Lady Gaga Is The Best Pop Star Of The 2000s/2010s
Slated for release on October 21, Joanne is the recently announced album from Lady Gaga. A return to more club-ready music is expected from Joanne as compared to Cheek to Cheek, her 2015 Grammy Award winning duet album of jazz standards alongside Tony Bennett. Gaga’s easily one of pop music’s most outstanding artists, statistically the best selling artist in popular music in the past decade, and maybe the best pop star of the past 15 years.
What is it that makes Lady Gaga so successful? Well, it’s simple. As a singer and songwriter, she knows her way around words and phrases and always finds just the right ones to say for any specific moment. Furthermore, her performances are amazing in a manner that oftentimes is directly related to another amazing pop song. As well, producers that she’s worked with in the past do something similar too. Many of Gaga’s biggest hits have strong similarities to other pop hits, but are just different enough where they can stand apart, oftentimes greater than the song that influenced their creation.
In looking at Lady Gaga’s five biggest hits AND the songs that they’re similar to in some way, the reason why Lady Gaga is the best pop star of the 2000s and 2010s.
1. Bad Romance – released in 2010, nearly 30 million overall sales worldwide – PURCHASE HERE
Sounds Like: “Sweet Dreams” by The Eurythmics – PURCHASE HERE
“Bad Romance” is the lead single from The Fame Monster, which was Gaga’s second major label album release in 2010. It was debuted at Alexander McQueen’s show at Paris Fashion Week in 2009 and won two Grammy Awards in 2011. As compared to its sound-alike, “Sweet Dreams” also hit #1 in America. However, whereas “Sweet Dreams” was a top 10 single in 15 countries, “Bad Romance” was impressively a #1 single in 20 countries worldwide.
2. Poker Face – released in 2008, nearly 15 million overall sales worldwide – PURCHASE HERE
Sounds Like: “Rhythm Is A Dancer” by SNAP – PURCHASE HERE
“Poker Face” was the second overall single released of Lady Gaga’s career and is from her debut album The Fame. The song was covered by everyone from Chris Daughtry to the trio of Kanye West, Common and Kid Cudi, and was even performed on an episode of American Idol. As compared to it’s sound-alike, “Rhythm Is A Dancer” was a #1 single in 11 fewer countries than “Poker Face,” amazingly enough America being one of the countries where Gaga hit the top and SNAP did not.
3. Just Dance – released in 2008, nearly 12 million overall sales worldwide – PURCHASE HERE
Inspired By: “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie – PURCHASE HERE
“Just Dance” was Lady Gaga’s first overall mainstream single, and like “Poker Face,” is from her debut album The Fame. Both in the video and the branding for the song, she’s featured wearing lightning bolt makeup over her left eye, in homage to David Bowie. As well, then-breakout R & B superstar Akon was paired with Gaga in order to give hear a broader appeal to the urban demographic. As compared to the song it’s influenced by, Bowie’s 1983 hit was actually a number one in five more countries than Gaga’s debut single and has sold just as many singles, too.
4. Born This Way – released in 2011, nearly nine million overall sales worldwide – PURCHASE HERE
Sounds Like: “Express Yourself” by Madonna – PURCHASE HERE
“Born This Way” was Lady Gaga’s first release from her 2011 released album of the same name. The song is meant to serve as an empowerment anthem for the global LGBTQIA music community, and Gaga herself describes it as a personal “freedom song.” In later years, the song’s title has also doubled as the inspiration for her Born This Way Foundation that supports “the wellness of young people, and empowering them to create a kinder and braver world.” As compared to the song it sounds like, “Express Yourself” only went 1x platinum and was a number one single in five countries worldwide, which means that “Born This Way” is statistically 8x more popular as a seller and 5x the success that “Express Yourself” was as a number-one single.
