Gloria E
Amidst all of the strange things happening around the world right now, the music industry has proven to be the most comforting! The industry took quite a hit as live performances had to be [understandly] put to a halt, meaning no gigs, concerts or festivals for the foreseeable future.
We decided to look at the positive impact that has come to light in spite of everything else.
We have been provided with endless entertainment, the most notable being clashes! The virtual competitive scene has revisited one of the most important elements of rap and hip hop culture – RAP BATTLING! MC's would perform on the same stage to see who had the better verse.
Although, in this case, both rappers and producers are not going bar for bar they are going back to back with their own hits, using Instagram's "Live" feature as a virtual venue for music lovers, to display their discography.
Swizz Beats v Timbaland
The string of clashes started off with producer giants Swizz Beats and Timbaland, where they showed their long-list of contributions to the music scene. Timbaland was geared up with tunes such as Missy Misdemeanour Elliot's "Get Ya Freak On", Aaliyah's "More Than A Woman" and much more! We leanred that Swizz Beats was responsible for a significant amount of Beyoncé records. However, the clear winner was most definitely Timbo!
Mannie Fresh v Scott Storch
A very important clash that took place was Scott Storch vs Mannie Fresh, two influential names that are bound to be mentioned when talking about the art of producing.
They went head to head with hip hop, rap and r&b anthems under their belts!
Storch came locked and loaded to go with plenty of ammunition for this war including Beyonce's "Baby Boy", Terror Squads "Lean Back", Eve's "Blow Ya Mind" and plenty more! Fresh came with body armour in the form many bangers including Lil Wayne's "Shine", "Mahogany" and Jada Kiss & Mariah Carey's "U Make Me Wanna".
However, the difference was that Storch had played more commercial hits in comparison to Fresh's street hits. So depending on which side of the industry you're most accustomed to, the crown could be given to either one of them. Throughout the clash, Fresh had a funny DJ drop playfully teasing Storch's slow jams selection "Scotty we're not here doing f**ckin' r&b bro".
Nonetheless, the good vibes and nostalgia were at ultimate levels.
T-Pain v Lil Jon
Also providing entertainment was Lil Jon vs T-Pain, this time playing both records they have been featured in and ones where they have been involved behind the scenes! The two went head to head to unveil all the club bangers they have got under their sleeves, the quality of music came as no surprise as the two are known notoriously for their infectious tracks. T-Pain started off strong with Kanye West's "Good Life" which he was featured in, stating "neither of us has warm-up records" to which Lil Jon hit back with Atlanta's anthem "Get Low". This clash was most definitely the most entertaining of the two, keeping it energetic at all times.
In this clash they didn't only focus on hip hop and r&b, they covered many other genres such as dance and reggae-dancehall!
The Dream v Sean Garret
Even critically acclaimed songwriters The-Dream and Sean Garret played to their strengths by revealing a handful of records they were involved in the making of. They played their best cards by unveiling the most influential tracks from Rihanna, Jay Z, Beyoncé – the list goes on!
All in all, it's been amazing to see who're the brains behind certain tracks, in terms of songwriters and producers. It has also been a positive to be reminded of all of the hits we used to love back in the day! Reminding us of good times throughout this lockdown!
Hopefully, we get some more of this type of content.