say, January. That gives the shops and the publishers between 3 and 4 months to market the book, advertise the release date, and offer promotions for pre-orders etc. In that time, everyone, even people uninterested in the book's release, get caught up in the flow of excitement. Even if it's to say "I don't understand all the excitement", people are still talking about it.

Let's say though, the book gets delayed to April 28. No big fuss, it's only a few more weeks wait. But then, the announcement is made the book is delayed until June 15 during the month of March. People gearing up for the release are suddenly frustrated because the release date was so close, but it's been pushed back further.

But wait! The book isn't going to come out on the 15th of June anymore, it's set for "an early August" release. So there isn't even a fixed date now? Oh well, it's not that far away and eventually it will get a release date.

In the middle of July, the publisher announces that the book will be coming on the 7th of November, DEFINITELY! Mark it on your calendars people! (You've probably heard an artist say this at some point. I can't think of any off hand, but I'm sure someone will).

October 30 arrives, and suddenly we're told that the book will be released "early next year". So we have no release date, and we're not even getting it this year.

Now the author, the shop, the publisher can make all kinds of excuses, but forgoing the author's death (which would actually speed up the process if you've learned anything from posthumous hip-hop releases) the fact of the matter is, we're not getting the book when we were promised.

That's what it comes down to. We've been promised something on a certain day, and even at a certain time (opening time of the stores), but then we're suddenly not getting it and we have to wait. I think I read, or watched in a movie (but it could even have been nothing) that people don't like to wait for usually more than 1 minute in a store without being served or acknowledged by a staff member. Except for a few rare people, it's not in our nature to be happy to wait for things we've been told were coming soon, particularly if it keeps getting pushed back more and more.

CDs are no different. Sure, one or two push backs can be good at building hype, or giving the artist more time to get another video out to advertise the album but these days, most albums are being pushed back three or more times. Is the buying public so apathetic to the music scene that NOTHING (in hip-hop at least, I'm not sure about other genres apart from Chinese Democracy which was as much a running joke as Detox is becoming) is being released on time? Have we gotten to the point where nobody actually CARES about the music unless it has ringtone capabilities? Not just ringtone rap here either, but other genres too.

Particularly at this time of year, when the delays results in a 2010 date, the human mind is often tricked into thinking it's longer than it is (and is why prices end in .99 or .95 depending where you live in the world. Think about it, the brain often thinks that something that is $399.95 can't be as much as $400 because the 9s make it seem much smaller than it is, given that it's under the next 10 bracket). A delay into the following year, despite it only being a few weeks still in some cases can seem like an eternity to the human mind because it's THE NEXT YEAR. A WHOLE YEAR has to end before we get it!

In the end, it's no wonder that sales across hip-hop are suffering when compared to similar times as little as 4-5 years ago. The combination of the internet, poor quality music and constant delays of the GOOD music is killing sales more than anything else. There's only so many times a person can be told to wait for something before they stop caring. Imagine sitting at traffic lights, you're not in a hurry or anything, but there's a timer when the light is going to change. It counts down from 100 and reaches 3 seconds left, but then suddenly switches back to 100. Counts down, reaches 2 seconds left, then goes back up to 100. Counts down again, and even reaches 1 second left, but then switches straight back to 100 instead of changing. You'd probably just run the red light in the end or try an alternative route to get home.

This is what is happening in the music world. An album has a projected release date, but the more times it gets pushed back after say, the first or second instance, the less people who will actually bother to keep track of the release date there are with more and more dropping off with each consecutive delay.

This brings me to my second Mini Rant, that of:

Big album sales

Because Susan Boyle isn't exactly hip-hop music, I haven't been reporting her album sales, but I think that her debut album is a perfect example for my next mini rant. Whether you like her music or not is irrelevant right now, as for the last few weeks she has come in at Number 1 without much competition at all.

Here are the numbers for the last few weeks:

Week 1 – 701,000
Week 2 – 527,000
Week 3 – 582,000
Week 4 – 661,000

And she is expected to beat Mary J Blige this week for the Number 1 spot as well.

I read on comments both here on 411 and other message boards around the Internet saying things like "The buying power of the 30+ group is powerful" etc. It's all true. The 30+ crowd are I think, the ones mainly buying albums these days, in any genre.

Perhaps hip-hop is an under 30's genre. NOT THE ARTISTS AGE! Please don't accuse me of thinking once an artist reaches 31 they need to retire, because I'll just ignore the comment anyway. I'm saying that if we were able to get an age graph or something of all people in the world who call themselves hip-hop fans, perhaps the majority of us would be under 30 – I know I am.

Of course that's also not to say that once we ourselves reach 31, we should stop listening to hip-hop, if anything, I'm going to be blasting it in the nursing home I'll be in when I go crazy, which I almost certainly will, at the ripe old age of 80 something. Possibly blasting it because I'll be deaf too.

What I think is happening in hip-hop though, is that since the majority of fans these days are under 30, and don't exactly have a lot of income, they couldn't buy the albums even if they want to. Face it, as a student, you generally don't have a lot of money to spend on albums as most of it goes to food, living expenses, the Internet, fuel for the car, alcohol etc.

I'll admit that I can't exactly buy every album I've wanted to this year. I have the money, but I'm also looking to the future and considering saving up for a deposit on a house, and also the ongoing costs of a car (which nobody told me about before I bought the damn thing ha…). So my album buying budget isn't exactly as large as it was a few years ago.



So for example, with Raekwon's recent first week sales of around 68,000 it would be interesting to see an age breakdown of the people who bought the album, or if someone bought it for another person, the age of the recipient. I'd be willing to say that the clear majority of them would be over 20 – most of these people probably have a bit of money for a CD and some of them probably even come from a time where downloading was done on Napster and wouldn't be familiar with how to use DDL sites or torrents.

Much like the Susan Boyle album, you can't help but think that a lot of the people buying it perhaps don't know how to download it and are in a financial position to buy it.

In my typical roundabout way, what I've been trying to get to is that maybe hip-hop needs to somehow become a genre that we can listen to when we're 30 or even 40+ comfortably. Right now, I don't think I'd be terribly comfortable playing a lot of the tracks I listen to somewhat regularly now at the age of 40 something.

I'd love to offer potential ways to do so, but in all honesty, I have no idea myself. When we see an artist like Raekwon, part of arguably one of the most successful groups in hip-hop selling only 68,000 in first week sales of a major comeback album, perhaps it's because a lot of the fans who can remember buying the original album at say, the age of 20, are now 34 and have moved on from hip-hop because the majority of the genre hasn't been able to mature with them. It's the reason my cousins give me when I ask them why they no longer listen to it apart from a small group of artists – they feel that it's a genre that's become firmly entrenched, with the help of the labels and certain artists, aimed at a certain age group and that group only.

The Signoff

Again, sorry for the delays (ha, delays) with the Year End features, expect them next week as I will have them properly written up by then.

Until then though, catch you next week and a Happy New Year to you all!