5. Paparazzi – released in 2009, nearly five million overall sales worldwide – PURCHASE HERE
Sounds Like: “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin – PURCHASE HERE
“Paparazzi” was Lady Gaga’s last official release from The Fame, her debut album. The club-ready take on a pure-pop ballad is highlighted by Gaga’s vocals bearing a strong quality to those of Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury. Interestingly enough, “Paparazzi’s” producer Rob Fusari gave Stefanie Germanotta the name “Lady Gaga” as an ode to Queen’s 1984 song “Radio Ga Ga.” As compared to the song it sounds like, Berlin’s Top Gun soundtrack anthem “Take My Breath Away” was a number one hit in more countries worldwide, but Gaga’s single has been an infinitely greater seller overall.
FIVE MUST-HAVE iPHONE 7 ACCESSORIES
There’s now an estimated 10 million new iPhone 7 smartphones in the hands of Apple-loving tech fanatics worldwide. From increased photo capabilities to lacking an earphone jack, there’s numerous changes and updates that have been made on the just-released device. We here at DCClubbing aren’t going to argue about whether or not the “upgraded” iPhone is comparable to the Samsung Galaxy X7, though. Rather, we’re going to discuss five products that will enhance your iPhone 7 user experience. From the best wireless headphone to the most durable case and more, we’ve done the research so that you can make the most of your new iPhone investment.
Mophie’s iPhone 7 Portable Batteries – PURCHASE HERE
For quite some time, Mophie’s been the go-to brand for premium phone charging technology. Nobody likes being out on the town with a phone at 5% and six hours left away from a charger. In the past, Mophie has made cases for phones, and let’s presume that they’ll do so again. However, until then, Mophie’s “powerstation” universal battery powers up for two additional charges on your smartphone, plus comes equipped with two USB ports to charge multiple devices at once. For those times when you and your friend are running on a low battery warning, this device is ideal.
Jaybird’s Freedom Headphones – PURCHASE HERE
The release of the iPhone 7 can also be officially known as the moment when wireless Bluetooth headphones went from the wave of the future from the absolute necessity of the present. There’s literally no way to use the iPhone 7 with plug-in headphones, so instead, there’s likely a need to find a headphone that’s comfortable, fashionable, and also can, say, go from work-to-car-to-gym-to-home with ease. Our answer is Jaybird’s Freedom F5 In-Ear Wireless Headphones. Priced at a point just a bit cheaper than Apple’s “Airbuds,” Jaybird’s heaphones come with eight hours of play on a full charge, premium metal buds, remote controls for music and calls, and a “My sound app” that customizes your sound settings and saves them to your buds.
Caseology [Wavelength Series] Slim Ergonomic Ripple Design – PURCHASE HERE
iPhone lovers worldwide know of the pain of a cracked screen. We don’t know of any foolproof solutions against having that occur, but we do believe that a case like the one pictured above from Caseology’s “Wavelength” series has a ripple design that should help you keep a grip on your phone. As well, the phone comes complete with a TPU sleeve and polycarbonate bumper to provide safety in the inevitable event of falls as well. It’s available in coral pink, burgundy, jet black, deep blue, black and gold, and navy blue, so no matter the your color preference, you’re ideally safe(r) than you were before.
Jawbone Mini Jambox Wireless Bluetooth Speaker – PURCHASE HERE
If you have yet to catch Sonos’ home digital stereo wave or you’re still using the aux cord in your car, the quickest fail-safe solution for phone-related audio needs is probably solved by purchasing a Jawbone Mini Jambox speaker. The Graphite Mini Jambox provides one-touch access to all saved and streaming music, plus connects calls from your phone to your speaker. As well, the device has a built-in microphone that provides full crisp sound to the person on the other line. If needing a stop-gap until all of your technology is up-to-date, the Mini Jambox is ideal.
MaxCurve Photo App – PURCHASE HERE
We’re well aware of the enhanced photo capabilities of the iPhone 7. Therefore, alongside some must-grab physical accessories, we also know that having a great photo app is just as important as a great set of headphones. At DCClubbing, we suggest the MaxCurve app, which, among it’s positives include the most comprehensive curve editing function available with 28 curves, most of which are not available on other apps. The creators of the app note that “[MaxCurve] is able to edit every detail of your photos to its maximum design and also help to perfectly reconstruct your photography works.” For photographer and professional visual artist quality shots, MaxCurve is an essential photo editing tool.
