Jay’s new single, entitled D.O.A (Death of Autotune), addresses the issue of rappers nowadays “T-Pain’ing too much”. And by T-Pain’ing too much, Jay means using Autotune too much. The hint is in the song title really.
The funny thing is, the beat is co-produced by Kanye West. Now Mr. West not only happens to be a good friend of Jay’s, but more interestingly, he is the very same man who not too long ago released an album entitled 808s and Heartbreak, which was made using little else than a shiny new Auto-Tune gizmo and all too much pitch perfect singing of the robotic kind.
So, one get’s the feeling that Hov is picking and choosing a bit here. But I’ll let it slip. Maybe Kanye just wanted the money or something. I’m sure he’ll be the first to admit. Or even better. Maybe Mr. West is just being post-modern. Just imagine, Kanye West being post-modern. Yeah…move over Tracy Emin.
Obscure daydreaming aside, the point still remains. Autotune records have been done to death, and someone needed to pipe up eventually. It truly is a sad state of affairs when rappers who struggle to pronounce words that scale the heights of three syllables all of a sudden think they can sing.
Ironic beat production and Autotune hating out of the way, D.O.A still possesses one of the best beats produced this year, with the drunken horn section a highlight. And, even more, the video (which this article really is about after all) is about as classy as Jay’s Versace shades. I mean, playing cards with Harvey Keitel over a glass of red wine during a rap video is up there. But then sinking jump shots over Lebron James only a few scenes later? It’s almost too much. Stop it.
So, if you haven’t already, check out the video above, which is apparently influenced by the famous Italian director Antonioni’s controversial counterculture masterpiece Zabriskie Point. I don’t really see the link, but that’s not important.
Me, myself, I can’t wait for the Blueprint 3 to hit the shelves.
