Tuning out

I grew up listening to country, pop, heavy metal, hard rock, alternative, classic rock, oldies and classical music (not in that order). There are times when I still enjoy songs from all those genres, and that only feeds my iTunes addiction. My iPod is a study in a melodic short-attention span. This probably describes all of us, so I might as well tell you about that great cheese sandwich I ate for lunch last week. But I won't.

Instead, does anyone else find it odd that so many poppy-rap hip-hoppers release songs along with other artists? Some of the collaborations make sense, when it is a union of two rappers, or two hip-hoppers (or Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. I really believe they are islands in the stream!). This trend, nothing new but still annoying, often seems like the sole vehicle that drives a song's popularity. Run DMC and Aerosmith's long-ago remix of the latter group's "Walk This Way" revived a classic song and the rock group's post-rehab career. But I have to think it was a good song given a new twist that made it popular (familiar for some, a new discovery for a younger generation in a new way). The personalities alone helped but did not sell the song. Some older musicians (Santana) latch onto rising stars just to sell records – sometimes works – like buying a puppy for an older dog so it remembers to go outside to poo.

If a song was any good, wouldn't just one artist need to record it? Instead we've got Beefmaster Q featuring L'il Pickle and Gangsta Flav Paco. On some of the rap songs they've kind of got to call roll before they get down to smacking it down just so you KNOW FOR SURE who is responsible (so you can avoid them like a rotten watermelon). Good songs are, of course, still being written and recorded. Just not as often anymore. When it happens it's like an afterthought.

And let's talk about Sean Combs, but not just for stealing backbeats from good songs ("Every Breath You Take!"). He keeps changing his name ... is it because he doesn't know who he is? Puffy? Puff Daddy? P Diddy? P? Diddy? He's vogue-ing in fragrance ads as "Sean John" now. In a job where image is everything, you'd think he would have crafted an identity with staying power. Even Prince is now going by Prince again.