FIVE THINGS TO DO IN DC IN FALL 2016
The Nation’s Capital and its suburbs has a jam-packed schedule of goings on for Fall 2016. From the opening of a long-awaited museum to entertaining seasonal events and hotly-anticipated gigs for global music superstars on tour, here’s five of the best events in the region over the next few months.
Visiting The National Museum of African American History and Culture
The latest-to-open museum in the Smithsonian’s collection opens on September 24 with significant fanfare that includes a three-day music festival. However, weekend passes are not available again until December 4, so we advise possibly waiting until the winter to snap up one of the passes that will be available on a first-come and first serve basis during the week at 9:15 AM. From Michael Jackson’s fedora to numerous key artifacts from the civil rights struggle and so much more, the museum is the only national museum totally devoted to the story of African-Americans and likely to be the National Mall’s most must-see location of Fall/Winter 2016.
Field of Screams – September 30 – November 5
For just over a month, there’s a field in Olney, MD that’s transformed from forest land to a Halloween attraction that won a 2014 A& E competition for the best Haunted House Design/Build. Field of Screams features four main attractions, including a 3D haunted house, plus fifteen bonfires, zombies, the “Trail of Terror,” and a menu including smores, fried Twinkies, Fried Oreos and more. If you’re not at peak freakout, there’s also Field of Screams’ sister venue “Scream City” which holds both an “Exorcism Estate” and “Slaughter Factory” near the DC Armory and RFK Stadium in Southeast DC.
Sia at Verizon Center – October 19
Get “Cheap Thrills,” but don’t “Bang Your Head” while swinging from a “Chandelier” when Sia comes to town at the Verizon Center on October 19. Yes, we’re well aware that the singer now notorious for hiding her face during live appearances won’t exactly be easy to see during her concert, but her hits are so undeniable that it might not matter. “Cheap Thrills” has been a Billboard #1 single in six countries in 2016, so that’s the performance you want to see, but if you’re looking for a dance party, it’s her songs produced by the likes of David Guetta, Axwell and more that are certain to get you to sticking around and up on your feet!
Maryland Renaissance Festival – Every weekend through October 23
Everybody likes taking a trip back to 16th century Europe, right? That’s exactly what has happened in Crownsville, MD for the past 40 years as everything from turkey legs and fair maidens to jousting and well, a very true-to-life take on village living during King Henry VIII’s rule of England. As far as what’s best to do at Renaissance Fest 2016? We’ll suggest either getting active in axe throwing, play acting and maybe hanging out at the White Hart Tavern. Or choose to go all out and rent a costume to enjoy the jousting tournament, Shakespeare’s As You Like It, and more. Either way, it’s a quality afternoon and well worth the trip.
Porter Robinson and Madeon at Echostage – November 10 AND November 16
The must-see event of EDM’s fall and winter months is the co-headlining tour by young melodic kingpins Porter Robinson and Madeon. The two have collaborated on “Shelter,” a single released just-in-time for their string of nationwide gigs together. In the past, both Porter and Madeon have expressed how much they love playing at Echostage. WIth recent improvements to the venue’s already impressive laser light show and LED technology, one can expect that the already impressive stage shows for the DJ/production tandem’s previous tours could be elevated to another level here.
In DC These Days, Fast Casual Dining Equals Big Business And Is Here To Stay
In 2015, CNN Money reported that Americans were working roughly 47 hours a week, which when given that the average work week is expected to be 40 hours, means that there’s a lot of overtime happening. The push towards overtime means that there’s less time for many things, cooking at home included in that list. Thus, if you’re wondering why cities like Washington, DC appear to be over-run with fast casual dining options offering everything from salads to rice bowls to noodle soups, burritos and more, that’s why. However, how big of a business DC’s ability to ever-so-briefly stop working and eat an impressive diversity of meals is becoming is what’s truly amazing.
Sweetgreen’s farm-to-table salads are delicious enough for the company to have existed for nearly a decade, raise $95 million in venture capital funding and spawn a seven-year old music festival. As well, not too far behind is five-year old Cava Grill, which, as an offshoot of the Cava Mezze restaurant has just followed Sweetgreen into New York City and has $60 million in VC funding to spend. As well, established fast-casual industry leader Chipotle launched Shophouse, a Southeast-Asian inspired sister concept, in the area three years ago.
