Ought to be ashamed of yourself for digging on a "person" who abuses AUTO-TUNE!!!

[The Blue Method]

There was a time when you had to do take after take to get that one perfect or best possible take. And that would be your finished product. Over time recording companies began to "splice". But there wasn't a whole lot of this. It'd be big sections of songs that got spliced together. Eventually, technology progressed to the point where splicing was not good enough. Artistry began to decline and only people like Ray Charles were delivering on the first or second take. Producers were splicing verses, then lines, then words till they were like WTF?!?!?!?!?

Fast forward to the present and PRO TOOLS and other recording software has been in use for quite a few years now. I have no problem admitting that I do take after take and then I sit with my producer and compile the song from the best parts of all of my takes. I can sing, but I'm no Ray Charles. Everyone comps and that's cool because no one is perfect. Sometimes its not even about having gone off key. It might just be a better performance on one take than another because of "vibe". Feel me? I do not comp syllables. That's some "can't sing" type of ish!!! I've gone as far as comping words and...that's far enough.

But there's this little thing called auto-tune. It has been used in the recording history of The Blue Method less than 5 times over the course of 2 albums. I think that's pretty good. I don't even know where they are. My producer won't tell me. LOL. There are respectable recording artists who have used auto-tune. I won't mention any names, but you probably love a song by him, her, them, etc.

There are others though. "People"....I refuse to call them artists....who simply sing with the auto-tune on all the time like its cute. When Cher did it, it was cool. We'd never heard it before and the novelty made that song sell millions I'm sure. It started popping up in other pop songs. Things were starting to get out of control.

I love hip-hop. One of the things I love about it is its hypocrisy. Hip-hop says steal when you need to, but be an original. I actually dig that for some reason. It falls in line with rebellion I suppose. So it built it empire on the beats of Clyde Stubblefield. For those of you who don't know the name, he played drums for the giant known to the world as The God Father of Soul, James Brown. But sampling is a tool. How much you use the tool depends on your needs. Could hip-hop artists have hired drummers to play the beats? Sure. But I reserve judgement and accept the fact that they didn't. As hip-hop grew, the use of a live band in making the music subsided the same way it did for club owners who could hire a DJ and save some cash. The break beat took over. Other tools would make there way into the mix. Synthesizers, samplers, beat machines...all tools with which to make our beloved hip-hop music. It ain't nuttin' like it!

But what's going on NOW? We've gone from an artist having to have enough talent to make it through a whole song with 0-1 or 0-2 mistakes to "people" singing entire songs in auto-tune!!!!!!!!!!!! This is being used as a tool too. A tool to get over on anyone non-discerning enough to demand the best for his/her money. These damned "people" will do anything to get your money. They will cut corners. Every hip-hop artist wants to be REAL. Well why can't you hire REAL horn players to give your songs an amazingly LIVE sound? There are REAL horn players in LA, DC, ATL, NYC, PHILLY, HOUSTON, MOTOWN, ETC. ETC. ETC. Why use a synthesizer when you can hire a REAL bass player or a REAL piano player or a REAL drummer(at least SOME of the time for drums...SHEESH)?

I'll tell you why. These "people" will CUT AS MANY CORNERS AS POSSIBLE!!!!! For them, its not about the quality of the work. It's about cutting corners to make large quantities of crap! Stop buying into this stuff yall. Send your favorite artists messages that you want some REAL musicians to make the music they rap/sing over. Those of you "making music"? Stop cutting corners. The end result will be a product no less than shining!!!

AUTO-TUNE ARTISTS SUCK BUTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[The Almighty JiQsaw]

To be honest, these artists are out to make a quick dollar, and have no real respect or love for the music. At the end of the day, give me a real artist and musician. I can at least appreciate any mistakes made, as they are made from the heart for the love of the music that they make!