Even iconic and veteran DC chef Jose Andres is in on the fun, his all-vegetarian Beefsteak entry now entering it’s second year in the fast-casual sweepstakes and already having national locations. Andres’ acclaim has attracted pop-star power to his brand as his funders include the likes of actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Upstarts like Philadelphia hoagie-inspired Taylor Gourmet, urban-chic “Chipotle for Pizza” & Pizza and sushi-as-burrito operation Buredo are making swift and impressive moves as well.
DC’s downtown park system turning into a lunch-time smorgasbord should be added to this mix as well. There’s now 240-plus food trucks in operation in the Nation’s Capital, offering everything from lobster roll sandwiches to barbecue items, grilled Halal-style meats and much more. Food trucks with brick-and-mortar locations like District Taco are notable, too. When the San Francisco Business Journal reveals that food-truck entrepreneurs are making a half-million dollars a year in earnings, there’s an impressive movement happening.
Fast casual is even interrupting DC’s traditional sit-down and not-so-fast restaurant boom. In Asia, ramen shops are the ultimate in fast dining, as the shops do an impressive level of in-and-out dining by business people needing incredibly swift dining options during weeks of work that oftentimes expand far past the new American 47 hour-per-week expectation. Now, especially in DC of late, traditionally fast ramen is becoming the height of experience-driven fast-casual eating. There’s roughly a dozen ramen-specific restaurants now in the DC Metropolitan area, a number that’s certain to grow.
When well-regarded publications like Zagat’s food guide says that “perhaps more than any [American] market, Washingtonians can’t get enough of fast-casual” and Eater notes that both “home-grown” and “enthusiastic entrants from elsewhere” are highlighting DC’s “nicer than fast-food, but not quite full-service” offerings, and can name over a dozen eateries not noted in this article, fast-casual has not just arrived in Washington, DC, moreover, it’s likely here to stay.
The Undefeatable Britney Jean Spears
A 17-year old girl who’s an ex-Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeer is dressed up in a 13-year old’s schoolgirl uniform and cast in an instantaneously iconic music video. This same teen then releases three albums that would go on to sell 70 million copies, go on three world tours and have acting roles in three globally-released films by the time she was 21. If I then told you by the time this teen was 25 that this one-time child superstar of superstars would be shaving her head, living as a divorced single parent and “going crazy,” it could almost be expected. However, as she nears 35, and after nearly two decades of recording music, Britney Spears has evolved past being a girl, is now completely comfortable as a woman, and is impressively on her way to being a superstar yet again.
For as much as we at Decades love to talk about how cool the ‘90s are, it’s this 2000s era pop priestess who likely deserves as much love as we give the ‘90s. To showcase just how cool Britney is, there’s a very real arc between Britney Spears and Elvis Presley that isn’t just tied to performing in Vegas. This linkage showcases just how massive of a star she is. Similar to Spears, Elvis did the following:
- released three iconic albums and had roles in three films before his 21st birthday
- had four consecutive #1 albums
- after eight consecutive years of releases had a stress and pressure-induced recording hiatus
- has an undeniable mystique attached to his career that is tied to a generation of kids and teenagers loving his visuals as much as they loved his music
2016 finds Britney Spears releasing her ninth studio album Glory while also in the midst of her third year of her Las Vegas performance residency at Caesar’s Palace. What’s interesting is that for an artist that so many have believed to be in “decline,” let the record show that Spears has released four albums since 2007, done two limited tours, released perfumes via Elizabeth Arden, been active as a charity contributor and also is raising two children aged 10 and 12, respectively. Though her last Billboard #1 single was 2011’s “Hold It Against Me” and she’s removed from an era of having four consecutive number one albums, the idea that Spears ever “fell off” could be argued to be completely wrong. If anything, Britney’s the 21st century’s ultimate pop music survivor.
Since Britney’s Vegas performances haven’t been publicly aired, her magnificent Elvis ‘68 Comeback Special-similar performance was recently alongside G-Eazy at MTV’s 2016 Video Music Awards. These are the same VMAs where in 2007, her performance of “Gimme More” signaled to the world that her life was in possibly falling apart in front of our eyes. Regarding her performance of “Make Me,” Billboard noted that it was a “subdued victory for Spears” that “checks off another box on her way to a revived career — not just as a pop superstar who once was, but as a pop superstar who still is.”
In 2011, Entertainment Weekly summed up Britney Spears’ career as “an American institution, as deeply sacred and messed up as pro wrestling or the filibuster.” As well, when artists like Nicki Minaj say that Spears’ success drives them because “once you keep at whatever it is you’re doing, people may not like you, people may not love you, but they will have to respect you at the end of the day. And that respect is all that matters,” the need to see Britney Spears excel is not just an expectation, but a necessity.
At Decades, we’re proud of Britney’s ability to endure and excel. We’ll be playing tons of her music in celebration.
On Burning Man 2016 And The Evolution Of Festival Culture
Thirty years ago, Burning Man was a festival associated with “radical self-expression” that took place in the shadow of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and ended with the ritualistic symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy-as-man. In 2016, Burning Man is a destination on Instagram near Reno, Nevada where from August 28-September 5, the likes of Paris Hilton and 70,000 of her friends partied on-board a jet-plane as art installation, Jack U played Billboard pop hits, and yes, they still burned a wooden man. Somewhere in the middle of this insanity there’s a lesson about what happens when underground things become mainstream fads because everyone loves a good, cool party that it seems like nobody else is attending.
Burning Man has existed for 30 years, but it was ultimately the festival’s close alignment with mid-2000s leading indie-to-pop cultural staples of electronic music and festivals as communal experiences that arguably put it over-the-top. Over the past weekend, Burning Man’s attendance reached a 40% surge in the past five years. That’s roughly 70,000% growth in the festival’s 30-year history, so it’s probably as good of a time as any to sit down and consider how movements develop and when it’s time to start doing something new.
Getting angry about Burning Man “not being for the scene” anymore is arguably fruitless. From disco to old-school rap, scenes evolve over time, as people, places and economics “conspire” to open culture up to society-at-large. These evolutions welcome in people who bring their unique human backgrounds into what are ideally supposed to be “shared cultural spaces.” Whenever “sharing” occurs, there’s a balance that must be achieved. Of course, when that balance is between wealth and “free-thinking,” the idea that wealth allows for free-thinking to include so much of what we saw at Burning Man 2016, stories like that of a “fancy camp” founded by the son of a Russian billionaire being ransacked make sense.
There’s been recent discussion of moving the Burning Man Festival out of the Nevada desert because of festival taxes being levied by the state of Nevada. If Burning Man were still all about free-thinking hippies on a beach, that’d be a problem. However, confusing what Burning Man originally was with what it is right now is like comparing a McDonald’s Big Mac to a steak dinner at The Palm. In Burning Man 2016 being far more of the latter and less of the former, the idea of taxing the wealth-positive festival makes sense.
Here’s an intriguing solution. Maybe it’s time for the OG burners to head, as VICE suggested in 2015, to Utah. In June 2016, Burning Man’s organizers purchased the 3,800 square foot Fly Ranch in Washoe County, Nevada in order to build year-round Burning Man-style infrastructure. While for some this may seem like an ideal solution for those looking to get away from the growing crowd in Black Rock City, heading to Utah instead could be a winning plan.
In the 2015 Vice piece, Burning Man’s CEO Marian Goodell notes that the Nevada taxes has made the festival’s organizers “ look longingly towards Utah or any other state that might not have levied that.” However, when Goodell also notes, “[w]e have watched the change in the type of people that come to Burning Man, and we’re not gonna get in front of certain things and force issues. We are gonna nurture the process so we all get the best results. Burning Man is an experiment in temporary community, and we’re the stewards of that process,” is it also a nod to potentially taking things elsewhere? When she continues to note that at 2015’s festival may be the most important sign that times have changed and that the festival’s culture may need to evolve:
“I was one of the people who was awakened at 3 in the morning by the sound of thumping music. My trailer was vibrating! Several of us came out, shocked, and couldn’t understand, even though I’ve been doing this for 19 years. We got in the cart and went out and it was an tart car facing its speakers towards the camp. It was past the man and it woke me!”
Again, in 2016, Burning Man was a destination on Instagram near Reno, Nevada where from August 28-September 5, the likes of Paris Hilton and 70,000 of her friends partied on-board a jet-plane as art installation, and ultimately, given how change occurs and things evolve, that’s okay. In looking to discover how to preserve a Burning Man that’s more about good music, good vibes and hanging out on a beach as a wooden man burns, maybe it’s time to think about Utah, and that’s okay, too.
How Lil Wayne Changed The Music Industry Forever
With three tweets on September 3, Lil Wayne announced what may be his retirement from recording music. In believing his announcement to be based in truth, it’s time to acknowledge why he’s easily one of popular music’s most game-changing artists and likely to get a ton of spins at Decades. In taking rap music from being driven by the radio, pop charts and concerts to being pushed by the internet and the club, he opened the door for the future of music and changed the industry forever.
There’s video footage of Lil Wayne getting turnt in New York City nightclubs at the age of 13. Southern rap broke all of the industry’s established rules, but in Lil Wayne being signed to Cash Money at 13 and earning millions of dollars as a rapper by 16 by being featured on Juvenile’s “Back Dat Azz Up,” B.G.’s “Bling Bling” and releasing his own single “Tha Block Is Hot,” Lil Wayne arguably broke them best. Weezy was already well along his way to iconic status long before he could vote, drink or drive. However, let’s be clear that part of what makes Wayne a superstar is that it’s highly likely he was already doing two of the three activities listed long before his 18th birthday.
By the time Wayne was 21, he was four albums and 11 released singles into his solo career and releasing the Mannie Fresh-produced single “Go D.J.,” which was his second top 10 rap release. Between 2005-2008, Wayne’s output continued to be significant to the point where amazingly enough, he had sold nearly 10 million singles without ever having any of them crack Billboard’s Top 10.
Between the release of his albums The Carter II and The Carter III, Wayne released seven internet-only mixtapes. The thus appropriately nicknamed “Mixtape Weezy” released some 150 tracks on non-mainstream album material in three years, songs that became classics to a new generation of music consumers who were more likely to download music on the internet for free than to purchase an album in a retail store. Amazingly enough, Wayne’s biggest selling album was 2008’s The Carter III, the one that came after his mixtape-driven hiatus, but as a testament to his internet-driven fame, it’s only sold just under four million copies since its release.
Prior to Lil Wayne’s success, one could look to a rap artist’s own albums and find all of their most iconic moments. However, Wayne’s mold-breaking extends to here as well, as he’s unquestionably the king of the “guest appearance on another rapper or DJ’s club hit or remix.”
From 1999’s already discussed “Back Dat Azz Up” and “Bling Bling” to DJ Khaled’s “I’m So Hood,” “I’m On One,” and “We Takin’ Over,” Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now,” will i. am and Britney Spears’ “Scream And Shout,” Fat Joe’s “Make It Rain” and Jay Sean’s “Down,” Lil Wayne has always appeared to be an artist who had multiple hit songs everywhere at the same time. As well, it always appeared as if these singles were all aimed at being as supremely turnt up in the club as humanly possible. In fact, if you head out to Decades soon, we’re quite certain that in the club’s hip-hop friendly room that you’ll be hearing all of these aforementioned hits, possibly sometimes one after the other.
In looking at the future of where rap is headed, it’s possible that the success of artists like Wayne’s protege Drake and Chicago-based star Chance the Rapper is directly related to what Lil Wayne accomplished. Drake’s 2015-released collaborative album with Future was originally released as an internet-only mixtape, and is filled to the brim with club-ready heaters. Also, Chance the Rapper does not have a mainstream record deal, and the idea that he’s ONLY wanting to put out free internet mixtapes has made Grammy change it’s tune about nominating and awarding music that’s been released for free.
Whether or not Wayne returns is anyone’s best guess. However, his legacy is absolute and certainly worthy of celebration.
On that note, Decades is opening soon.
Kanye West Is Running For President In 2020. Here’s How He Wins.
In August 2015, Kanye West took to the stage at MTV’s Video Music Awards and announced that he was running for President of the United States in 2020. As if wanting to make absolutely sure that we all knew that he wasn’t backing out of his prior announcement, he returned to MTV’s VMA stage on August 28, 2016, and in a manner most “presidential” outlined an anti-urban violence stance as well favorably compared himself to the likes of President Harry S. Truman, automaker Henry Ford, iconic entrepreneur Howard Hughes, entertainment titan Walt Disney, and pioneering Apple tech visionary Steve Jobs. In considering how and why he could win in 2020, that’s where things begin to get interesting.
Yes, the Republican nominee for President stated that, if elected, he would force Mexico to build a wall to contain its potential immigrants. However, Kanye West once said that George W. Bush didn’t like black people. We’re in a political environment where sound bites oftentimes carry more weight than full speeches. In this being the case, Donald Trump’s grassroots appeal being based on enraging/engaging snippets of thoughts could be mirrored by a potential West campaign.
2016’s Presidential campaign has involved Donald Trump making numerous statements about Hillary Clinton’s desire to stay with Bill Clinton after the infamous Monica Lewinsky scandal. By comparison to Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian being filmed in a globally-distributed sex tape with one-time pop-star Ray J, the Clinton’s failings pale in comparison. While yes, setting up a slippery slope of sex and drama isn’t exactly what we should want to achieve in a presidential election cycle, if Kanye runs in 2020 — especially as a Democrat in the primaries against Hillary — it’s bound to occur.
The easiest way for Kanye West to avoid many of the potential public relations pitfalls of a Yeezus for President campaign will exist in his ability to use his pop-star swagger to overcome public angst. Ever since we elected movie star Ronald Reagan as president in 1980 and Bill Clinton became a late-night and MTV celebrity in 1992, there’s a certain level of superstar cool associated with the American presidency that’s maybe more important than public policy stances. In many ways, arguable public policy know-nothing Donald Trump’s successful obtaining of the Republican nomination can almost entirely be directly related to the 35 years that he’s spent as an global media icon alone. However, we’ve never seen arguably one of the top five most entertaining hip-hop artists of all time running for president. The idea that a superstar is vying for a superstar’s job could literally be more than enough to put him over-the-top.
And let’s also seriously break down the idea that Kanye could release his entire platform as a mixtape, and that mixtape would be FIRE. In a realm of things that could legitimately occur in the world, imagine Kanye’s Watch The White House mixtape being hosted by Barack Obama. Tracks could feature everyone from Beyonce and Rihanna to Jay Z and Nas, Chance the Rapper and Jaden Smith, Kim Kardashian and Amber Rose, Jack U and Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, and the Foo Fighters and Guns N Roses. U2 once released an album on iTunes that magically appeared in everyone’s collections free-of-charge. Zero campaign laws would be violated if private company Apple Music publicly supported Kanye’s presidential aspirations with a similar move. Between blog traffic, think-pieces, potential Billboard chart-topping hits, videos and live performances, that’s an unprecedented media assault that could disrupt traditional campaigning forever.
Debates would be LIT AF, too. When not potentially nervous and speaking without a script onstage at the Video Music Awards, Kanye West is the son of a college professor and well-acquainted with doing compelling oration in front of thousands-to-millions of people. If Kanye’s coached for debates in a manner similar to any other presidential nominee, it’s easy to imagine that he’d actually not just make points, but be really entertaining at doing so, too.
Kanye’s running in 2020. Intriguingly enough, he could easily win.
The 90s Boom Could Last Forever
Don’t think for a second that millions of viral Youtube video clips of people dancing a version of the Running Man dance to R & B hits, pop acts like Duran Duran and 98 Degrees reuniting and playing 20 tour dates in August 2016 alone, MTV program Daria resurfacing, Pokemon being the world’s most popular video game and Mariah Carey seductively posing on the cover of mainstream magazines are five unrelated events from the past three months. In fact, they’re connected by the fact that they prove that the 1990s and retro culture in general are incredibly popular right now. In presenting facts, figures and thinking about what the future may hold, we’ll get a sense of why love for the 1990s could possibly not be just a trend, but rather, the start of a phenomenon that lasts forever.
Recently, Viacom has swapped brands and concepts on it’s “classic” music channel. VH1 Classic is now MTV Classic, and is not just focusing on throwback content in general from the Viacom family of music networks. Instead, the new MTV Classic is specifically ‘90s focused, with MTV President Sean Atkins noting that “MTV’s [‘90s] programming vault is a music and pop culture goldmine with universal resonance.”
‘90s music reaching “goldmine” status should be obvious by now, but to break the trend down by simple numbers, overall music sales in the 1990s rose roughly 75%, while in the years since 2000, overall sales have dipped 64%. If you’re NOT looking for numbers as proof, ask yourself just how quickly you specifically downloaded and paid $20 for the Tidal app *just* to hear Prince’s feel-good hits from the 1990s after he unexpectedly passed away.
Nostalgic feelings for the 1990s are not just limited to music. In 1996, the top five comedies on free television were watched in 54 million homes. Comparatively, in 2014, there were only three comedies in the top 30 TV programs on free television, and these programs were viewed by 27 million households. Clearly, while there’s certainly more broadcasting options than ever before, the ratings also show that people could easily want to watch ‘90s TV shows again. Need proof? 1996’s top-ranked comedy was Seinfeld, and famously, the streaming broadcast rights for the show were sold to Hulu last year for $160 million. That’s a lot of puffy shirts.
Discussing music again, there’s also the idea to consider that for every modern day Drake and Kanye that become superstars, that we’re not comparatively creating the seemingly never-ending list of ‘90s rap stars that include Biggie, Tupac, LL Cool J, Puff Daddy, Busta Rhymes, Dre and Snoop, Meth and Red, and so many more.
Here’s a quick number to drive home that point. There’s a group of 11 artists who had #1 singles for 42% of the 1990s. By comparison, there’s 11 artists who have had #1 singles in the 2010s, but for 71% — or nearly twice as long. This definitely allows for fewer options to break through as superstars.
In 20 years, imagine say, Desiigner, going on a sold out tour like the 1990s-beloved 98 Degrees, “I Love The ‘90s” Tour participants Salt-N-Pepa, Kid ‘N Play, Vanilla Ice and Coolio, “90sFest” Tour headliners Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Spin Doctors, or say, current Billboard pop chart toppers Blink-182. It’s safe to say that a nostalgia tour where “Panda” and “Timmy Turner” are played on repeat probably will not happen.
What happens when fewer records sell, modern entertainment isn’t so entertaining, there are fewer current superstars and people want fun experiences more than ever before? People literally start doing the Running Man again. Exactly.
The ‘90s boom is not a joke. Instead, it’s a sign of things to come, and things that also may last forever. Now, imagine if there were a club, let’s say in Washington, DC, where people could hear their favorite ‘90s tunes played all night long.
Decades is coming soon.
Scream Sunday: 10.30.16 at Ultrabar
DCClubbing Presents:
Scream Sunday
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Ultrabar • 911 F Street NW • Washington, DC
Costumes, Music, and Drink Specials! Our Halloween Fright Fest isn’t stopping on Saturday, Come out to Ultrabar on Sunday October 30th for the scariest night of our Halloweekend!
- 5 Levels, 4 DJs spinning Top 40, House and International
- $350 table special: Stoli, Jack, and House Champagne
- Bottle service available at (202) 638-4663
- Ages 18+ w/ valid ID
- Dress code: Dressy Casual. Guys: No boots, no sneakers, no t-shirts, no grungy or athletic clothes, Girls: Keep it classy.
Music Format:
– Main Floor: DJ Kam (Top 40, Mashups, Hip Hop)
– Bedroom: DJ Destroyer (Hip Hop)
– Chroma : DJ Dale & DJ C-LO (Latin & International)
– Basement: DJ George Tsakiris (Dance, Top 40)
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Ultrabar
911 F Street NW, Washington DC | Nearest metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown (Red and Yellow/Green lines)
